Hi guys!! How's it going?
I used to write this blog in Bahasa but now I'm gonna change it to English or maybe Englonesian (English-Indonesian)
The reason why I change it to English is because I want to improve my English skill :P
English is not my mother tongue, please excuse any errors on my part
I will try my best.
What is Mindfulness?
Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing?
Here's the Mindful definition of Mindfulness.
Mindfulness. It’s a pretty straightforward word. It suggests
that the mind is fully attending to what’s happening, to what you’re doing, to
the space you’re moving through. That might seem trivial, except for the
annoying fact that we so often veer from the matter at hand. Our mind takes
flight, we lose touch with our body, and pretty soon we’re engrossed in
obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or fretting about the
future. And that makes us anxious.
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present,
aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or
overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Yet no matter how far we drift away, mindfulness is right
there to snap us back to where we are and what we’re doing and feeling. If you
want to know what mindfulness is, it’s best to try it for a while. Since it’s
hard to nail down in words, you will find slight variations in the meaning in
books, websites, audio, and video.
The (All-Purpose) Definition of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already
possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn
how to access it.
While mindfulness is innate, it can be cultivated
through proven techniques, particularly seated, walking, standing,
and moving meditation (it’s also possible lying down but often leads
to sleep); short pauses we insert into everyday life; and merging meditation
practice with other activities, such as yoga or sports.
When we meditate it doesn’t help to fixate on the benefits,
but rather to just do the practice, and yet there are benefits or no one would
do it. When we’re mindful, we reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight
and aware ness through observing our own mind, and increase our attention to
others’ well-being.
Mindfulness meditation gives us a time in our lives when we
can suspend judgment and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of
the mind, approaching our experience with warmth and kindness—to ourselves and
others.
What is Mindfulness in Psychology? (Incl. Definition)
According to the Greater Good Science Center at
Berkeley, mindfulness is:
“maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts,
feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle,
nurturing lens.”
To take that definition a bit further, mindfulness requires
a nonjudgmental acknowledgement and acceptance of our thoughts and feelings;
acknowledging our feelings but judging them (e.g., providing a value judgment
like “I shouldn’t be thinking that” or “That’s a bad thought to have”) would
not qualify as practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness-Based Meditation
You may also hear the term “mindfulness-based meditation”
when diving into the world of mindfulness and positive psychology.
If you’re wondering what the difference is between
mindfulness and mindfulness-based meditation, there really isn’t much of
one!
“Mindfulness” is often used when referring to a general
attempt to incorporate more mindfulness into one’s life, whereas
“mindfulness-based meditation” usually refers to the type of practice that is
seen as the stereotypical meditation—sitting cross-legged with closed eyes
while engaged in a meditation practice for a period of time.
Generally, mindfulness and mindfulness meditation refer to
the same concept: staying open and aware of your own inner workings and
allowing your thoughts and feelings to happen without judgment.
The only distinction between the two is that mindfulness
meditation has the connotation of being a more time-constrained practice (e.g.,
you devote 10 minutes per day to it rather than practicing it throughout the
day).
A question that is frequently asked about mindfulness is
whether it’s a state or a trait. This question likely doesn’t mean much
for the average practitioner, but the answer is actually significant for anyone
who dabbles in mindfulness.
If it’s a trait or strength, it’s something that is more
inherent, more permanent, and less changeable; if it’s closer to a state than a
trait, it’s more temporary, fleeting, and easier to influence.
The debate still rages, but we do know that mindfulness is
certainly not entirely on the trait side; studies have shown that we can
enhance our mindfulness through concerted effort and training (Carlson, 2013).
However, we also know that mindfulness is correlated with
our strengths, so we probably can’t say that it’s entirely on the state
side either (Masicampo & Baumeister, 2007).
Although mindfulness has been a staple of the positive
psychology world for years—and a popular topic in the broader field before
that—it actually predates the modern field of psychology. It was originally a
Buddhist practice known as sati, which can be defined as,
“the moment-to-moment lucid awareness of whatever arises in
the mind” (Sharf, 2014).
Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is considered the “founding father” of
the U.S.-based mindfulness trend. He was introduced to mindfulness through his
exploration of Buddhist philosophy in his college days, which he then
incorporated into his practice as a professor of medicine at the University of
Massachusetts Medical School. He founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the UM
medical school in 1979, where he developed the program that is known today as
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (Shea, 2018).
Since then, mindfulness has grown in popularity and is
increasingly the subject of studies on ways to reduce stress, increase
positivity, and increase quality of life.
