As a senior college student, I am often under a lot of stress. This stress causes me to become anxious, nervous, and restless. It is difficult for me to focus on the present moment, because I am often worried about future events such as exams, projects, and graduate school. Since this stress directly interferes with my ability to focus, spend time with my friends and family, and do the things I love, I want to change this behavior. I am going to change this behavior by implementing mindfulness into my life. According to Kabat-Zinn (1993), mindfulness is “…awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Zimmaro et al., 2016). Mindfulness …show more content…
In a study by Zimmaro et al., (2016), mindful undergraduate students were found to have less stress than students who did not practice mindfulness. In addition, the mindful students also had a great psychological wellbeing. In another study by Solhaug et al. (2016), psychology and medical students that practiced a 7-week mindfulness program reported “…increased curiosity, affect tolerance, patience and self-acceptance, and improved relational qualities.” In a study by MacDonald and Baxter (2016), female college students with a greater sense of mindfulness practice were better able to cope with negative thoughts, and become more aware of their emotions and their ability to control them. Not only do these research findings demonstrate exactly what I am searching for to improve my mental health, but they assure me that it can be done with mindfulness-based strategies. My motivation to become more aware of the present moment, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase my psychological well-being has been directly correlated with mindfulness, which furthers my belief that mindfulness is an excellent target behavior for my …show more content…
I am going to embark on a series called “Learn to Meditate” for three weeks. Each day, I am going to listen to a different twelve to fourteen minute session. Example sessions include titles such as “Setting Intention”, “Keeping the Peace”, and “Settling Your Mind”. My expectation is that after practicing mindfulness meditation for three weeks, I will feel less stressed, my anxiety will be reduced, and I will be more aware of my present environment. Since I always have my phone on me, and the app can set reminders, I know I will be kept accountable and the goal will be attained. I have never dedicated time to mindfulness mediation before, so I believe implementing these sessions into my life is the target behavior I need to improve my psychological
From personal experience, mindfulness meditation gives me a feeling of obtaining a healthy mind and body from the attention and peace I obtained. Such feelings resulting from proper practice of mindfulness meditation is not limited to my own testimony though. According to the Satipatthana Sutra, those who practice such in-and-out breathing become “ardent, aware, and mindful” (“Satipatthana Sutra,” Accessed on 2010). However, it is unclear whether such reported experience is genuine or has effect, or if such mindfulness meditation is similar to a placebo effect.
An individual cannot achieve the benefits of mindfulness training unless they continue practicing mindfulness techniques after the training is completed. By practicing meditation on a regular basis, mindfulness becomes an intentional practice (Holas & Jankowski, 2013). Measures The type of measurements used in mindfulness-based interventions is self-reporting questionnaires. Reliability testing was done on several individuals that were regular meditators (N=213), demographically similar non-meditators (N=252), a general community sample (N=293) and a student sample (N=259), (Baer et al, 2008) using several different scales to compare the FFMQ to. During exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha statistics were calculated for the individual facets of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is used as a therapy to treat many problems related to mental health such as stress, anxiety or even eating disorders (Hooker and Fodor, 2008). In addition majority of techniques used in mindfulness originate from Buddhist traditions (Rosenberg, 1998, Cited in Thompson and Gauntlett-Gilbert, 2008). Professionals working with children in mental health settings may find mindfulness applicable. The different techniques used in these types of settings teach self-awareness, increased impulse control and decreased emotional reactivity to difficult events (Thompson and Gauntlett-Gilbert). Research conducted on adults has shown that these effects can be obtained in the long term which suggests that mindfulness can be applied to children who are going through developmental challenges and have still yet to encounter
For thousands of years people have practiced mediation for spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Albeit there are many mediation types, in this paper I will be discussing and focusing on mindfulness mediation. Before further exploring mindfulness mediation, it is crucial to define mediation as a whole. Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016 state “Meditation can be defined as a form of mental training that aims to improve an individual’s core psychological capacities, such as attentional and emotional capacities” (p.213). Having that in mind, we can dive into mindfulness mediation. Mindfulness meditation is defined as “nonjudgmental attention to present-moment experiences (Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016).” A useful analogy to consider is going to the gym, going to the gym allows one to enhance the body, well similarly, practicing mindfulness is akin to taking the mind to the psychic gym, it enhances it. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on your breathing and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present all while dismissing discursive thoughts and maintaining a special focus on breathing.
