Mindfulness and meditation are two of the most prolific terms in Positive Psychology and often the most misunderstood. I have not written a blog specifically on this topic since my very first one in 2017, so I thought it was time to revisit the mindfulness movement. I hope to clarify what we mean by mindfulness and meditation, the broad different types of these approaches, their varying benefits and what to think about if you are planning to engage with these practices.

Mindfulness Vs Meditation

First of all, mindfulness and meditation are not the same thing. Helpfully, there is also a lack of agreement on the precise definitions. These are mine, based on the literature consensus and my own experience. I have been personally engaged in these approaches for seven years. This makes me a novice by many standards. I’m always happy to be challenged and educated by those with greater expertise.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is intentionally noticing what is going on right here, right now from an observational and non-judgemental perspective. This can refer to paying attention to our external world, but more commonly means our internal world of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. This means being aware, as an observer, of what is occurring in our mind, body or environment without getting caught up with or carried away by what we perceive. It does not mean having an empty mind but awareness of what is happening there. A quietened mind can be a side effect of practising mindfulness, as you develop the ability to step back from your thoughts and feelings and let them come and go as they please. However, it is not synonymous with it and if your mind is busy it doesn’t mean you are “doing it wrong”, just that your mind has a lot to tell you right now. Research shows that being mindfully present is associated with greater wellbeing and happiness, and conditions such as anxiety and depression tend to be related to future or past based unhelpful ruminations (the opposite of mindfulness).

It is possible to be mindful without ever having done any formal meditation. Mindfulness is a clarity of present moment attention and the intention to relate to your experiences with curiosity, openness, non-judgement and acceptance. However, it can be seen that the processes involved in being mindful include a range of skills from concentration, attentional focus, ability to identify and differentiate thoughts, feelings and sensations, tolerance or acceptance of these internal experiences, the ability to decenter and perspective take, response flexibility, empathy, insight and probably many more that I’ve not covered. It’s not a one-step process and we don’t fully understand the complexities involved

Meditation

Meditation is any deliberate, formal exercise that is aimed at cultivating an aspect of mindfulness. The typical picture of this is like the one above of quiet, seated practice, but there are many ways to meditate and different elements of the mindfulness process that could be targeted by any meditation. Focus on the breath is the most well-known type of meditation but there are various approaches from yoga, mindful eating, walking meditations, loving-kindness meditation, insight meditation, Qigong and many more.

Meditation is a tool and what type of tool you use depends on what you want to do with it. In cultivating mindfulness through meditation you need to consider choices about how you focus your attention and intention.

Types of meditation

Thus, different types of meditation target the development of varying aspects of the mindfulness process and aim to cultivate different outcomes. Researchers have categorised this in different ways. Some key distinctions in orientation, which have been studied as part of the longitudinal ReSource project (Singer et al. 2016) are :

●      Presence or self-awareness meditations that focus on training attention and internal bodily awareness.

●      Perspective based meditation that develops meta-cognitive skills such as awareness of your thinking and the perspective of self /other.

●      Affect based approaches which foster positive social emotions such as gratitude and love and promote connectedness and pro-social behaviour.

There are other ways of categorising this and different “types” of meditation can overlap in their effects. Also, one practice can combine several of these different types of processes and meditation courses normally include several varieties of practice. How confusing!

Why does it matter?

The type of meditation you engage in determines the sort of outcomes you can expect. Studies comparing the impact of styles of meditation show that attention is enhanced by all the types of meditation listed above but increased compassion was only found in those who worked on affect style meditation. While people who had practised all types of meditation reported feeling less stressed during a challenge, only those who had learnt affect or perspective based meditation actually showed a corresponding reduction in cortisol production. Cortisol levels are considered to be physiological markers of stress. Likewise, merely engaging in attention focused meditation does not influence levels of social connection. In addition, studies using MRI scans suggest different parts of the brain are changed in predictable ways by the varying types of meditation.

Not surprisingly, I suppose, research backs up that, while some skills such as positivity and concentration are generic, beyond that, you have to target the skills you actually want to develop (Favre et al. 2021, Kok & Singer 2017). Further, some skills, such as body awareness, take much longer to develop than others and require more practice. Whether this practice is formal meditation or the development of “in the moment” skills may also influence outcomes. This leads to some confusing disparities in the research around the impact of the amount of practice. There is a lot we don’t know, but ongoing research is working to tease out the different elements so we can understand, what type of meditations, target which specific aspects of the mindfulness process, associated with what brain changes, leading to which particular effects on well-being, and who these are most useful for under what conditions.

So what can we say for now?

Cultivating mindfulness as part of daily life and through meditation practises can have positive impacts on well-being through mechanisms that may include improved cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physiological regulation and flexibility. The process is complex and if you are thinking of adopting such a practice you need to understand what you are trying to get out of it. This will help you inform the part of the mindfulness process you might be best to target and therefore what sort of meditation you need to try. One size does not fit all.

So if you are a person who wishes to relate better to other people, a perspective oriented meditation might suit you.

If you want to improve your attention and concentration a classic presence meditation could work well, although most approaches improve this.

If you want to relax and improve your connection with your body, a body scan “presence” meditation may work best.

If you aim to reduce loneliness and experience more connection, an affect-based loving-kindness meditation might be most effective.

If you hope to combat anxious ruminating thoughts or address thinking biases, a combination of presence and perspective based meditation could work for you.

If you are looking to increase insight and personal or spiritual transcendence, perspective, affect-based meditation (including those related to a range of religious contemplation approaches), could be for you.

Remember that many guided meditations will target the development of a variety of mindfulness skills and this might be your best option if you’re not sure what you’re looking for.