Here are a few tips and techniques to make sure you’re
getting the most of your mindfulness practice:
Pay close attention to your breathing, especially when
you’re feeling intense emotions.
Notice—really notice—what you’re sensing in a given moment,
the sights, sounds, and smells that ordinarily slip by without reaching your
conscious awareness.
Recognize that your thoughts and emotions are fleeting and
do not define you, an insight that can free you from negative thought patterns.
Tune into your body’s physical sensations, from the water
hitting your skin in the shower to the way your body rests in your office
chair.
Find “micro-moments” of mindfulness throughout the day to
reset your focus and sense of purpose (Greater Good Science Center).
Mindfulness is an excellent way to practice self-care, which
makes it a great tool that helping professionals can share with their clients
to encourage healing, growth, and healthy habits outside of the one-hour office
visits.
How to Best Use Mindfulness with a Client
To teach your client about mindfulness, you can describe and
walk them through some of the exercises from mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Here are five that can be shared with clients:
Mindful breathing
Body scan meditation
Raisin meditation
Walking meditation
Hi guys!! How's it going?
I used to write this blog in Bahasa but now I'm gonna change it to
English or maybe Englonesian (English-Indonesian)
The reason why I change it to English is because I want to improve
my English skill :P
English is not my mother tongue, please excuse any errors on my
part
I will try my best.
Loving-kindness meditation
If a client asks for a recommendation on how long or how
frequently they should practice mindfulness, you can tell them there’s no harm
in practicing as often as they’d like, but that committing to even the shortest
of practices (e.g., 5 minutes a day) can have significant impacts on their
life.
According to Richie Davidson, one of the world’s most renowned
contemplative neuroscientists, even 1.5 hours of mindfulness practice can lead
to positive structural changes in the brain.
Mindfulness has been a staple of positive psychology, going all
the way back to the foundation of the field. It is not so much linked to
positive psychology as it is interwoven into its very fabric.
The close ties between mindfulness and positive psychology make
sense when you consider the outcomes of mindfulness: increased
positivity, a greater sense of coherence, better quality of life, more empathy,
more satisfying relationships, and greater hope (Vago & Silbersweig, 2012).
6 Examples of How Mindfulness is Used in Positive Psychology
Mindfulness is a multi-tool in positive psychology—a helpful
technique that has multiple uses and is effective in a wide range of contexts.
Here are just a few ways that mindfulness can be applied in
positive psychology:
As a self-care tool for anyone who is interested—mindfulness can
be practiced by anyone, anywhere, anytime!
As a stress reduction technique for students, people in
high-stress jobs, and anyone dealing with anxiety.
As a way to boost employee wellness.
As a therapeutic tool for people struggling with depression or
other mood disorders.
As a coping method and relaxation strategy.
In conjunction with yoga as a healthy habit for body and
mind.
7 Great Benefits of Mindfulness in Positive Psychology
There are many positive outcomes that result from developing and
practicing mindfulness. Below are 7 of the most positive and significant
benefits of mindfulness.
#1 – Being mindful of your thoughts and emotions promotes
well-being
The concept of self-regulation is somewhat paradoxical
in that regulation—in the strictest sense of the word—is not really considered
being mindful; rather, mindfulness is a state that is characterized by
introspection, openness, reflection, and self-acceptance.
The research is clear on one of the main outcomes of practicing
mindfulness: there has been strong evidence coming out recently that
demonstrates that mindfulness is significantly correlated with positive
affect, life satisfaction, and overall well-being (Seear & Vella-Brodrick,
2012; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).
Mindfulness itself, however, is not a new concept; it has existed
in Buddhism for over two thousand years. Modern day research has made several
interesting findings suggesting this ‘enhanced self-awareness’ diminishes
stress and anxiety and, in turn, reduces the risk of developing cancer,
disease, and psychopathology. It is useful to practice mindfulness in positive
psychology as a tool for general physical and mental health.
#2 – Being mindful can improve your working memory
Working memory is the memory system that temporarily stores
information in our minds for further recall and future processing. Many studies
have been undertaken that suggest a strong interrelationship between attention
and working memory.
Van Vugt & Jha (2011) undertook research that involved taking
a group of participants to an intensive month-long mindfulness retreat. These
participants were compared with a control group who received no mindfulness
training (MT). All participants from both groups first undertook a memory
recognition task before any MT had been providing. The second round of a memory
recognition task was then undertaken by all participants after the month’s
training.
