Mental Health & Mindfulness
Mindfulness was famously described by worldwide mindfulness guru, Jon Kabat-Zinn
(2003) as “paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgementally,
to the unfolding of experience moment to moment”. It is in the present moment we can be aware of ourselves and what is going on around us; focusing on our breath and becoming aware of our thoughts/feelings without judgement.
Within mental health, mindfulness has been proven to ease anxiety, depression and other problems as well as showing positive results on the mind, body and behaviour. Some mental health therapies (including Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) focus on mindfulness and zen in order to challenge negative behaviour patterns, irrational thoughts about the past and anxiety about the future, which can influence our behaviour in the present.
A research study published by the University of Oxford in November 2013 provides evidence of the effectiveness of the Be Mindful online course. The study examined the effects of the course for the 273 people who had completed it and showed that, on average, after one month, they enjoyed
- A 58% reduction in anxiety levels
- A 57% reduction in depression
- A 40% reduction in stress
How can I learn mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be learnt in various ways. You can do it alone, in a class, a group, or with a therapist. There are many mindfulness courses online, many guided mindfulness meditation videos on YouTube, and most book stores stock mindfulness/meditation books.
There are a few mindfulness exercises that can help you begin your journey. These include:
- Colouring in a picture with the non-dominant hand for 2 minutes, noticing any emotions, thoughts or judgements and writing them down. Then switching to the dominant hand for 2 minutes and doing the same, writing down any judgements and/or anxiety levels.
- Body scan. This includes being aware of the breath and the sensations within your body, starting by scanning from the top of the head, all the way down the body to the toes, noticing any physical feelings without trying to alter them.
- Breathing mindfully. In for the count of 4, hold for 4 and and out for 6. As you become more experienced you can count for longer, though the exhale should last longer than the inhale.
- Yoga, which promotes being aware of the body and mind simultaneously, through movement and the breath. There are many yoga sites and YouTube videos for the beginner, intermediate and advanced yogi/yogini!
- Mindfulness listening. This includes pausing for a moment and taking in the sounds of the environment around you non judgementally. Any thoughts that come into your mind, let them go and focus once again on the sounds you hear.
Personal Story
My mindfulness journey originally started in the spring of 2013, when I started to practice yoga and meditation while recovering from my eating disorder. I would exercise my yoga practice every morning and night to get in touch with my mind and body, while focusing on the breath through each movement. This brought me inner peace and relieved my anxiety levels, which were quite high at the time. In 2014 I took my mindfulness to a higher level and started meditation and breathing mindfully after each yoga practice. I got to the point where I was exhaling for 30 counts! This would put me in a deep state of stillness and felt almost hypnotic. I was still struggling with my eating disorder, but yoga and meditation helped me to eat more nourishing foods mindfully and intuitively.
Unfortunately, 2015 came and I had a huge breakdown with my mental health and my mindfulness practice was no longer in my life. I had too much going on in my life- psychosis, paranoia, anxiety, eating disorder, catatonia, as well as the breakdown of a long-term relationship. This carried on throughout 2016 and the first 6 months of 2017 until I started DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy). I have now been attending DBT for just over 4 months and the results have been absolutely astounding. Tie this in with my body positive journey and I'm coming up Milhouse! I have learned how to be in the present moment in many areas of my life, as well as improving my relationships and communication with others. The mindfulness, for me, ties in with all the other skills I am learning in DBT, including Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance. It is now, after only 4 months that I am starting to put these skills into my daily living. Through this transformation I have started practicing yoga and meditation again. I now write gratitude lists and meditate/focus on my breath every night before bed and it is continuously bringing me happiness, thankfulness and a new found appreciation of myself/life. I still have my mental health illness, but I have definitely learnt the useful skills to manage it better!
If you are thinking of starting your mindfulness journey, whether you have mental health issues or not, I would definitely encourage it. It helps us manage our stress, anxiety levels and also helps us to stay organised in our daily lives!
Within mental health, mindfulness has been proven to ease anxiety, depression and other problems as well as showing positive results on the mind, body and behaviour. Some mental health therapies (including Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) focus on mindfulness and zen in order to challenge negative behaviour patterns, irrational thoughts about the past and anxiety about the future, which can influence our behaviour in the present.
A research study published by the University of Oxford in November 2013 provides evidence of the effectiveness of the Be Mindful online course. The study examined the effects of the course for the 273 people who had completed it and showed that, on average, after one month, they enjoyed
- A 58% reduction in anxiety levels
- A 57% reduction in depression
- A 40% reduction in stress
How can I learn mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be learnt in various ways. You can do it alone, in a class, a group, or with a therapist. There are many mindfulness courses online, many guided mindfulness meditation videos on YouTube, and most book stores stock mindfulness/meditation books.
There are a few mindfulness exercises that can help you begin your journey. These include:
- Colouring in a picture with the non-dominant hand for 2 minutes, noticing any emotions, thoughts or judgements and writing them down. Then switching to the dominant hand for 2 minutes and doing the same, writing down any judgements and/or anxiety levels.
- Body scan. This includes being aware of the breath and the sensations within your body, starting by scanning from the top of the head, all the way down the body to the toes, noticing any physical feelings without trying to alter them.
- Breathing mindfully. In for the count of 4, hold for 4 and and out for 6. As you become more experienced you can count for longer, though the exhale should last longer than the inhale.
- Yoga, which promotes being aware of the body and mind simultaneously, through movement and the breath. There are many yoga sites and YouTube videos for the beginner, intermediate and advanced yogi/yogini!
- Mindfulness listening. This includes pausing for a moment and taking in the sounds of the environment around you non judgementally. Any thoughts that come into your mind, let them go and focus once again on the sounds you hear.
Personal Story
My mindfulness journey originally started in the spring of 2013, when I started to practice yoga and meditation while recovering from my eating disorder. I would exercise my yoga practice every morning and night to get in touch with my mind and body, while focusing on the breath through each movement. This brought me inner peace and relieved my anxiety levels, which were quite high at the time. In 2014 I took my mindfulness to a higher level and started meditation and breathing mindfully after each yoga practice. I got to the point where I was exhaling for 30 counts! This would put me in a deep state of stillness and felt almost hypnotic. I was still struggling with my eating disorder, but yoga and meditation helped me to eat more nourishing foods mindfully and intuitively.
Unfortunately, 2015 came and I had a huge breakdown with my mental health and my mindfulness practice was no longer in my life. I had too much going on in my life- psychosis, paranoia, anxiety, eating disorder, catatonia, as well as the breakdown of a long-term relationship. This carried on throughout 2016 and the first 6 months of 2017 until I started DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy). I have now been attending DBT for just over 4 months and the results have been absolutely astounding. Tie this in with my body positive journey and I'm coming up Milhouse! I have learned how to be in the present moment in many areas of my life, as well as improving my relationships and communication with others. The mindfulness, for me, ties in with all the other skills I am learning in DBT, including Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance. It is now, after only 4 months that I am starting to put these skills into my daily living. Through this transformation I have started practicing yoga and meditation again. I now write gratitude lists and meditate/focus on my breath every night before bed and it is continuously bringing me happiness, thankfulness and a new found appreciation of myself/life. I still have my mental health illness, but I have definitely learnt the useful skills to manage it better!
If you are thinking of starting your mindfulness journey, whether you have mental health issues or not, I would definitely encourage it. It helps us manage our stress, anxiety levels and also helps us to stay organised in our daily lives!
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