Conclusion

Mindfulness is not a unitary process and you don’t have to do formal meditation to work on it. Meditation comes in lots of different varieties which cultivate varying aspects of the mindfulness process with different effects. Understand what you’re trying to achieve by meditating and matching your choice of meditation to your goals. If it doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect you may need to practice for longer to become proficient, work on integrating the skills into your moment to moment experiences or try a different type of meditation.

References
Favre, P., Kanske, P., Engen, H. & Singer, T. (2021). Decreased emotional reactivity after 3 month socio-affective but not attention- or meta-cognitive-based mental training: A randomised controlled longitudinal fMRI study. Neuroimage, doi 10.1016/j.neuroimage2021.118132

Kok, B.E & Singer, T. (2017). Phenomenological fingerprints of four meditations: Differential state changes in affect, mind-wandering, meta-cognition and interoception before and after nine months of training. Mindfulness, 8, 218-231.

Singer, T., Kok, B.E., Bornemann, B., Zuborg, S., Bolz, M., Bochow, C.A. (2016). The ReSource project: Background, design, samples, and measurements (2nd ed.). Leipzig, Germany: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

Read more about Sarah Monk and her other articles HERE

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The post Mindfulness and Meditation Revisited appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

As with most things, there are also downsides.

Information overload

One of the downsides to this heavily digital era is information overload. There are many social media platforms with endless newsfeeds filling our brain with content. Our list of Zoom calls and notifications never seems to end. Whether we’re watching a cat video or having a video chat, reading a Twitter thread or checking WhatsApp, listening to a podcast or watching a movie, reading the news or looking at pictures – it’s like a tidal wave of digitalised information going into our head day in day out.

We’ve gone from living in small tribes to small communities to cities, to being globally connected. We’ve gone from knowing information about a neighbouring tribe to a neighbouring community, to a neighbouring city, to any country on the planet. The wider our network of information, the more mental noise we experience.

Just like overloading an electrical circuit can blow an appliance, does overloading our minds blow our brains?! I think it might.

In amongst all this noise, it’s important we make space for silence. Here are five reasons why:

1. Silence regenerates the brain

During silence, our brain is learning and assimilating information and regenerating brain cells. This is just like our body muscles which regenerate and grow during rest after a physical workout. If we go for a run and push ourselves too far or don’t rest in between workouts, we will cause damage. I wonder if the same goes for the brain when we’re on information overload? Maybe that’s why we get headaches and feel so tired after too much screen time and scrolling. It’s our brain telling us it needs to rest, it needs silence. Silence is important for brain health.

2. Silence brings peace

Whilst incessant noise creates stress and tension, silence relieves it. It’s no coincidence that effective wellbeing modalities like meditation involve silence and tuning out external stimuli. When I take moments of silence, peace washes over me almost instantaneously and I experience a wonderful stillness that anchors me in the present moment. Sometimes, I just listen to silence. It’s beautiful.

3. Silence increases self-awareness

When I am in silence, I become more sensitive to everything going on inside me – my thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, my intuition and my own quiet presence and energy. This helps me build my self-awareness which is essential for anyone who wants to develop themselves. Many people run to the next self-help book or training course looking for more information to insert into their brains – not realising that a fundamental part of personal growth is to become aware of the information that is already in their brain. Silence helps you to do this.

4. Silence improves mental focus

When I’m experiencing information overload, my mind becomes like a washing machine on a fast spin cycle. Every thought grabs my attention for a second and then it’s whisked away, to be replaced by the next and the next and the next. This follows through to my behaviour where like a headless chicken I dart from one thing to the next and struggle to focus on a specific task. Silence helps me to slow down and stop the spin cycle. It helps me to create space and clarity in my mind, I become more contemplative, deliberate and focussed. I can choose thoughts and behaviours to focus on, rather than taking whatever the spin cycle throws at me.

5. Silence increases creativity

I love to learn. I’m always learning and because of the internet, I can never run out of things to learn. However, I also want to create my own content for other people to learn from. I’ve noticed that the more ‘brain space’ I take up with absorbing other people’s content, the less ‘brain space’ I have to create my own. To create my blogs, training courses, videos and so on, I need to create silence and space in my mind so I can think, consciously, clearly and deliberately. In silence I can hear my own intuition and use my imagination, I can simmer on ideas, I can really hone my focus as a creator. Silence is the fertile soil in which new ideas sprout.

Quick tips

If I’ve sold you on the importance of silence and you want to bring more of it into your life, here are a few quick tips:

Take silence breaks – do this regularly throughout the day, even if just for a minute. You may like to do a longer and more structured meditation practice. Put it on your ‘to-do list, mark it in your diary, set reminders on your phone. Go sit in the park or, just close your eyes at your desk. Maybe even buy some noise-cancelling headphones if you’re in a noisy household or a busy city. Just take time out to listen to the silence.

Really listen to it.
Choose books over digital information – nowadays, we can barely read or watch anything online without being swamped by pop ups, adverts, ‘next video’ queues and all manner of distractions that scatter your focus and create more mental noise. Choose a book instead. It’s just you, some words on a page and silence.

Be aware of resistance – when we turn off external noise, internal noise – our own thoughts and feelings – can get louder. Many people struggle with a racing mind, negative and worrisome thoughts and emotions which can really stop them from enjoying silence and even avoiding it at all costs. Being with ourselves is not always easy but it is key to taming the very mind that harangues you, the very mind that is only made more problematic by information overload. If you want to master yourself, you need to be with yourself, in silence.

Now that you’ve finished reading this, I encourage you to take a minute of silence before you move on.

