MINDFULNESS MATTERS

PRESENTER

Susan Daniel, NBC-HWC

Susan Daniel is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She is also a graduate of the Palouse Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.

Susan’s philosophy toward health and wellness includes incorporating mindfulness into daily life as well as practicing techniques to reduce stress and

increase focus.

Susan enjoys spending time outside in the mountains, on the beach, and anywhere in between. Her beagle often accompanies her on outdoor adventures and

offers extra “mindful” support.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Understand the theory behind mindfulness and it’s benefits

• Explore the practice of mindfulness

• Understand the resources available to maintain a more mindful approach to life

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FORMAL AND INFORMAL PRACTICES OF MINDFULNESS

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• Formal practices:• Body scan• Meditation (sitting, lying, walking)• Yoga postures• Loving-kindness meditation• Visualizations

• Informal practices:• Eating mindfully• Walking mindfully• Cooking mindfully• Driving mindfully

CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS

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“Paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally”

Jon Kabat-Zinn 1994

MINDFULNESS IMPROVES PHYSICAL HEALTH

• Decreased pain and distress in people with chronic low back pain

• An increase in acceptance of one’s current state, leading to decreased pain-related anxiety, depression, physical, and psychological disability

• Increased ability by the immune system to fight off diseases

• Lower blood pressure and heart rate

• Variations in the brain’s gray matter

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MINDFULNESS IMPROVES MENTAL HEALTH

• Greater awareness, feelings of aliveness and acceptance of self in people with recurring depression; prevents excessive rumination

• Reduced symptoms of insomnia

• Eased fears and anxieties; helped with addictions

• Greater goal achievement and shorter therapeutic involvement

• Increased positive emotions; reduced negative emotions and stress

• Improved attention, focus and memory, less distractions

• Increased cognitive functioning, especially memory and learning and slowing down of Alzheimer’s and dementia7

MINDFULNESS IMPROVES WELL-BEING

• Increased altruism

• Decreased psychopathology

• Increased motivation

• Decreased fear of failure

• Increased perseverance

• Improved relationships – people are more connected, supportive, and accepting when practicing self-compassion

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VISUALIZATION

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• Settle yourself

• Imagine an early morning at the lake

• Everything is still and peaceful

• Breathe in, hold, breathe out

• Repeat

• Completely let your body relax with each cycle

• Your body relaxes more as you take in the beauty

• Notice the details in nature around you

BODY SCAN

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• Position yourself

• Take a slow, deep breath

• Hold, release, repeat

• Notice the rise and fall of your gentle natural breath. Where do you feel it most?

• Observe your breath – don’t try to change it

• Be aware of any part of your body in contact with a surface

• Observe the air going in and out of your body

S.T.O.P: A MINDFULNESS EXERCISE

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MINDFUL COMMUNICATION

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• Understand why you want to do it

• Limit distractions

• ONLY listen for the first 3-5 minutes

• Practice pausing before you speak

• People just want to be heard – not everyone is looking for answers or solutions

• Be empathetic

MINDFUL EATING

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MINDFUL DRIVING

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MINDFULNESS PROGRAMS

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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs (MBSR)

SOME APPS

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REFERENCES

www.mindful.org

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-courage-be-present/201001/how-practice-

mindfulness-meditation

www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/10.MindfulnessinEverydayLife.pdf

https://palousemindfulness.com/

Apps: Smiling mind; Mindfulness guided meditation; Stop, breathe and think

greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition

www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/mindfulness.aspx

www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/06/22/overworked-and-

overwhelmed-try-the-mindfulness-alternative/

www.dbtselfhelp.com/mindfulness_for_clients__friends_and_family.pdf

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/mindfulness-exercises.pdf

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REFERENCES

Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an

Emotionally Intelligent Child: www.newharbinger.com/mindful-discipline

Self compassion meditations, practical exercises: self-compassion.org

Self compassion training programs:

www.mindfulselfcompassion.org/mscprogram.php

STOP Technique: palousemindfulness.com/practice/week4-informal.pdf

The Magic Quarter Second: palousemindfulness.com/docs/magic-quarter-

second.pdf

Video of Shauna Shapiro:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UABlpt0R51Y&list=PLbiVpU59JkVZzL8TqgU6

Uz_HxhnMqpzZv&index=2

The Art and Science of Mindfulness (for clinicians):

www.apa.org/pubs/books/4317196.aspx

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ALWAYS AVAILABLE.ALWAYS CONFIDENTIAL.

FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCECONTACT YOUR EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)

MORE REFERENCES

Mindfulness: Breath and Body Scan. Workplace Options AWARE & Schuette, B. (Ed.). (2018). Mindfulness-based stress reduction: Breath and body scan. Raleigh, NC

Practicing Mindful Communication. Workplace Options AWARE & Schuette, B. (Ed.). (2019). Practicing mindful communication. London

S.T.O.P.: A Mindfulness Exercise. Workplace Options AWARE & Schuette, B. (Ed.). (2018). S.T.O.P.: A mindfulness exercise. Raleigh, NC

U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). (Updated 2016, April). What the science says about the effectiveness of meditation. In Meditation: In depth (Pub. No. D308). Retrieved December 12, 2017, from https://nccih.nih.gov/

Visualization Practice Exercise. Workplace Options AWARE & Schuette, B. (Ed.). (2018). Visualization. Raleigh, NC

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