Mindfulness

SIT QUIETLY and BE

The practice of mindful awareness can easily be practiced in the HOME  as a foundation for self-regulation.

Mindfulness encompasses focusing attention on the experience of  thoughts, emotions, behaviors and body sensations. We simply observe them as they arise in the moment and allow them to float on by without any judgement.

5  Key Facets of Mindfulness

  1. Observing: noticing internal and external stimuli, such as bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts, sights, smells
  2. Mentally labeling: use descriptive words to note these stimuli
  3. Awareness: consciously responding to one’s current actions rather than being on autopilot -in a state of absent-mindedness
  4. Non-judging: one’s inner experiences by treating them with kindness rather than self-criticism
  5. Non-reactivity: to inner experiences by allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go without getting attached to them

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Example of some students’ mindful observations:

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“Instead of avoiding what makes me fearful at home, school or work, I am able to repeatedly take gradual, gentle actions with self-compassion to overcome the fears.”

“When I have distressing thoughts or images I am able to PAUSE and mindfully notice them… without reacting to them.”

” I notice how foods and alcohol affect my thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotions.”

“My stress levels went way down as I learned how to relax and regulate my responses to outside triggers at HOME, work, or in the community which were causing burnout.

“When I am walking, I deliberately notice the sensations of my body moving – hearing, smelling, seeing everything around me while  feeling my emotions and thoughts.”

 

Progression of mindful awareness expertise

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  • Emphasizing positive surroundings may help to modulate one’s moods and emotional behaviors
  • Improvement of attention regulation evolves first to facilitate the other processes
  • Accurate observations of the ‘self’ are required for the empathetic understanding of others at HOME or work.
  • Awareness of the body’s response to an emotional stimulus (trigger) helps with the conscious experience of one’s own emotional life at home or work.
  • Awareness of the emotion is a precondition  to emotion regulation

Contact Nadine to help you cultivate emotional balance starting at home!

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‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’.     Lao Tzu

Call Nadine at 510-525-1116 to start your journey.