Read more about Pinky Jangra and her other articles HERE

The post Five Benefits of Silence in a Noisy Digital Age appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

This is good news because now more people get to know the concept of mindfulness. But it is also dangerous because misconceptions are being spread about the subject, often because people do not delve into the real meaning of it and make assumptions, which are sometimes only partially true.

What is it?

To understand what mindfulness is, it is important to know what it is not. Mindfulness is not about sitting in the lotus position. Yes, some people might do that, but there is no subscribed ideal meditation position. You can do mindfulness everywhere in whatever position you want, sitting down, lying down, even when walking.

Mindfulness is also not ‘thinking about nothing’. It is about learning to maintain your focus and stay in the here and now. You can choose to put all your attention just on one thing, for example your breathing or you can choose to let all the environmental stimuli in. It is up to you.

Mindfulness is also not about religion. Although Buddhist monks have used mindfulness exercises as forms of meditation as a way of reaching enlightenment, you don’t have to be religious, nor a Buddhist to practice it. In 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn created the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program which was stripped of all religious undertones. His goal was to help counter stress and chronic pain. Since then a lot of programs were created to be used in venues ranging from schools and hospitals to sports teams.

We live in a complex world, with a lot of distractions and our days are filled with endless lists to do and then cross off our to do lists. We are constantly in a state of doing. Mindfulness is about non-doing. As Jon Kabat-Zinn states: ‘it is a radical non-doing and in any moment of non-doing lies peace, insight, creativity, and new possibilities’.

Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment.

Train your brain

Mindfulness meditation does not only change our mindset and perspective, it can actually change the shape of our brains.

The Belgian neurologist Steven Laureys has done research on what happens with the brain of someone who meditates regularly. His subject was the Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, who is regarded as the world champion in meditating.

The research showed that during meditation some parts of the brain change structure. This change resulted in an improvement in memory and concentration, in more stable emotions and less vulnerability for depression and other psychological problems.

So, when we meditate, we train our brain and we can change and re-program it. How wonderful is that?

If we translate that to a work environment, mindfulness may not give us higher salaries or a promotion, but it can go a long way in improving our performance and enhancing our emotional intelligence. People who meditate sleep better, have less stress and more focus. All of this can result in more engagement and motivation at work. It can furthermore foster an environment in which creativity can blossom and work-related stress will be reduced. Many major corporations such as Google and Adobe have launched real mindfulness programs to improve employee engagement and reduce work-related stress.

A case for mindfulness…

Practicing mindfulness has many benefits on both mental and physical health. So, why not give it a go? Start small and create a daily routine of taking a few minutes to close your eyes and focus on your breath. Observe any thoughts as they drift through your mind and just bring your attention back to your breath. If it feels good, you might try working your way up to five minutes.

By making a small shift in your thinking, you could have a major effect to your life that can help you to be kind to yourself in a non-judgmental way and free yourself from old habits. It can enable you to choose where you place your attention and to realize you have the power to make wiser choices in every moment.

I sincerely hope that you will also discover that mindfulness is not just a hype, but a way of living that can give you added value in all aspects of life.

About the author: Inge Beckers

 ‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

 Waarom mindfulness meer is dan een hype

Mindfulness lijkt het nieuwste modewoord te zijn, niet alleen online of in lifestyle magazines, maar ook in de werkomgeving.

Dat is goed nieuws, omdat nu meer mensen het concept mindfulness leren kennen. Maar het kan ook gevaarlijk zijn omdat misvattingen over het onderwerp worden verspreid, vaak omdat mensen zich niet verdiepen in de echte betekenis ervan en gewoon aannames doen, die soms slechts gedeeltelijk waar zijn.

Wat is het?

Om te begrijpen wat mindfulness is, is het belangrijk om te weten wat het niet is. Mindfulness wil niet zeggen dat je in de lotushouding moet gaan zitten.  Ja, sommige mensen doen dat wel, vooral mensen die ervaren zijn, maar er bestaat geen verplichte, ideale meditatiepositie. Je kan overal mindfulness doen, in elke gewenste positie, zittend, liggend, zelfs tijdens het wandelen.

Mindfulness is ook niet ‘aan niets denken’. Het gaat ver het leren je focus te behouden en in het hier en nu te blijven. Je kan  ervoor kiezen om al je aandacht maar op één ding te richten, bijvoorbeeld je ademhaling of je kan ervoor kiezen om alle prikkels uit de omgeving binnen te laten zonder daar verder over na te denken. Het is aan jou.

Mindfulness gaat ook niet over religie. Hoewel de boeddhistische monniken mindfulness-oefeningen gebruikten als een vorm van meditatie, als een manier om verlichting te bereiken, hoef je niet religieus te zijn, noch een boeddhist om het te beoefenen. In 1979 creëerde Jon Kabat-Zinn het Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction-programma dat ontdaan was van alle religieuze ondertonen. Zijn doel was om stress en chronische pijn tegen te gaan. Sindsdien zijn er veel programma’s gemaakt die gebruikt kunnen worden in verschillende omgevingen, variërend van scholen en ziekenhuizen tot sportteams.

Vandaag de dag leven we in een complexe wereld, met veel afleidingen en onze dagen zijn gevuld met eindeloze to do lijstjes, waarop we dan telkens schrappen wat we gedaan hebben. We zijn constant in een staat van ‘doen’. Mindfulness gaat over ‘niet-doen’. Zoals Jon Kabat-Zinn stelt: ‘het is een radicaal niet-doen en op elk moment van niet-doen ligt vrede, inzicht, creativiteit en nieuwe mogelijkheden’.

Mindfulness is de kwaliteit van bewust aanwezig zijn en volledig betrokken zijn bij wat we op dit moment doen.

