An Introduction to Mindfulness
pic courtesy: whatthehealthmag.com
Let’s pretend your mind is a bag, and has been accumulating lots of stuff you thought you needed to keep. But, much like the bag you hang from your shoulder or the wallet you stuff in your back pocket—it is bulging at the seams and you can’t find a single thought. So, turn it upside down and shake it out and let all the stuff fall onto the table, where you can sort it out and reorganize.
Of course, you can’t really dump things out of your mind; nor can you lay out its contents on a table so you can clearly see what is there. But if you let yourself play with the idea—you might become aware of the inner experience you are having now. Perhaps this experience could be an introduction to “mindfulness.”
So What is “Mindfulness”?
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and not judgmentally. . . .Jon Kabat Zinn
Mindfulness is a strategy that has been used for centuries to help people power-up on mental health. Â It is a way of awakening awareness and using that awareness to overcome misery and build greater strength within. Mindfulness is a critical part of meditation. Only recently has it been recognized as a powerful tool in mental health.
Mindfulness is generally practiced sitting down, though how one positions the body is not important–as long as there is relaxation. Â The strategy in mindfulness is to be aware of the contents of one’s mental experience without getting stuck on it.
Two major barriers in mindfulness include “mental chatter” and “judgment”. Â Chatter occurs when we are unable to release ourselves from preoccupation with a relentless set of thoughts. Chatter keeps people up at nights–it is a major problem promoting insomnia. Those thoughts are like a noise in our head that won’t turn off. The other barrier, “judgment” is the human tendency to evaluate our thoughts as “good” or “bad”. For instance, we may observe thoughts of good experiences we have had with our family–and label that “good”; but if our thoughts turn to sexuality, that is “bad”. Â The problem with both chatter and judgment is that they use a lot of mental resource without taking us anywhere productive–like marching in place. Chatter and judgment hook the basic insecurity that is a part of the human condition–taking us to a place where we feel fearful or as though we are not enough. Such thoughts can rob of of our creativity and self efficacy.
So Let’s Play it again—Mindfully
So, let’s begin at the point where our mental contents are open to our observation–which I have compared metaphorically to dumping the bag on the table. We may find ourself sitting silently in a room, early in the morning, just observing whatever mental activity presents itself. In order to make our meditation mindful–we need to pay attention in a particular way (with acceptance, rather than judgment) and not allow our mind to engage in recycling our worries and obsessions.  This is done by using an an “anchor”—something that will bring us back, so that we don’t find ourselves wandering aimlessly in the forest of chatter or judgment.
Your anchor could be a mantra—like a favorite word or phrase or even sound. You noticed you had loving thoughts—perhaps you can just repeat to yourself a word associated with love. “Love”, “Forgiveness”, “Mercy”—some word that can keep you focused. Alternately, you can anchor yourself with your breath—or even with allowing yourself to keep coming back to an image that brings your peace–like a beach, or your child’s face. The important thing of having an anchor during mindfulness is that it keeps you organized and on task—rather than churned up, confused, and going nowhere.
And what happens if during your session, you are unable to separate your mind from chatter and judgment?  You can’t stop thinking about your mortgage that is two weeks late, or the thoughts of someone’s foolishness keep pelting your mental space over and over and over.  This situation happens often during mindfulness.  The trick is to apply the principles of mindfulness to the situation.  In other words, you “let it be,” rather than preoccupy yourself with not being able to have a good mindfulness session. One of the good things that can be achieved from mindfulness is to get away from the mental fallacy of believing in failure.  Do what you can to let your anchor bring you back to mindfulness, and if you just can’t do it, try again later. Now that would be, shall we say, “moxie”? Yes.
What Will I Experience in Mindfulness
Mindfulness is to witness the activity of the mind without the chatter or judgment. You may witness images, sensory messages (such as sounds or smells), thoughts, impulses, creative ideas, or even your state of mind. You may notice if you feel confused, clear, relaxed, or agitated. And, as you become more adept at the process, you can learn to expand your mind (I won’t discuss how to do this today).
Remember: The mind is the host. The images, senses, thoughts, feelings, etc. are the guests. They are temporary. When you find yourself evaluating the guests or becoming absorbed with one or more of them—use your anchor to bring you back to mindfulness.
How can mindfulness make our lives better? That could be the source of many posts. A better question is, “How do I want my life to be better?” Mindfulness can help you with that one.
Katrina
Katrina Holgate Miller, PhD writes about the strengths and skills people use to face their mental health issues with empowerment (moxie) rather than victimization. She has turned her 30+ years of clinical experience with thousands of clients into stories and tips about how her clients were able to recover from mental illness and addiction and return to the roles they enjoyed during times of wellness. She is author of the website www.moxiementalhealth.com. Her email is katrina@moxiementalhealth.com
***Readers may freely reprint articles, with the condition that credit is given to Katrina Holgate Miller and this resource box is included in the reprint.
