“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ― Viktor E. Frankl
Mindfulness, most widely defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, is “an awareness that arises though paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally"
In our world today, we are faced with constant overstimulation, overdoing and overthinking. All this stimulation creates an exhaustion of both the mind and body. We get overloaded and go on “autopilot” - the part of our brain that is responsible for mind wandering, ruminating, worrying, and all kinds of mindless activity. It is also the “me, myself and I” center of the brain. So in short, mind wandering often involves a lot thinking about ourselves…and even more often negative thinking about ourselves. These thoughts become reinforced by life experiences and conditioned over time: wash, rinse and repeat. Research has proven that this cycle can lead to stress and disease (or dis-ease), and the breakdown of mental and physical health.
So how does mindfulness meditation change that? Though the attentional regulation of our thoughts, noting what thoughts are and being aware of how our bodies respond and react, we can bring present moment awareness to the forefront of the mind. That in itself changes the autopilot response by creating intentional and informed decision making about how to care for ourselves and others in the midst of chaos, crisis, and suffering.
Mindfulness is, in essence, an act of deliberately paying attention and waking up to our lives. By cultivating a curiosity about our thoughts, emotions and body sensations, we are able to better react and respond to even the most difficult of situations.
Sounds easy right? Well not exactly, the key is practice. The Center for Mindfulness at Mind Body Knox offers a full range of mindfulness based programming aimed at both teaching and supporting practice.
For more information or to sign up for class contact Lynn Smith at LynnsmithLCSW@me.com