Train je hersenen

Mindfulness-meditatie verandert niet alleen onze manier van denken en perspectief, maar kan ook de vorm van onze hersenen veranderen.

De Belgische neuroloog Steven Laureys heeft onderzoek gedaan naar wat er gebeurt met de hersenen van iemand die regelmatig mediteert. Zijn onderwerp was de boeddhistische monnik Matthieu Ricard, die wordt beschouwd als de wereldkampioen mediteren.

Het onderzoek toonde aan dat tijdens meditatie sommige delen van de hersenen van structuur veranderen. Deze verandering resulteerde in een verbetering van geheugen en concentratie, in stabielere emoties en minder kwetsbaarheid voor depressie en andere psychische problemen.

Dus als we mediteren, trainen we onze hersenen en kunnen we deze veranderen en opnieuw programmeren. Hoe geweldig is dat?

Als we dat vertalen naar een werkomgeving, geeft mindfulness ons misschien geen hoger salaris of een promotie, maar het kan een effectieve manier zijn om onze prestaties en onze emotionele intelligentie te verbeteren. We slapen beter, hebben minder stress en meer focus. Dit alles kan leiden tot meer betrokkenheid en motivatie op het werk. Het kan bovendien een omgeving bevorderen waarin creativiteit tot bloei kan komen en werkgerelateerde stress zal worden verminderd. Veel grote bedrijven zoals Google en Adobe hebben echte mindfulness-programma’s gelanceerd om de betrokkenheid van werknemers te verbeteren en werkgerelateerde stress te verminderen.

Een pleidooi voor mindfulness …

Het beoefenen van mindfulness heeft veel voordelen voor zowel de geestelijke als lichamelijke gezondheid. Dus, waarom zou je het eens niet proberen? Begin klein en creëer een dagelijkse routine van een paar minuten waarin je je ogen sluit en je concentreert op je ademhaling. Observeer alle gedachten die in je opkomen, laat ze los en breng je aandacht gewoon terug naar je ademhaling. Als het goed voelt, kun je proberen om naar vijf minuten of misschien zelfs iets langer te gaan.

Door een kleine verschuiving in je denken te maken, kan je een grote verandering in je leven teweegbrengen door vriendelijk te zijn voor jezelf op een niet-oordelende manier en jezelf te bevrijden van oude gewoonten. Dan kan je kiezen waar je je aandacht op vestigt en realiseren dat je op elk moment andere en misschien verstandiger keuzes kan maken.

Ik hoop oprecht dat ook jij zal ontdekken dat mindfulness niet zomaar een hype is, maar een manier van leven die je een meerwaarde kan bieden in alle aspecten van het leven.

The post Mindfulness is more than hype appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

I recently attended the International Meaning Conference (IMeC) in London (July 2019), which held many inspiring talks by inspiring people. It led me to reflect on the journey of positive psychology and how it has come a long way from being all about finding happiness to a place that also values having a meaningful life. This blog reflects on a statement, inspired by Viktor Frankl, which is: Ask not ‘what makes me feel good?’ instead ask ‘what am I good for?’

Origins of positive psychology

Most people with an interest in positive psychology will be aware that the seeds were planted by the thought that we should be studying the outliers of data that seemed to buck the trend of what most people experienced in life. These outliers were individuals who, despite difficulties and challenges, still flourished and thrived. Usually psychologists would ignore these oddities (they upset their charts!), but in the late 1990s Seligman, Peterson and Csikszentmihalyi decided to explore them further.

What makes me feel good?

Most of the researchers under the umbrella field of positive psychology wanted to understand what made people happy and satisfied in life. This was important to create better well-being in society. However over time this first wave of positive psychology was challenged by researchers and critics who thought this was far too superficial and limited. Many studies began to emerge that demonstrated that chasing happiness as a means to an end in itself led to more unhappiness. It seemed that happiness was always out of reach, like the end of a rainbow. Positive psychology had attracted many critics who saw it as a ‘positive thinking’ field that sold empty dreams.

A shift towards meaning

To counteract the emphasis on happiness, a number of researchers began to promote the concept of meaning. This is not new, and the most famous academic who advocated meaning over happiness was Viktor Frankl who developed a therapy called logotherapy. Here Frankl helped his clients to find meaning in every day living, in the small things as well as big things. He recognised that it is not a healthy life to be always happy, as being in a state of happiness and expecting that life will always be a great experience brings misery. Researchers such as Paul Wong argued for a second wave of positive psychology, one that also recognised the value and necessity of the dark side that complimented the light side.
Soon positive psychology was looking for its dark side, such as through our emotions and post traumatic growth. Many books have since been written that advocate the value of so-called ‘negative emotions’ as well as positive emotions. This shift opened up research into other topics that recognised that life will always have some suffering, but it’s not the fact that we suffer it’s how we respond that makes us resilient. In fact, many commentators began to ask whether it is right to find happiness when there is so much suffering around us. This question was posed to the audience of the IMeC conference by Alexander Batthyany, a leading expert of logotherapy today.
Batthyany pointed out research results where people who focus on positive thinking will very quickly not only loose the sense of optimism, but their well-being will dip lower than previous. Instead those that build compassion into their experiences retain a higher sense of well-being due to the balance of hope with reality.
The hallmark of neuroticism, according to Frankl, are i) enforced pleasure and avoidance of pain, ii) dependence on external validation, and iii) avoidance of responsibility for one’s own living. In other words, looking away from unhappiness and responsibility doesn’t create happiness but exacerbates the unhappiness.

What am I good for?

