wellness & resilience
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Lesson_2_Mindfulness_-_final.pptxLesson 2: Empowerment through Mindfulness-Based Practices
INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Play music of your choice for about 5 minutes before class begins. We typically choose something upbeat and uplifting.
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Questions
Mindfulness Activity - Observe Exercise
Observe is a mindfulness skill that is “wordless watching.” So, class take 1 minute to observe what you see. Do not say anything you see yet, and after 1 minute, we will come back to
Describe what you see.
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Empowerment through Mindfulness-Based Practices
Lesson 2
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(DeCano & Cook, 2015)
*Circle the areas that the skills for the day relate to
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Summary of the Previous Lesson
Stress is an unavoidable aspect of life
When unmanaged, stress can take its toll on our minds and bodies, and ultimately cause us to be less effective in whatever we do
There are two distinct but inter-related dimensions to our mental health: distress/problems and well-being/flourishing
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Summary of the Previous Lesson
Resilience is the ability to BOTH survive and thrive in life
Resilience is an ordinary process that can be learned through healthy skills, strategies, and routines
This class is going to help you develop your own set of skills, strategies and routines that increase resilience and applies to your life – it takes practice an coaching to make them work.
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Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
explain mindlessness and how our brains function
describe the different components how mindfulness and related practices that lead to increased awareness and better decision-making and coping strategies
use of mindfulness skills to gain greater mental clarity, assist in coping strategies, and for better decision-making during stressful situations
learn specific mindfulness practices that strengthen and enable you to be more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings
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Lesson 2: Glossary Terms
| Lesson 2 Mindfulness | ||
| Resilience | Our ability to withstand or recover from significant challenges that threaten our stability, viability, or development. | |
| APT Model | Adapt | become adjusted to new conditions |
| Persevere | continue steadfastly or determinedly; persistent | |
| Thrive | prosper or flourish | |
| Prefrontal Cortex | This brain region has been implicated in regulation of complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning. | |
| Mindfulness | Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally | |
| Reasonable Mind | Reasonable mind is acting out of reason and logic in the absence of emotion. | |
| Wise Mind | Wise mind is the synthesis of reasonable mind and emotion mind. It is the place from which we can make wise decision tat acknowledge bout our logic and emotions. | |
| Emotional Mind | Emotional mind is thinking and acting from intense emotion, disregarding all reason and logic. |
Participation Week 2 Part 1
What felt different for you about the mindfulness activity we did today as compared to the breathing practice we did last week?
If you weren’t in lecture last week, write one sentence about what you thought of today’s mindfulness practice.
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Which is more productive?
Doing one thing at a time?
Multitasking?
Turn and talk then call out answers
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Multi-tasking and missing what’s right in front of our faces
How do we typically go through the world?
Mindlessly
Story – driving to my house instead of where I meant to go
We’ve often been told multitasking is good for us. In fact, our brains are only made to do one thing at a time, so when we do more than one, we’re rapidly switching back and forth and actually running about 50% slower
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Mindlessness is…
behaving automatically without thinking
believing all our thoughts as if they’re telling the literal truth
reacting to situations based on emotions rather than rational thinking
getting stuck thinking about past and future
How many of you have ever done one of these things? How many of you have done one of these things today even?
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Hindsight is 20/20
Behaving in ways we later regret
Consequences of Mindlessness...
Tendency to rely on habitual reactions to solve problems problems for self and others.
Our aim then is to recognize when we are on autopilot and need to respond more effectively to routine or difficult situations.
When we live in a mindless manner, we end up overlooking what is right in front of your face. This means we miss opportunities to do what matters most in moment.
We also fail to see important cues in our environment that communicate to us what we should do next.
Perhaps most importantly, our relationships suffer, because we don’t provide our loved ones who we are working with our full undivided attention to ensure their needs are being met.
Mindlessness also means that we exhibit behaviors that we later regret because we acted upon unwanted thoughts and emotions rather than from a calm and rational perspective.
Thoughts are just thoughts, feelings are just feelings. Separating ourselves sky metaphor
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“The motivations of man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present, the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."
What is Surprising about Humanity?
