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Mindfulness is the ability to focus attention on thoughts and feelings that derive from an experience. Looking at what currently makes us happy and what makes us uncomfortable allows us to keep an open mind and better understand our own needs and preferences. By paying close attention to what is happening in our bodies and around us, we can get to the origins of our emotions and behaviors (e.g., biases) that arise from them. Once we identify and name what we feel, we can manage it in better way. Self-awareness gives us power, it allows us to regulate the feelings coming from the body by giving them different meanings (reinterpretation).
We ourselves are responsible for the CONCEPTS OF EMOTIONS that influence our behavior eventually. We are the architects of our experiences!
Below you will find a selection of resources we have chosen, in line with up-to-date knowledge, to help you build the habit of mindfulness. This habit allows you to better cope with difficult feelings like sadness or anger, get rid of pain, insomnia and other somatic problems “caused by stress” and even experience relief from anxiety or depression.
Watch video lectures on the topic
Being mindful of your own emotional reactions is the first step to distinguishing and naming them more accurately. Anna Cieślik’s lecture on emotional diversity will help you better understand why being able to distinguish shades of emotion is important to your mental health.
Misconceptions about stress are more damaging than stress itself. Paweł Bogusław’s lecture will help you identify and dispel unconstructive thoughts about stress.
Kelly McGonigal, a health psychology researcher, explores the biological mechanism of the stress response in this lecture. This material will help you gain more insight into your own physiological reactions, and you may even become friends with your stress…
Courage researcher Brené Brown, in this lecture, will tell you how being mindful of your vulnerability can bring out its potent power.
In this talk, Brené Brown demonstrates the benefits that can come from confronting your own shame. The lecture will help you face your failures mindfully and show you how to draw strength from failure, criticism, and fear.
In his inspiring talk, psychologist Guy Winch proves why taking care of your emotions and mind is just as important as nurturing your body. This lecture will help you understand how being attentive to emotional pain allows you to take care of your emotional hygiene.
Mindfulness allows you to better monitor and regulate your own emotional reactions, which is an important aspect in the prevention of mental disorders. This video was prepared by the WHO to give you an idea of what depression can be and how to deal with it. If you are interested in this short video and would like to delve more deeply into the topic, please look at the book “Living with a Black Dog: His Name Is Depression” which can be found at the bottom of the page in the “Recommended Books” section.
Ways to develop mindfulness
Mindfulness is a tool to better cope with day-to-day stress, and although it requires training, you don’t have to spend a lot of time practicing it. All it takes are simple strategies to switch from “autopilot” mode to “mindful experience” mode during routine activities such as eating, driving, walking the dog, or peeling potatoes.
Basic meditation exercises and mindfulness training, in simple terms, involve carefully observing sensations related to the body or the reality around us. Regular exercises that focus on mindful breathing, scanning your body, or observing everyday life can help train your mind.
Some tips for practicing mindfulness:
BREATHING
Try to concentrate exclusively on your breathing for 5 minutes. Allow your thoughts that are swirling around in your head to flow freely (when will this stop? why do I need this?). Ask yourself, in which part of your body do you feel your breath the most? In your abdomen, chest, or maybe around your nose, mouth? How does your breath unfold during each inhale and exhale? If you can’t concentrate, try counting: one – inhale, two – exhale. This will help you ignore the thoughts that come up.
BODY SCAN
Focus on your toes and slowly move your eyes along your leg up to your pelvis. Record all sensations and direct your inhales and exhales toward the “scanned” area. Do the same with every part of your body, from your feet to the top of your head. “Scanning” from top to bottom has a relaxing effect, and doing it upward raises energy levels. It is best to do the exercises lying down.
CONSCIOUS SITTING
Sit comfortably on a cushion, with your legs crossed and knees supported; your spine must be straight and shoulders relaxed. Keep your eyes directed at one spot. Try to stay in this position for about 10-15 minutes.
CONCENTRATION ON EATING
Take a piece of chocolate or some favorite fruit. Try to eat it for a very long time (at least 15 minutes). Watch it, smell it, taste it, see what sound it makes when you eat it. What does your tongue sense? The mouth? The palate? The throat?
TASTING REALITY
Look around the room. Try to concentrate on the elements of the interior design. For example, look for anything green or red. You can also try to catch the sounds around you and try to recognize them.
MINDFUL CONTACT WITH NATURE
Over the course of hundreds of years, man has been gradually moving away from his natural environment. With the advent of progress and the industrial revolution, the living and working space for human beings has become smaller and smaller, and their contact with nature, natural space and fresh air has become more and more limited.
Recommended articles
The authors of the following articles – researchers with years of experience and vast knowledge in the field of psychology and neuroscience, describe what changes meditation can bring in our lives. In addition to advice on how to practice mindfulness, they dispel myths and misconceptions about mindfulness training. They also show that the fruit of practice can be a lasting and positive transformation of the human mind.
5 Surprising Reasons Why You Need Mindfulness at Work
Article on the benefits of practicing mindfulness in the workplace. Presents the issue of mindfulness from a professional’s perspective.
Master Your Feelings With New Tools Inspired by Neuroscience
The article describes the essence of “emotional granularity”, how important it is for achieving new goals, fulfilling needs and making decisions. What’s more, it shows how much of an impact it has on our mental health.
Try these two smart techniques to help you master your emotions
The article will show you how emotional granularity (diversity) affects your health – both physical and mental, and present possible ways to tame and understand emotions.
Embracing stress is more important than reducing stress, Stanford psychologist says
Typically, stress is associated with negative connotations. Isn’t there a widely accepted myth that stress is bad? This article will debunk some myths and top-down assumptions, and show you a possible side of the stress issue that you may not have heard before.
Recommended Books
- “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” (2012), Daniel Goleman
- “Altered Traits. Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body” (2017), Daniel Goleman, Richard Davidson
- “Living with a Black Dog: His Name Is Depression” (2006), Matthew Johnstone
- “The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It” (2016), Kelly McGonigal
- “Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World” (2012), Mark Williams, Danny Penman