Life has meaning when we choose to accept what we cannot control, and do the best that we can with what we have. An inspiring story told by Batthyany was of a man who had had a bad childhood. Rather than be bitter about it he chose to use his experiences to break the cycle of misery and do what he could to prevent others from suffering the same way. Rather than giving out what he had received, he sent out to the world compassion. And for his efforts he received the happiness everyone wants. Not because he looked for happiness, but because he found meaning and that meaning brought with it a sense of achievement, which in turn made him happy.
So if you want happiness, don’t go looking for it because it won’t be there. Instead do something that gives back to the world, and in return it will offer the gift of a meaningful and satisfying life.

Lisa Jones has a professional background in strategic human resources, organisational change and development. She has just completed the MAPP at Bucks New University. As an organisational change and development practitioner, researcher and coach she uses her knowledge and learning in her client work to facilitate conversations and storytelling for creating meaningful change. She also intends to undertake a PhD … very soon.

The post What Am I Good For appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

Frustration

It frustrates me every single time I catch myself inside my own head instead of looking up at what’s around me. Over the past few months I’ve attempted to increase my focus on a gratitude practice in an effort to break free of my unwanted habit. I started daily gratitude journaling for a while in the new year and really enjoyed the act of writing down my appreciation of things during the day. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long due to suffering some increased pain from a herniated disc injury last summer which combined with some house selling stress resulted in my gratitude journaling falling by the way side.

Second Attempt

After my back pain settled down again, I attempted gratitude journaling a second time, but tiredness from starting a new job again meant I didn’t even achieve my normal daily journaling let alone any added gratitude journaling. So, yet again my attempt at gratitude journaling fell by the way side. Today as I sit here writing this I am now in a place where I’ve suddenly realised, I have been ’forgetting to live’ once more and it’s so frustrating.

Meditation

In considering what else I can do to break this habit I recognised the one thing I have stuck to constantly for the past year is a daily meditation practice. I’ve dabbled with meditation on and off for the past four years but never really thought it did much for me as I didn’t notice any obvious differences in my daily life (I’m not sure what I was expecting). However, recently during the course of doing various MAPP assignments and trying different kinds of meditation practices I’ve started to truly understand how helpful it is for me. Not a day has gone by for the past 300 days where I haven’t sat down for at least 10 minutes and listened to a daily meditation. The app I enjoy using the most provides a mixture of silent or guided meditation followed by a four-minute spoken focus on different topics and aspects of mindfulness, always ending with a powerful message. These messages often resonate so deeply with me they could have been written directly for me. I always feel de-stressed and refreshed after doing the sessions and I am starting to find myself turning to meditation at other times during my day when I am experiencing any unwanted feelings in order to help me find my equilibrium again.

New Awareness

A recent daily meditation session prompted me to realise I am again ‘forgetting to live’ and in the course of writing this blog post I am now beginning to understand that the benefits I gain from my meditation practice come from the session’s ability to switch my focus into a mode of mindfulness, rather than staying being ‘buried in my head’. However, I still seem unable to fully be mindful for the rest of my day, gradually slipping back into my thoughts. Interestingly, I read this week the announcement that mindfulness is being introduced into 370 schools in England as part of a study to improve youth mental health and still I didn’t relate the importance of continued mindfulness to myself until now. Is this the key I need to break my habit of forgetting to live? And how as a MAPP student have I not realised this before? (seriously, I feel a fool for letting this concept pass me by!). It is now so obvious to me that a continued mindfulness practice helps a person, in my own words, ‘remember to live’ as it involves the practice of living in the moment which is exactly what I forget to do!

Mindfulness

Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre says the following about mindfulness: “It’s easy to stop noticing the world around us. It’s also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living ‘in our heads”. This describes me perfectly, it’s an easy trap to fall into and whilst it is seemingly a simple thing to change, I’m definitely a work in progress. After chatting to colleagues and friends it’s clear that meditation and mindfulness activities seem to be a deeply personal thing, what one person likes, another doesn’t like. For example, a colleague of mine is finding huge benefits from a daily ‘sit and mantra’ type meditation whereas I couldn’t think of anything worse. Other people I know prefer adult colouring as a mindfulness practice or as my teenage daughter discovered, sewing helps her relax and forget about her upcoming exam stress. Personally, I decided that to fully break my unwanted habit and replace it with a new habit I needed a permanent in my face reminder to practice mindfulness as often as possible. Rather impulsively last week I got a tiny tattoo of a balloon on my inside right wrist to remind me to let go and surrender to the moment every time I see it, it’s not an option everyone would want but it’s working for me and finally I’m starting to remember to live 😀

About the Author: Emma Willmer

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The post Forgetting to Live appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

I feel the need to mention here that I have experienced very little actual silence in my life.  By the time I was born, there was already a big brother, followed by 2 more siblings, I then married and have had 4 wonderful children, now blessed with a grandchild… a busy working life, wonderful friends, colleagues and a thirst for learning, reading, watching TV and, more latterly, developed a not very healthy relationship with technology.  And of course, all my school reports had a line in that said “Helen would learn more if she stopped talking and concentrated.” Most people who know me would at least recognise the label of chatter box…When I shared that I was going on a 5-day silent retreat they looked at me as if I had lost the plot.

The Push and Pull

When reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert some years ago, I was drawn to her experience of arriving in an Ashram and finding herself in silence for quite a long time. There was something about her writing that resonated with me so strongly that the pull to explore being in silence nudged away at me over the years. At the same time, the thought of silence terrified me.  I recognise that we often live with the push and pull of yearning for something, while at the same, being wary and scared of it.  My self-compassion practice is teaching me to recognise, and respond with kindness, to the presence of both desire and fear, allowing the existence of both.