In essence, we tend to live our lives chasing things that are not in the present moment. This quote describes a life lived in pursuit of things, rather than enjoying what is already there. According to the Dalai Lama, this keeps us from fully living our lives.
Today we will be learning about mindfulness – paying attention to the present moment in a specific way – and how it can enhance our lives.
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In General, Mindfulness is . . .
. . . about having greater mental clarity to make good decisions during difficult situations.
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In General, Mindfulness is . . .
. . . about not being trapped by uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Rather, it is putting your mind where you want it to be.
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In General, Mindfulness is . . .
. . . about better connecting with and understanding the needs of others and yourself.
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Mindfulness is not about trying to turn the mind into a still lake. It’s about learning to surf the waves.
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The direct opposite of mindlessness
Mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, with an element of openness to the unfolding of experiences moment-by-moment.”
--Kabat-Zinn, 2003
Mindfulness Defined
Also refers to intentional exercises and practices of mindfulness
Mindfulness practices represent a collection of formal and informal strategies
Training one’s attention and awareness
… To bring mental processes and behavior under greater control
calmness, better decision making and behaviors during both routine and challenging situations.
It helps us to alter our habitual responses by pausing, noticing what’s happening, and choosing how best to act.
When we are mindful, we experience the world directly through our five senses. We taste the food we are eating.
We also recognize the thoughts we are having. In doing so, we learn how our minds work, and we are better able to label the thoughts and feelings we are having, instead of allowing them to overpower us and dictate problematic behavior.
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Mindfulness is NOT about….
New age pop psychology
Religion
Chanting in a foreign language
Making your mind empty
Overanalyzing your experience
Meditation
Sitting in painful positions or levitating
New age pop psychology – this has been around for a long time, we just now have research that supports it.
Religion – it’s not about any one religion. It comes from buddhist roots, however, it can be done within any context, not only religious one. Pray would be one
example of a mindfulness practice, and there are numerous others that we are going to learn that do not involve pray or religious practices.
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Awareness Is the Key
Insight – awareness about one’s self (internal)
Thoughts
Values
Feelings (tone)
Emotions
Physical sensations
Outsight – awareness of others and our surroundings (external)
Other’s feelings
Other’s physical presence
What others are doing
How you’re being received
The physical environment
Awareness is about what you are able to notice, pick up on, and detect through focused, purposeful attention.
Awareness itself does not have judgment, an opinion, or motive.
Awareness is simply noticing or observing what is happening on the inside and outside. Awareness is the boundless ability to recognize and know present experiences (i.e., what is happening now). Spacious because it can hold anything thoughts, feelings, sounds, sensations in the body,
By purposefully channeling our awareness, we tap into our insight and outsight.
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Mindfulness – WHAT and HOW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCJ0R6vAUnw&list=PL_L7KEOxOeQ_gwUQX8ExtaIt3jSm8XYbK&index=20
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How Mindfulness Practices Work
Increased Awareness Through Mindfulness
Practices
What Skills
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How Skills
Better Decision-Making and Coping Strategies
The “WHAT” Skills:
1. Observe: - wordless watching, paying attention without reacting
2. Describe: - putting what you observed into words
3. Participate: - throwing yourself completely in
Mindfulness Practices: are intentional exercises, routines, and activities that help cultivate and build greater present moment awareness as experiences unfold moment-by-moment builds…
Awareness: of self, others, and the environment which leads to ….
Components of Mindfulness: What Skills: Observe – wordless watching, Describe, and Participate
Empowerment: because we become liberated from uncomfortable or distressing thoughts or feelings, able to interact more effectively with others, and ultimately live a more enriched and satisfying life.
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How Mindfulness Practices Work
Increased Awareness Through Mindfulness
Practices
What Skills
+
How Skills
Better Decision-Making and Coping Strategies
The “HOW” Skills:
1. Nonjudgmentally: - see but don’t evaluate, just the facts
2. One Mindfully: - being completely present
3. Effectively: - focus on what works
How Mindfulness Practices Work
Mindfulness Practices: are intentional exercises, routines, and activities that help cultivate and build greater present moment awareness as experiences unfold moment-by-moment builds…
Awareness: of self, others, and the environment which leads to ….
