Mindfulness is a practice designed both to reduce stress and to increase positive emotions and outcomes. While it has some elements of traditional meditation, it requires no dogma. Anyone of any faith or no faith at all can practice mindfulness and reap its benefits.
It has two components. The first is attention and the second is orientation. As to the first, attention involves being aware of one's current thoughts, feelings, and surrounding to the extent that one can fully concentrate on them. The second, orientation, involves going with one's mindstream, and maintaining open, non-judgmental attitudes toward it. The result is an ability to calmly face stressful situations, as well to prepare for them by elevating positive emotions before and after.
In my practice I combine mindfulness therapy with traditional cognitive (talk) therapy. That combination seems effective for most clients, especially when the client practices mindfulness on a daily basis between sessions with me.
Want to get smarter? Watch the movie "Dumb and Dumber." That's right: When you laugh your anterior cingulate cortex lights up, which enables the brain to focus better on problem solving. According to Karuna Subramaniam, watching scary movies like "The Shining" will only make you anxious and less able to solve today's problems.
If Jim Carrey is not to your taste, try any Mel Brooks movie. I guarantee you'll laugh.
Copyright © 2022 Jane R. Coyle, MSSS, LCSW - All Rights Reserved.
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