Why?

I had noticed that since my mother’s death in 2015, I had filled up every available space with some kind of noise. I had an increasing awareness that, when I felt any discomfort or emotional pain, would go and do something

I went on my first mindfulness course in the beginning of 2014 and began studying positive psychology shortly afterwards.  The impact of the two increased my awareness of the practice of mindfulness and its relationship and core place within self-compassion.  I found that my unfolding relationship with grief resulted in me using noise and busyness to cope, and at the same time, being pulled towards knowing on a visceral level, that what I needed was to be in and with silence in some way.

Move on to 2019… and the part of me that yearned for the silence was stronger than the part, that had said, no, it’s too risky.  On some level, I knew that there was far too much risk to my health and well-being if I didn’t.  I am sure that this in some way is as a result of my personal and professional focus and commitment to the practicing of  self-compassion.

The Silence

Positive psychology has at its heart a desire for us to flourish and thrive, and research strongly suggests that periods of regular silence can result in, for example:

•  Boosting our immune system
• Reduce stress, lowering cortisol levels
• Improve our brain chemistry
• Improve creativity
• Increase self-awareness
• Improved sleep quality
• Improve relationships with yourself and others

To be clear, I did trust the wisdom of my body for knowing what I needed, and the research reassuringly supports the need to know, it’s not just me. When we experience the link to our common humanity it can be powerful in connecting with others and reaching out for support. I explore and research self-compassion with open hearted curiosity (most of the time), and so the silent retreat I choose to attend was through the practice of self-compassion.

Self-Compassion and Silence

I had thought a lot about being silent and had not really thought about being with silence. There are many kinds of silence and uses of silence, from being used as a form of punishment, to an act of great courage,  such as  when being interrogated by an enemy.  It can mean keeping a secret or choosing to listen to another speak, to the kind of silence I am talking about which is the absence of talking, being spoken to (apart from some guidance) and the removal of reading, writing, music, social media or emails: anything that may interrupt with the connection with self, which paradoxically, is anything but silent.

Within the sounds of silence, my mind got louder, busier and, at times, scared. It got incredibly wise and insightful, became more knowing, made connections and sorted out some old, no longer needed, beliefs. Within the whole process, the practice of self-compassion was my saviour, my friend and enabled me to calm myself, and offer myself the kindness and connection I would, without blinking, offer a friend.

Self-Compassion offered me a way to sit with the process and in doing enabled me to, as so beautifully sung by Simon and Garfunkel, welcome: ‘Silence, my old friend, I have come to sit with you again.’

Just like the fear one experiences as a child, when the dark casts shadows of “monsters”, when the light is on, the “monsters” are revealed as much-loved toys. Silence, experienced with the glow of loving-kindness and compassion, enables us to sit with discomfort, pain and fear and welcome them with equanimity and joy. The light comes on and silence is revealed as a much loved friend.

About the author: Helen Golstein

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The Positive Psychology People is co-founded and sponsored
by Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson,
Directors of Positive Psychology Learning and authors of the
8-week online Happiness Course

The post Me, Silence and Self-Compassion appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a mode of attention which involves being present in the moment and allowing ourselves to understand it more clearly. This entails an understanding of ourselves (our emotions and sensations) and our surroundings (sights, sounds and smells) without trying to change or improve on them. For many, practicing this involves sitting, or lying, still and quiet with eyes closed, focusing on the rhythm of the breath or the sensations in the body, quieting the mind. For many, with practice, this skill comes easily, but for others, the mind can be a frantic, noisy and at times frightening place which can prove exceedingly difficult to calm. For these people, turning attention away from the body to the surrounding sounds and smells can be enough to help them focus and become mindfully aware in the moment, turning the mind away from the chatter in our heads to the world outside of it, and for a moment being at peace. But what if the surrounding world itself is too noisy? What if there isn’t the time, or the space to sit or lie still for long enough to find this peace? How then, can you practice living mindfully?
Whilst the act of meditating, controlling the breath and steadying the body and mind, has numerous benefits, for those who find this difficult, the benefits of mindfulness can be sought in other activities which may be more easily accessible.

Mindful walking

For those who are particularly daunted by the sitting still aspect of mindfulness meditation, mindful walking can be a good way of introducing mindfulness into everyday life. This involves becoming aware of your body as you walk, your stride, posture, speed and the effort of walking and being more deliberate in the action. It also involves becoming aware of your surroundings, noticing the sensations of walking, how the ground feels beneath your feet, the sensation of the wind on your face or the warmth of the sun, taking note of the sounds you can hear, nearby and in the distance. The key to mindful walking is noticing what is happening in the moment and bringing a deliberate and conscious intention to the experience.

Savouring

Savouring is another way in which to practice mindfulness. Taking a moment to appreciate a beautiful scene, or fully immersing ourselves in a piece of music can serve as a distraction from a busy mind. Savouring food is a common mindfulness practice. Focusing on the texture, smell, shape and taste of the food we eat and taking our time over meals is not only a simple way of practicing mindfulness but has even been known to help weight loss.

Savouring can also be practiced through the act of noticing and appreciating. Often this means being always mindfully aware so as to capture these moments worth appreciating. Whether this is a bird singing in a tree or laughter among friends, savouring often results in a feeling of gratitude which in turn can have its own benefits for wellbeing.

Other mindful tasks

Incorporating mindfulness into everyday tasks is another easy and beneficial way of living more mindfully.

Like mindful walking, mindful driving involves becoming aware of the act of driving and being more deliberate in the act. It means becoming aware not only of the sensation of driving, how the body feels, the thought processes involved, the hum of the vehicle itself, but also what is going on outside of the car, the shapes and colours of the surroundings and the action and motion of other cars.

