Mindfulness and Mental Health Management
Welcome to 2022 everyone! We are excited to bring your brain some new food for thought, but perhaps your mind is a little full, already. If that is the case, this is a great time to learn about mindfulness. Mindfulness can help us control our thoughts and behaviors and can be useful in regulating mood; specifically in helping manage depression and anxiety. Additionally, the strengthened control on our thoughts increases control over attention, so this could be a helpful practice for those with ADD or ADHD. Let’s take a look at what mindfulness is, how it works, some exercises, and how to stick with it.
What is Mindfulness
Modern Mindfulness has been defined by the master of mindfulness himself, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, as “paying attention in a particular way – on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” This sounds a bit like Jedi Jargon, so let’s rephrase. Mindfulness is when a person pays attention to the present moment by concentrating on a specific focus (e.g. breathing) and intentionally returns their attention to this focus when any distracting thoughts arise. When intrusive thoughts arise, the goal is to observe them non-judgmentally and to gently shift attention back to the meditative focus rather than being critical about what thoughts came up. Sounds easy, right? Well no. Mindfulness is tricky for a lot of people, but it is well worth the effort!
Why should I Practice Mindfulness?
Engaging in mindfulness has been shown to improve emotional stability, lower depression, manage anxiety, and to help prevent addiction relapse. It has also been shown to help with pain tolerance, and specifically shown to help chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. If you don’t need help in any of these areas, mindfulness is still a useful tool because it strengthens your prefrontal cortex and parietal lobes. The buffing up of these parts of your brain increases control over your attention and focus. In summary, mindfulness helps you cope with your emotional & physical pain and keeps your attention skills sharp.
How does Mindfulness work?
2,500 years ago the Buddhists came up with the concept of mindfulness as a tool to identify causes of stress and as a way to cope with them. Buddists called the cause of stress “dependent origination” which is known today as ‘associative learning’. At its most basic, this principle suggests that when an event occurs, our brain decides whether it is something that we want more of or if it is something we want to avoid. This over time can create cravings for events we want more of and a deep desire to avoid the events we dislike. These in turn create thought and behavior patterns. Here is an example: I get an A on a test and someone compliments me about my grade. As a result of this compliment I then try to get more A’s because I liked being complimented and want more positive feedback. This also affects my self concept (i.e. I now identify as a really smart person). Now let’s say I take a difficult course and am struggling to pass. I am no longer getting the positive feedback I once got and my identity as a smart kid is being challenged. This is where the stress comes in. I have become addicted to that positive feedback and now I crave it. In an effort to get an A, I may be highly critical of myself or try to manage my feelings of failure in unhealthy ways (i.e. isolating, drinking, cutting etc). This is where mindfulness comes in to save the day. By practicing controlling my thoughts, and observing them without judgment, I can see my mental and behavioral patterns. While practicing mindfulness intrusive thoughts may come up: “my parents will be so disappointed if I don’t ace this test” or “I am going to fail this test, so maybe I should just drink instead”. Instead of judging these thoughts or shaming myself for having them, I can simply observe that these thoughts are occurring. By observing these thoughts without judgment, I may notice themes like “I really want recognition for my grades” or “When I feel like I am going to fail a test, I want to drink”. Now that I know the cause of my stress (Grades), the positive reaction I am seeking (praise or numbness from failure), and habits I have formed as a reaction to these thoughts (shaming myself or drinking) I can actively choose to react differently. Mindfulness also teaches us that emotions and thoughts are fleeting. As a thought comes into our mind and we wait for it to subside, we are reminded that intense feelings (good or bad) are transient. As I am practicing mindfulness the idea “I need to get an A on this test” may come to mind, but if I sit with the feeling long enough, eventually the craving for that A will subside and I can refocus. Simply put, mindfulness helps us see that no emotion lasts forever and that if we identify our triggers and behavioral loops, we can purposefully choose how to react to stressors instead of reacting out of habit.
How does Mindfulness work in the brain?
The default-mode network is a part of our brain that gets activated when we have a craving, think about the past/ future, or judge ourselves. Dwelling on these types of thoughts can lead us to make impulsive choices to satisfy a craving, worry about the past/ future which is a cause for anxiety, or dwell in self-criticism which is part of depression. Within the default mode network, the posterior cingulate cortex lights up consistently when we have these thoughts. However, the Posterior cingulate cortex temporarily shuts down when we practice mindfulness and focus our attention. This actively interrupts existing thought loops so that we can logically re-evaluate how we are thinking and acting.
What are some Mindfulness activities?