Components of Mindfulness: How Skills: Nonjudgmentally, One Mindfully – one thing in the moment, and Effectively – doing what works
Empowerment: because we become liberated from uncomfortable or distressing thoughts or feelings, able to interact more effectively with others, and ultimately live a more enriched and satisfying life.
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Receptive Attitude (Nonjudgmentally)
It does not mean being passive.
It is about intentionally distinguishing between facts and our own opinions.
Having a receptive attitude, or being nonjudgmental, means letting go of our evaluation of things as good or bad, or our belief that things should be different than they are.
Why would we want to be non-judgmental? Sometimes feeling judgmental feels good – it makes us feel better about ourselves by comparison. And you might be thinking, how can I be non-judgmental of something awful that is happening? Practicing having a receptive attitude and being non-judgmental does not mean we give up saying something is harmful to others – it does not mean we ignore the consequences, it is an exercise in separating our opinions from the facts in order to broaden our perspective.
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Receptive Attitude (Nonjudgmentally)
This broadens our perspective.
It allows us to stay calm, engage in problem solving, and act effectively.
… and don’t forget: don’t judge yourself for judging!
Having a receptive attitude, or being nonjudgmental, means letting go of our evaluation of things as good or bad, or our belief that things should be different than they are.
Why would we want to be non-judgmental? Sometimes feeling judgmental feels good – it makes us feel better about ourselves by comparison. And you might be thinking, how can I be non-judgmental of something awful that is happening? Practicing having a receptive attitude and being non-judgmental does not mean we give up saying something is harmful to others – it does not mean we ignore the consequences, it is an exercise in separating our opinions from the facts in order to broaden our perspective.
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Receptive Attitude (Nonjudgmentally)
Being friendly to yourself and the experiences you encounter internally and externally.
“There is nothing cold, analytical, or unfeeling about it. The overall tenor of mindfulness practice is gentle, appreciative, and nurturing.”
- Kabat-Zinn, 1994
kind and gentle to ourselves as we experience the present moment.
Treat our internal and external experiences as enemies that need to be fought against or avoided altogether.
The issue with this is that the more we fight or avoid, the less present and mindful we become and the more upset we feel.
Receptive attitude means being a good friend to yourself. Question the relationships we have with our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Is the relationship we have make us feel worse about ourselves, more angry towards others, or unwilling to confront common experiences.
A good friend would be open and willing to accept who we are and would refrain from using every word we say or behavior we engage in as a means to negatively judge us or put us down.
When we adopt a receptive attitude, we are open and willing to the full range of experiences that life presents to us, and better able to see thoughts, feelings, and events for precisely what they are.
Don’t judge that this thought, feeling or experience as good and that one as bad. If we do happen to make negative judgments or interpretations toward self, we simply notice them and let them go.
We don’t get upset because we’re experiencing something we don’t want to be experiencing or because we’re not experiencing what we would rather be experiencing. We simply work on accepting and noticing thoughts and feelings. We notice them arising, passing through us, and ceasing to exist.
Developing a receptive attitude doesn’t mean that we passively roll over and accept injustice or being wronged. Rather, we question whether we are being friendly towards ourselves as we experience what may be an act of injustice or wrongdoing.
When we are able to approach our experiences with a receptive attitude, we are able to think more clearly and stay focused on responding effectively rather than responding according to upset thoughts and intense emotions. When we are unwilling, not open, and unkind to ourselves, we are more like to beat ourselves up, vilify others, and respond in ways that we later regret. The goal of developing a receptive attitude while being purposefully aware is to increase our ability to stay calm in the face of adversity and stress, keep a clear head to stay focused on how best to behave in any given moment, and intentionally make good choices that are in our and other people’s best interests.
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Purposeful Awareness (One-mindfully)
Paying attention on purpose to what is happening internally (that is, thoughts and feelings) and externally.
You need to pay attention on purpose in a certain way to be aware of what is going on moment-by-moment.
Purposefully aware, not just vaguely aware.