Similarly, mindfulness can be incorporated into tasks around the home. Folding laundry or washing dishes are popular choices of activity for those looking to bring a mindful awareness to these tasks. Focusing on the act of folding or the feel of a plate or cup in our hands can be an effective way of taking a moment to appreciate our surroundings and bring us out of our minds and into the world around us.

Bringing an awareness to the everyday activities we engage in enables us to live mindfully, rather than mindlessly, acting with awareness rather than automatically. It can also bring us closer to the world in which we live in and ultimately help us to cultivate a healthier relationship with our surroundings and with our minds, and not a ‘om’ in sight.

About the author: Katherine Halliday lives in Dundee in Scotland and works in student support at the University of St Andrews. Katherine is currently undertaking the MAPP course at Bucks New University and is loving every minute of it.

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The Positive Psychology People is co-founded and sponsored
by Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson,
Directors of Positive Psychology Learning and authors of the
8-week online Happiness Course

The post How To Practice Mindfulness When You Hate Meditating appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

There is a great deal of information out there that suggests we should engage in being more mindfully in the present moment. This blog explores what this means, and considers whether savouring might be an alternative way to be present, whilst also being appreciative of the world around us.

What is mindfulness?

According to Gilbert and Choden (2013) mindfulness is the “deliberate intention to observe the activity of the mind in a non-judgemental way” (p.257). It is typical of many of us to be caught up in our thoughts and not be fully present with what we are doing, thinking and feeling at any given time. Mindfulness is really beneficial to encourage us to slow down, stop and be in the here and now. An important aspect of mindfulness is the intention to not judge. This is to accept how you feel, what you see, and simply accept what is. By being more aware of what we are feeling, thinking and doing, we can make more informed choices about our well-being and how we might impact other people.

Limitations of mindfulness

Mindfulness has many valuable benefits to us that are being used more and more in therapy and activities that help us cope with our hectic lives. But like all interventions there are limitations. For instance Kashdan and Biswas-Diener (2015) tell us we need to be ‘mindless’ sometimes. We cannot sustain mindfulness all the time. We rely on the subtle messages picked up subconsciously, where we make sense of the complex world quietly in the background as we move through our day.

Mindfulness is also always in the present moment. So this state is not much use when you want to be creative, to spend time working out a future problem, or understanding a past event. Instead, what we could do is use savouring.

What is savouring?

Savouring isn’t all that different to mindfulness, in as much as it is taking notice of a particular experience or sight, and being present within it. Where the difference lie is, as Lyubomirsky (2007) explains, savouring can be past, present, and future. It is therefore more flexible as a way to notice what is happening. Of course, by its very nature, it is a positive experience, as we don’t want to savour things that are not nice!

Savouring prolongs an enjoyable experiences that we are having, have had, or that we anticipate we’ll have. It might be recalling a time with someone close, enjoying the colours of autumn as you walk along a path or thinking of an event that you are going to. Where mindfulness tries not to judge a situation as good or bad, savouring actively judges something as good and holds onto it. A benefit of savouring then is that once savoured an experience can linger in our memory, and even when we become mindless and stop actively thinking about something, it can boost our mood. In fact, savouring often allows us to drift into dream state where we are mindlessly thinking about the savoured moment.

Using savouring to appreciate the world

We can introduce savouring into our lives by taking time out to reflect on a past event, or be present in the current moment when that moment is enjoyable. You might decide to watch your family chatting across the table, or to savour doing a favourite sport or hobby. It doesn’t have to be a unique and extraordinary event; it’s about appreciating life as it is. Whether you use savouring for the past, present or future, building time into your weekly routine to stop and think of something good will not only give you the space to calm down from a busy life and tune into your well-being needs, but it will also boost your feel good emotions.

And you don’t need to do this alone. When you savour with other people, the beneficial endorphins increase!

References:

Gilbert, P. & Choden (2013). Mindful compassion. London: Robinson

Kashdan, T. & Biswas-Diener, R. (2015). The power of negative emotions. London: One world

Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The how of happiness. London: Piatkus

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The Positive Psychology People is co-founded and sponsored
by Lesley Lyle and Dan Collinson,
Directors of Positive Psychology Learning and authors of the
8-week online Happiness Course

The post Savouring rather than mindfulness? appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

Disconnect

However this journey in our modern world of fast pace, distraction, complexity and technology can lead to a person becoming disconnected from himself or herself, their
experiencing and from others, a mindlessness. How can a person truly know another and give freely of himself or herself, if they do not know themself first? What if children were encouraged to grow and develop mindful awareness throughout their childhood into adulthood? How would those adults be different? More ‘in tune’? More connected? More giving? Happier?

Evidence Base

Research describes mindfulness as a moment-by-moment “awareness of present experience with acceptance” (Germer, Seigel and Fulton, 2013, p.7) or an “awareness that
emerges through paying attention on purpose in the present moment, non-judgementally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p.145).

Studies

Studies have linked mindfulness with reduced; anxiety and depression (Shapiro et al, 1998), mood disturbance (Rozenweig et al, 2003) and increased; wellbeing (Grepmair et al, 2007), nonjudgmental self-insight (Chung, 1990), empathy, compassion and selfcompassion (Neff, 2003; Neff and Germer, 2013; Shapiro et al, 2007), openness and
acceptance (Bishop et al, 2004) and attention regulation, emotional regulation and psychological flexibility (Hözel et al, 2011; Hayes et al, 1999).