Bring the Gifts of Recovery into Your Life
Bring the Gifts of Recovery into Your Life: Can You Take This Challenge?
September, 2010 is National Recovery Month in the United States (Health and Human Services 2010)
Recovery from substance abuse is a big deal. It requires individuals who have the illness of addiction to “surrender”, one inch at a time, the armor that they thought “protected” their fragile sense of self:
- The illusion of self-sufficiency. Persons “in recovery” know that only way out is through others. They acknowledge and make themselves accountable to sober kith—or the cocoon of caring people who surround them (for more information about “kith” ).
- Facades and secrecy. Persons “in recovery” know that they are transparent. They know that the ability of others to see through them can help them stay honest and authentic.
- The “poor-me” perspective. Persons “in addiction” get stuck on the delusion that they are the victim of everyone and everything. The person “in recovery” thrives on being in charge of his or her consequences instead of blaming their sad lives on others.
- Shame and despair. Persons “in addiction” let themselves get caught up in emotions that intensely depreciate their self and the future. In recovery, people understand that shame and despair are emotional spaces that they should not enter. They learn how to put on the emotional brakes before they collide with internal forces that make self and future appear as “hopeless”. How do they do this? Initially, they are taught to enlist the aid of a “sponsor” or “mentor” when they find themselves approaching the badlands.
Recovery month is about more than people who are “in recovery” from addiction. It is about us as a humanity—you and I—the human family—each of us dependent necessarily on each other for survival. It is about our ability to face hardship—as we draw upon the strength of others and the inner strengths we have developed as we have interacted with others. We can recover and be resilient because we have each other.
All of us need recovery. Each of us has in our possession thoughts and actions that nurture life; as well as thoughts and actions that nurture destruction. Whether or not addiction is a part of our arsenal of destructive behaviors, the fact remains—we do have thoughts and actions that are destructive–thoughts and actions that must be overcome in order for us to heal inside and consistently nourish love in ourselves and others. Our capacity to recover and be resilient—honed in the furnace of relationships–is our moxie mental health.
Tools of Recovery
Tools that are used to overcome addiction are tools that can be used to overcome other thoughts and behaviors that hold us down and keep us from being our best selves. These tools of recovery include (but are not limited to):
- Healthy interdependency. We can learn to give and take, nourish and be nourished by those around us. Relationships need daily feeding—we can do this!
- Honesty and authenticity. We can learn to accept ourselves enough to trust others with knowledge of our mistakes and weaknesses. This will allow us to go through the washing machine of life and come out clean.
- Accountability. Accountability gives us a reason to stay focused on our goals and to keep on trying, even when we have some failures. Through accountability, we can get what we want—eventually.
- Self-regulation. We can learn to put on our emotional “brakes” when we find ourselves headed for the emotions that could lead us to give up or act out. If we can’t make it happen fast enough—we can put ourselves in the presence of a mentor or someone who can help us stop the collision.
The Shaker Hymn, “Simple Gifts”, poetically summarizes how we can give ourselves and others the gift of recovery:
‘Tis the gift to be simple,
’tis the gift to be free,
’tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.
‘Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
‘Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we’ll all live together and we’ll all learn to say,
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
‘Til by turning, turning we come round right
‘Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
‘Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of “me”,
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we’ll all live together with a love that is real.
The Recovery Month Challenge
Moxie Mental Health invites you to celebrate Recovery Month with us by choosing to be “in recovery” from a thought or behavior that is holding you hostage. We invite you to talk to us about what you are doing to recover.  Simply register for or log-in to www.moxiementalhealth.com. Then click the “contact” tab on top of this blog. It will bring up a comment box where you can tell us about the change you are seeking. You can comment about what you want to recover from and how you might make that recovery happen.
We will publish some of the comments, but not include your identity or e-mail. We, and perhaps other readers, will send you some words of encouragement.
Katrina
Works Cited
Health and Human Services. www.recoverymonth.gov. September 1, 2010. (accessed September 1, 2010).
Katrina Holgate Miller, PhD writes about the strengths and skills people use to face their mental health issues with empowerment (moxie) rather than victimization. She has turned her 30+ years of clinical experience with thousands of clients into stories and tips about how her clients were able to recover from mental illness and addiction and return to the roles they enjoyed during times of wellness. She is author of the website www.moxiementalhealth.com. Her email is katrina@moxiementalhealth.com
***Readers may freely reprint articles, with the condition that credit is given to Katrina Holgate Miller and this resource box is included in the reprint.