Example of mindful eating
Purposeful awareness is the act of deliberately directing attention to aspects of the present moment. We can develop and refine this skill by purposefully paying attention and noticing even the littlest things moment-by-moment. Connecting to the here and now on purpose to what is happening with regard to your five senses rather than being somewhere else is the essence of purposeful awareness.
Purposefully draw awareness to toes – how they feel in this moment. Direct attention to what is developing and unfolding in the present moment.
Important to be purposefully aware in a certain way in order to be mindful and increase your chances of being calm, thinking clearly, and behaving most effectively.
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Intentionality (Effectively)
Choosing to do what’s most effective on purpose.
Intentionality helps develop personal agency, which is the confidence that arises when one realizes they have choices even when things are stressful or seem uncontrollable
Nobody can make you do anything. Nor can a thought or feeling make you do anything.
Intentionality is about developing the personal agency to choose what to do next in the moment even when confronted with challenging, frustrating, or stressful situations. Intentionality is also about having the confidence that certain unwanted situations and internal experiences can arise and we can still intentionally make certain choices that are more effective than other possible choices that actually create more problems and make the situation worse.
Intentionality means being able to choose to do hard things on purpose.
Example: not wanting to go to class or work – overriding thoughts and feelings to do the effective thing.
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Benefits to Mindfulness
Better self-awareness and concentration
Increased calmness
More skillful ways to respond to difficult situations
Increased empathy and understanding of others
Decreased stress & anxiety
Enhanced physical health
Lower blood pressure
Reduced pain
Improved sleep
Grossman et al, 2004
So what is our ideal State of Mind?
It depends on the situation!
However we tend to be most productive in our objectives, relationships, and aligned with our core values in………………………
Wise Mind
So we know there are benefits to mindfulness, AND you can’t live in the present all the time. We have to plan what we’re going to make for dinner when we’re at the grocery store so we buy the right things. We have to plan ahead to do our homework. We need to plan ahead to leave early enough to get to class. So mindfulness is about building awareness and drawing our mind to the present, yes, but we do this to get into the best head space possible. So what is that ideal state of mind?
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3 States of Mind
Define reasonable mind, emotional mind, and wise mind.
There are times we want to make decisions in reasonable mind (surgeons) and emotional mind (when the person who love proposes to us). Usually, though, we want to be making our decisions in wise mind
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Bring Your Awareness back to the Present Moment: Breathing is the Hub
Breathing is the hub of human awareness.
Being aware of the present moment (open mind)
Stay focused on one thing at at a time (focused mind)
Why breathing:
It never stops.
It is always there operating outside of our awareness.
If you didn’t do it, you wouldn’t be here.
Breathing is a center or hub of awareness. Breathing never stops, in fact it has never stopped since you were born or you wouldn’t be alive. Breathing is always there most often operating outside of our awareness. In this way our breathing is always available to us as a way of grounding on awareness and bringing it back. It is called the hub of awareness because we can always go to our breathing in order to become purposefully aware.
Once we become purposefully aware we can choose to direct our attention and awareness to other things being experienced through the five senses and other senses, such as our bodily sense, relational sense (connection to and needs of others), and mental sense (thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, beliefs).
Our awareness should come from a place of open mind allowing us to stay focus on where we choose (focused mind)
At any point while practicing mindfulness when intrusive thoughts enter or you realize that you’ve become unaware and are acting mindlessly, you can purposefully bring yourself back to the hub of awareness by focusing on your breathing. From the hub, you can direct your attention to other aspects of the present moment and become aware of how best to proceed in the moment.
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Summary of this Lesson
We have a tendency to act mindlessly
Mindfulness is about paying attention on purpose, putting your mind where we want it to be, and being present in the moment
Our goal is to make decisions in Wise Mind
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Summary of this Lesson
Mindfulness is comprised of two sets of skills:
The WHAT Skills:
Observe
Describe
Participate The HOW skills:
Non-judgmentally
One mindfully
Effectively
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Summary of this Lesson
Mindfulness-based practices serve two functions:
Full awareness (open mind). Being aware of the present moment, thoughts feelings, sensations without judgment or trying to change it
Attentional control (focused mind) – staying focused on one thing at a time
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Participation Week 2 Part 2
What is one way you plan to practice mindfulness this week?