Amazing Me (and Molly)

Molly is child in a UK school who faces challenges everyday. Molly has challenging learning, speech and family circumstances and can get overwhelmed by information,
noise, pressure and the pace of the world she is in. Perhaps we may all feel like Molly for different reasons at some point in life? Molly and her class with Seahorse Education Partnerships CIC developed Amazing Me, a 35 week program of online mindful positive psychology interventions for children and teachers that are designed to be incorporated into any curriculum with minimal training. The programme covers a range of positive psychology areas including mindfulness, strengths, emotions, kindness, gratitude and wellbeing using creative and engaging activities, animations and guided mindfulness practices such as our ‘mindful S.E.L.F.I.E.’

STOP: Stop what you are doing and pause.

EYES: Look, what do you see now that didn’t see before?

LISTEN: Ears, what can you hear now that couldn’t before?

FEELING: What are you feeling right now?

INHALE: and

EXHALE.

Teachers are supported with lesson plans, vocabulary, an interactive forum to share ideas with other schools and online help. Molly is growing and enjoying school, she is learning to face her challenges mindfully and with a smile.

Be at your best and get the best from others

Seahorse Education Partnerships CIC
lee@seahorsed.com
www.seahorsed.com/amazing-me

References

Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., … & Devins, G. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical psychology: Science and practice, 11(3), 230-241.

Germer, C. K., & Neff, K. D. (2013). Self-compassion in clinical practice. Journal of clinical psychology, 69(8), 856-867.

Germer, C., Siegel, R. D., & Fulton, P. R. (Eds.). (2016). Mindfulness and psychotherapy. Guilford Publications.

Grepmair, L., Mitterlehner, F., Loew, T., Bachler, E., Rother, W., & Nickel, M. (2007). Promoting mindfulness in psychotherapists in training influences the treatment results of their patients: A randomized, double-blind, controlled study. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 76(6), 332-338.

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change. Guilford Press.

Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on psychological science, 6(6), 537-559.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: past, present, and future. Clinical psychology: Science and practice, 10(2), 144-156.

Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and identity, 2(3), 223-250.

Rosenzweig, S., Reibel, D. K., Greeson, J. M., Brainard, G. C., & Hojat, M. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction lowers psychological distress in medical students. Teaching and learning in medicine, 15(2), 88-92.

Shapiro, S. L., Brown, K. W., & Biegel, G. M. (2007). Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and education in professional psychology, 1(2), 105.

Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of behavioral medicine, 21(6), 581-599.

Sibinga, E. M., Perry-Parrish, C., Chung, S. E., Johnson, S. B., Smith, M., & Ellen, J. M. (2013). Schoolbased mindfulness instruction for urban male youth: A small randomized controlled trial. Preventive medicine, 57(6), 799-801.

The post Mindfulness with children appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

What is a Mandala?

The word Mandala comes from the language of Sanskrit.  In essence, it means a circle but it means so much more.  Defining wholeness, it is referred to as a model of life itself and is in all aspects of life from religion to different cultures.  Yin Yang is a popular Mandala symbol.

My new hobby and the benefits of colouring

After my trip to Phoenix, I spent about eighteen months, thinking about adult colouring and Mandalas.  The daughter of a friend showed me an App for colouring so I decided to download it and give it a try. I enjoyed it but couldn’t stop thinking about doing it the good old way.  Every time I went into a bookshop or large supermarket, I would look at the books, colouring pencils and pens.  I was drawn very much to the idea of colouring in, something that I had loved to do as a child.

Life is busy though and I told myself that I didn’t really have time to do it.  Then, one particular day whilst doing some grocery shopping, I saw a fantastic deal on a very well known brand of colouring pens.  Additionally, I found a beautiful book of Mandalas and decided to take the plunge.  I couldn’t wait to get home and make a start.  I sat down at my table and carefully chose the colours I wanted to use and began to bring the Mandala to life.

Much to my disappointment, the quality of the paper meant that the ink from the pens absorbed into the paper.  My colouring was outside the lines!  I am a perfectionist when it comes to detail, so I immediately stopped colouring and tore the page out of my book.  However, not ready to give up I decided to buy pencils instead and try again.

In August I went to visit my father in Wales.  I took my book and pencils with me and gave my new hobby another chance.  Sitting on the sofa, talking to my Dad and his partner, I found myself engrossed in the activity, as I filled in the patterns with my carefully considered colour scheme.  I felt so relaxed as I worked my way around the Mandala.  It took me more or less three days to complete it, but the end result gave me an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

So why is it so therapeutic?  Research shows that you cannot think about things that stress you, such as the Christmas credit card bill, when you are concentrating on staying within the lines.  This is because thinking about bills and to do lists uses a different side of the brain to that required to colour in.  A New South Wales brain scientist, Dr Joel Pearson has shown through his work, that the heart rate calms down and brain waves change to a meditative state, which is when you relax.

Such a simple activity has a positive impact on many things such as depression, stress, anxiety and dementia.  Jenni Trent Hughes, author and life strategist firmly believes that colouring books allow us to plug back into the childhood feeling of freedom, creating a shortcut to relaxation.  Many adults initially think it silly and childish; yet once they get started find it addictive and so relaxing. (1)

Based on my experience of colouring in, I gave my sister-in-law the opportunity to try for herself.  She suffers from depression and I thought it might be something she would enjoy.  Sure enough, once she started, she became so immersed in what she was doing she became visibly relaxed.  It was an easy decision what to buy her for Christmas.

Whether you think it’s for you or not, I highly recommend you give it a go.  I was surprised just how much I enjoyed it and will definitely be carrying on with my new hobby.  It’s great to be a creative child again!

(1) hellomagazine.com

About the author: Stuart Dickson

‘We Are The Positive Psychology People’

The post Mandalas and Adult Colouring appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.