I was first exposed to mindfulness as a graduate student. On the recommendation of innovators like Marsha Linehan, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and others, mindfulness was increasingly being incorporated into cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, and a whole host of other issues. My mentors urged me to start my own mindfulness practice, to prepare me for teaching patients how to be mindful.
As a fast-talker, fast-thinker, and fast-mover, I had reservations about using mindfulness. I believed that it involved completely clearing your mind of all thoughts, sitting in the lotus position and chanting “Ohm” for hours on end. I doubted that I would have enough time in my day to devote to mindfulness practice. How would someone like me, who was always on the go, always thinking, always planning, learn to take time out and just be still?
Once I started practicing mindfulness, however, I changed my tune. Turns out that being mindful simply means being focused on one thing, in the present moment, without judgment. According to that definition, lots of things qualify as mindfulness activities, like:
- Focusing on your breath while breathing deeply
- Focusing on the feel of the warm soapy water while doing dishes
- Focusing on the thoughts that move through your mind
- Taking mindful nature walks, where you focus on one aspect of the environment around you (Or, if you don’t live near nature, taking other kinds of mindful walks. For me, mindful nature walking in the dead of winter in New York City meant noting all of the Ugg boots I saw on women’s feet as I walked to and from the subway).
The actual activity you choose for your mindfulness practice isn’t critical. What is critical is that you adopt a non-judgmental stance towards yourself and your practice. Don’t judge yourself if your mind wanders. Just simply notice that it’s wandering, and bring it back to whatever it is you’re focusing on (your breath, your thoughts, that lady’s Ugg boots).
As an expert in treatment for anxiety, I recommend mindfulness to all of my patients. It’s a great strategy for anxiety management, for a number of reasons:
- Mindfulness grounds you in the here-and-now, which prevents you from spiraling into “what if” scenarios about the future.
- Being mindful means shifting your focus from persistent negative thoughts to present-moment sensations. By practicing non-judgmental awareness, you learn to observe anxious thoughts as temporary mental events rather than absolute facts. This provides you with necessary distance from your thoughts, enabling you to utilize CBT strategies (such as cognitive restructuring) to help you cope effectively.
- Through mindfulness practice, you learn to tolerate discomfort without feeling overwhelmed by it.
- Mindfulness regulates the nervous system, slowing breathing and lowering heart rate, among other things, signaling to the brain that there is no immediate threat.
If you’re interested in engaging in a mindfulness practice, you might want to start with one of the many available mindfulness apps that let you access different guided exercises at the swipe of a screen. You can experiment with a large number of mindfulness activities focused on a number of different objectives, such as relaxation, stress reduction, improved sleep, anxiety management, and self-esteem. You can also select the length of your mindfulness practices; some exercises clock in at just one minute. So not having enough time is no excuse: all you need is one minute and a smartphone. You can even program the app to remind you to do your mindfulness work every day.
Thoughts about mindfulness? Want to hear more about it? Contact me here!