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, as a therapeutic technique. The M square, as I call it, which stands for Mindfulness and Meditation is making an impact on today’s society, as it has been used by more people with each passing day. They are starting to acknowledge the benefits, some of which are the improvement in both mental and physical health, acceptance of one’s self, lower stress and depression, and maybe more, but to mention a few. Not excluding these two great men: Dr. Martinez, a Biocognitive Psychologist, and Keith Mitchell, an ex-American football linebacker in the National Football League. Both Dr. Martinez and Keith are strong supporters and practitioners of meditation and mindfulness.
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
Practicing mindfulness is something that most people probably have on their daily to-do list, but never getting around to it because they either don’t believe it’ll work or feel too busy with their lives to stop for literally just a minute to breathe. When going into this activity, my to-do is exactly what was in mind. It’s the list that is never completed. So, having this as an actual assignment was exactly what I needed to get a jumpstart on my mindfulness techniques in my daily life.
By utilizing a set of research methods, that inducts different types of mindfulness meditation training programs, and advanced mindfulness practitioners to matched control, with a capitulation of detection that enhance our understanding of the nature of mindfulness. While providing insights that will help me to target symptoms and populations that are likely to benefit from mindfulness meditation
Practices from Eastern traditions and Buddhist philosophy can channel mindfulness through many forms and help train the mind to focus on the present. Is is documented that mindfulness meditation goes as far back to Indian Yoga practices from 3000 BC (Navak and Shankar 2014). Techniques such as Yoga, tai chi, meditation, focused movement and centered breathing sound like they belong in a monastery, not a kindergarten, but in recent years many studies have been conducted that show the positive impact that Mindfulness Based Interventions can have on young learners. Current research suggests that executive functions, attention, self-regulation and mental processing as well as positive educational outcomes can improve due to the adoption of mindfulness training in the early stages of learning (Burke
What are your thoughts, views, musings and experiences etc. regarding meditation? As we all can learn from each other when it comes to sharing ways of creating a healthy, happy and vibrant life work balance.
10-Minute Mindfulness appeals to me because I am at a time in my life where peace and simplicity are my priority. The stresses of everyday living cause emotional, physical and mental harm. A lifestyle change is needed to prevent further harm; mindfulness is a lifestyle change that requires dedication, practice and openness. Learning to live in the present moment, not the past or future, is key to reducing stress and becoming aware of the triggers that bring discord. This book provides support, guidance and encouragement in learning to be mindful.
The primary goal of this part of the current study was to determine whether mindfulness training is being offered at companies in the Tulsa Metro area. It is evident by the responses received that mindfulness training is not being offered at the majority of the companies in which participants were employed. There are several limitations associated with this study. For example, due to errors made by the researcher in designing the study, demographics associated with gender and age group could not be identified. Additionally, there is concern that mindfulness is not clearly understood in the Tulsa market. For example, when asked what types of mindfulness programs are offered, individuals stated financial, safety, fitness and inclusion as the types of mindfulness training.
Living in the present allows me to live and tend to my thoughts and emotions that I often suppress or ignore. Working as a school counselor, I think that I will use mindfulness to help students with anxiety, behavior problems, and depression. I hope to use mindfulness in the future as I teach students how to use mindfulness in their own lives so that they can exist in the present and connect their mind with their body. Through using mindfulness in sessions with students and possibly in the classroom setting, I will give them a tool to help manage and become more self-aware of the thoughts and emotions they experience so they can learn how to better tend, express and manage them. However, without practicing mindfulness myself I would not have understood its power in the work of my client’s
There are many symptoms of stress that affect a person physically such as; high blood pressure; fluid retention; muscles contracting; and an increase of serum stress hormones. Meditation can reduce the levels of stress hormones in the blood (Budilovsky, 1999). General stress can be treated more effectively with meditation rather than the use of medication in many cases. Have you ever noticed during stressful situations like your graduation or giving a speech often afterwards you can’t even recall the experience. Mindfulness can help change that. The Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center teaches its patients deep breathing exercises as a form of mindfulness meditation (Budilovsky,1999). A study documented by Kabat-Zinn and colleagues researched the efficacy of an intense mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) treatment program lasting 8-10 weeks. The goal was to change the individuals’ relationship to their thoughts. The result of the change would reduce stress and improve emotion regulation. The scientific community is becoming more willing to admit that the mind contributes to how a person heals. A positive attitude can lead to a longer life, decrease illness and accelerate
Characteristic of a Type A personality, I would describe myself as someone who is a