Mindfulness is a nonjudgmental ‘centred’ awareness in which each thought, feeling, or sensation that arises in the field of attention is acknowledged and accepted as it is. Preoccupation with worries, blaming, resentfulness, perfectionism, self-criticism, denial and so on are the types of negative mental activities that fuel anxiety and depression.  The skills of Mindfulness are useful for bringing a greater sense of ease and direction to this mental chatter.

To benefit from Mindfulness it is not necessary to change your world-view.  The practice is about learning to focus and shift your attention. You can choose to focus your attention on the present moment or you can choose to focus it elsewhere.

Try this Mindfulness exercise and focus on a single minute:  To begin, find a comfortable place to sit in a room where you won’t be disturbed and turn off any distracting sounds. Start timing yourself with a watch or stopwatch. Then, without counting the seconds or looking at the watch, simply sit wherever you are. When you think a minute has passed, check the watch again, or stop the time. Note how much has really passed.

Did you find it difficult to sit quietly for a minute? Did a minute seem like a long time or a short period of time?  Did you feel hurried or relaxed? What attention did you give to your thoughts?

In practice, Mindfulness is about developing curiosity and interest in your experiences. Take something like the washing up. You may not enjoy washing up! But if you practice Mindfulness while you wash up, you may find that you connect at a deeper level with the experience. Washing up when done mindfully can become an enjoyable activity! The feeling of the water on your hands, the movement of washing, it can almost seem like it is a baby you are bathing, carefully and surely, instead of the dirty dishes.

Noticing and Focusing. These are two skills you can learn in Mindfulness practice. You can notice more fully the world around you and focus your attention on your breathing. Your breath is always in the present moment and by focusing on it, you shift your attention to the present moment. If you find your mind wandering off, you can bring your attention back to the present moment.

Mindfulness-based skills are increasingly being taught by clinical psychologists through therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).  If you would like to discuss opportunities to learn Mindfulness practice further, please contact Dr Simone Hughes.