There may be additional questions/activities you want to add here.
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| 0 = Not thought about or used 1 = Thought about, not used, didn’t want to 2= Thought about, not used, wanted to 3= Tried but couldn’t use it/them | 4 = Tried, could do it/them but they didn’t help 5 = Tried, could use it/them, helped 6 = Didn’t think about it, used it/them, didn’t help 7 = Didn’t think about it, used it/ them, helped | NS = Not learned the Skill | |||||||
| Circle Days Practiced | Skills | Weekly Skills Use Rating / Comments | |||||||
| MINDFULNESS | |||||||||
| W | Th | F | Sa | Su | M | T | 1. Wise Mind (balance between emotion mind and reasonable mind) | ||
| W | Th | F | Sa | Su | M | T | 2. Observe (just notice the experience) a component of the “What” skills | ||
| W | Th | F | Sa | Su | M | T | 3. Describe (put words on the experience) a component of the “What” skills | ||
| W | Th | F | Sa | Su | M | T | 4. Participate (throw yourself completely into it) a component of the “What” skills | ||
| W | Th | F | Sa | Su | M | T | 5. Non-judgmentally (see but don’t evaluate, just the facts) a component of the “How” skills | ||
| W | Th | F | Sa | Su | M | T | 6. One-mindfully (be completely present) a component of the “How” skills | ||
| W | Th | F | Sa | Su | M | T | 7. Effectively (focus on what works) a component of the “How” skills | ||
Skills Daily Diary Card
Utility and frequency of skills usage: Name:______________ Date started:___/____/____
The document looks like this. Download it and edit the word doc or print it out and then submit the picture/PDF scan of it. Identify which days you practiced the skill by highlighting/bolding/italizing/changing the font colors on the days and then before you submit it fill in the rating on the side. One rating for the whole week using the 0-7 code at the top.
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Diary Card
Use Ratings:
0 – didn’t think about or use the skills
1/2 – consciously thinking about the skill, but not using it
3/4/5 –consciously thinking about and using the skills
6/7 – the skill is your automatic response
Goal – practice the skills and begin building that neuroplasticity
Graded based on turning it in, not how much you practiced the skills
Good place to leave questions for more specific feedback
Different card every week (Week 3 + 4 look the same)!
Remember to download the new card every week!
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Group Discussions
Make a physically open and accessible space for everyone
Ask for clarification, use follow up questions, and paraphrase/reference what has been previously said (make use of what others say)
Pair and share to generate conversation
Step up and step back, invite into the conversation, use wait time
Share personal experiences rather than make general statements
Designate roles:
Facilitator: keeps conversation moving, asks questions
Time Keeper: keeps group on track
Elaborator: seeks connections between current + previous topics
Summarizer: summarizes what has been said and checks for accuracy
Today we’ll be starting to have more group discussions after our activities. Some tips for having a good discussion
Make sure everyone can pull up to the table and no one blocking anyone
Share where you agree or see things differently
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Get to Know Your New Group Members
Names
Years, Majors
Rose – something that is going well for you this week
Thorn – something that has been a struggle for you this week
Bud – something you are looking forward to this quarter
You likely have new group members, so we’re going to take some time to reintroduce ourselves – take about 10 minutes
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Participate:
SOUND BALL
Play sound ball in big groups for about 10 minutes; have facilitator pause in the middle to prompt to go 20% more
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Discuss
Think about the three HOW skills (non-judgmentally, one-mindfully, effectively). How did those go for you in this practice? What was hard? What came naturally?
What felt different when you began incorporating the HOW skills intentionally?
What felt different when you began participating more?
Describe
Have them do the describe practice on their own BUT DO NOT HAVE THEM DISCUSS – instead they’ll write about it in their homework post.
Refer to the word document with all the mindfulness exercises
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Reflection for Homework Post
For you homework post, reflect on this describe practice using the following prompts:
Think about the three HOW skills (non-judgmentally, one-mindfully, effectively). How did those go for you in this practice? What was hard? What came naturally?
What felt different when you began incorporating the HOW skills intentionally?
Would this have been easier or harder to do if you hated the person? Loved the person? Why?