Mindfulness can be practiced formally (mediating for 30 minutes straight) or informally (being mindful of the sun on our face while sitting at the park). Regardless of how you practice, you are working on building concentration and nonjudgmentally observing your thought patterns, physical sensations, or emotions that arise during the exercise. Here are some mindfulness exercises that you can try ranging from easy to challenging.
Square Breathing:
Breath in for four seconds
Hold for four seconds
Exhale for four seconds
Hold for four seconds again
Repeat breathing pattern for preset amount of time
Breathing Activity
Sit comfortable with your eyes closed. Sit with good posture and with a straight but relaxed spine.
Be mindful of your breathing. Observe your breath moving smoothly through your nostrils, through your lungs and the chest, and down to your diaphragm. Do not force it. The key is not to control but to simply Observe.
At times your mind will wander. You may momentarily lose focus. You may start thinking. Simply bring your mind back to this moment and back to your breath.
Let go of thoughts and feelings. Allow yourself to observe your thoughts and feelings but do not attach to them. Simply say “That is a thought, and nothing more”.
Continue to breathe mindfully for 10 minutes. Over time you may observe manythings about yourself and your mind. You may observe the impermanence of thoughts and feelings and dissatisfaction. When you discover something about your mind, simply observe it. Don’t dwell on thoughts, don’t argue with them, don’t reject them. Simply observe.
Body Scan:
Sit in either on the floor or in a chair with both feet on the floor
Take 10 deep breaths to relax your body
Continue breathing deeply as you bring attention to each part of the body
Focus on the sensations of each part of your body (temperature, tenseness, pain etc. )
For more information on these activities and activities like these, see the links bellow: Body Scan Meditation Script From Jon Kabat Zinn (thedailymeditation.com)Mindfulness Activities: Easy Mindfulness Exercises for Any Age (healthline.com)Mindfulness for Kids - MindfulWhat to expect when engaging in mindfulness?
As I mentioned before, mindfulness may not come naturally to you. In a recent study, here was some feedback about how people felt about starting mindfulness and what helped them stick with it. When researchers asked participants for their feedback on practicing mindfulness only 29 % of study participants found it easy whereas 36% identified it as difficult. 49% found it interesting while 14% found it pretty boring. 20% felt like they had to force themselves to practice while 62% practiced willingly. In terms of positive feelings, 51% found it enjoyable, 64% found it relaxing, and 16.7% experienced bliss while being mindful. We share these reactions with you to help you see that positive and negative feelings towards mindfulness are normal and that you should not feel bad if you struggle with it. Study participants noted that the most useful ways to implement mindfulness regularly were when utilizing: practical resources, routine, support, and proper attitudes and beliefs.
Practical resources: Take some time to find a mindfulness material that works for you. Perhaps it is a breathing activity, a guided meditation, or walking in the woods. Participants in this study were more likely to stick to practicing if they found resources to support the habit (alarm on their phone, picture on their desk, a bracelet, mindfulness instagram) and if they had found a mindfulness resource like an app or a meditation they could rely on.
Time/routine: building a habit takes consistent routine. Setting up a time to be mindful consistently is important if you are wanting to build this skill. Consider what part of the day you are most likely to be able to focus your mind and block off that time to practice mindfulness. Feel free to start small (3 minutes 3x per week before bed) so that you set yourself up to succeed.
Support from others: Shared experience enriches the mindfulness experience. By talking with others about their mindfulness process it can help us feel connected and that we are not alone in learning something new. This also helps with accountability and making sure we are being consistent.
Attitudes and beliefs: How you feel about mindfulness and its impact on you will shape if you want to continue doing it. If you see improvements in your life or mindset after initiating mindfulness, take a moment to consider if mindfulness is a part of that positive change. Knowing how mindfulness works and why it can help also makes you more likely to take it seriously because it feels more practical. Finally, an attitude of self grace is important, it is about improving at this exercise, not doing it “right” or being considered “good” at it. Remember, building mindfulness is like building up muscles, you would not start out with 300 lb weights if you have never lifted weights before, so don’t start with super hard mindfulness activities.
Citations:Birtwell, K., Williams, K., van Marwijk, H., Armitage, C. J., & Sheffield, D. (2018). An exploration of formal and informal mindfulness practice and associations with Wellbeing. Mindfulness, 10(1), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-0951-yBrewer, J. (2016). Mindfulness. In Encyclopedia of Mental Health (Second Edition, pp. 144–147). essay, Academic Press.Carpenter, J., Conroy, K., Gomez, A. F., & Hofmann, S. G. (2019). The Relationship between Trait Mindfulness and Affective Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), 74. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735819302971?via=ihub.Dunning, D. L., Griffiths, K., Kuyken, W., Crane, C., Foulkes, L., Parker, J., & Dalgleish, T. (2018). Research review: The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on Cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12980