Results were positive – while accuracy levels were comparable
across both groups, reaction times were much faster for the group that had
received mindfulness training. These results suggested that MT leads to
attentional improvements, particularly in relation to quality of information
and decisional processes, which are directly linked to working memory.
#3 – Mindfulness acts as a buffer against the depressive symptoms
associated with discrimination
A self-report study conducted at the University of North Carolina
measured the level of discrimination experienced by participants as well as the
presence and—if present—severity of their depressive symptoms (Brown-Iannuzzi,
Adair, Payne, Richman, & Fredrickson, 2014). Participants also completed a
questionnaire that measured their level of mindfulness as a trait or strength,
which is characterized by a tendency toward conscious awareness of the present.
The results showed that, as expected, the more discrimination
participants experienced, the more depressive symptoms they had. It
was also found that the more mindful people were, the less depressed they were.
Finally, and most importantly, the findings suggested that
mindfulness might be a protective factor that mitigates the effects of
discrimination on the development of depressive symptoms. In other words,
although discrimination was associated with depressive symptoms, the
association became much weaker as mindfulness increased. According to studies
like this one, it appears that practicing mindfulness may be an effective
method of preventing the onset of depression.
#4 – Mindfulness can help you make better use of your strengths
“Mindfulness can help an individual express their character
strengths in a balanced way that is sensitive to the context and circumstance
they are in.”(Niemiec, 2012)
A lot of research has shown that mindfulness influences mental
health and personality (Baer, Smith & Allen, 2004). Not surprisingly,
mindfulness is related to character strengths as well.
Mindfulness and strengths have been deeply intertwined for
thousands of years. In Buddhism, mindfulness meditation is not only an
effective method of relieving suffering, it is also a way to cultivate positive
characteristics and strengths such as compassion, wisdom, and well-being.
Even the meaning of mindfulness, defined by Thich Nhat Hanh
(Niemiec, 2014), includes some dimensions of strengths; his perspective on
mindfulness states that mindfulness is a method:
“to keep one’s attention alive in the present reality. And this
‘aliveness’ captures both the self-regulation of attention and the approach of
curiosity.”
According to research by Bishop and colleagues (2004),
experiencing mindfulness begins with making a commitment to maintain
curiosity about the mind wandering and looking at differences in other objects.
Other research (Ivtzan, Gardner & Smailova, 2011) found that curiosity is
one of the strengths that is correlated to living a satisfied, meaningful, and
engaging life.
According to a study by Niemiec, Rashid & Spinella
(2012), transcendence strengths can become more meaningful in
mindfulness practice as they connect mindfulness with spiritual meaning.
In addition, during the practice of mindfulness, people may face
both internal and external obstacles including boredom, a wandering mind, physical
discomfort, and difficulty in staying committed to the practice, and it
requires a not-insignificant strength of courage and perseverance to
overcome these obstacles and keep going.
“Mindfulness opens a door of awareness to who we are and character
strengths are what is behind the door since character strengths are who we are
at core” (Niemiec, 2014).
Mindfulness can also help you make better use of your strengths;
think about it—how effectively can you pursue your goals if you don’t really
pay attention to your own inner workings? Pursuing—and achieving—one’s goals
requires attention to be paid to inner states, thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors (Brown, Ryan & Creswell, 2007).
Therefore, to be able to see your strength, you need to have
access to your inner state of mind. To access your strengths and your
true self, mindfulness is the path.
Research by Carlson (20013) showed that we have many blind spots,
including what is known as the information barrier and the motivation barrier.
The information barrier is a barrier that is caused by a lack of information—or
a lack of good information. The motivation barrier is what happens
when we get in our own way—we may have the right information on hand, but
unconsciously reject the accuracy or existence of that information (Brogaard,
2015).
Mindfulness can help us move past these two barriers. It can also
decrease the bias we have towards ourselves since practicing
mindfulness can reduce the defensiveness of your ego as you start to have more
reality-based thoughts.
The term neuroplasticity refers to structural and
functional changes in the brain related to experience. It has been known for
some time that musical training and language learning promote structural
changes in our brain and cognitive abilities. It turns out that the same is
true for mindfulness!
Mindful awareness is a form of experience that changes not only
structure, but also the function of our brain throughout our lives. Mindfulness
can be thought of as a mental muscle. Every time we lift weight, we strengthen
the muscle we are working on. In the same way, every time we pay attention to
the present moment without judgment or attempts to control,
self-regulation and compassion-related brain areas flourish.
#5 – Mindfulness practice can raise your happiness set-point
Our brain is divided into two hemispheres: the left hemisphere and
the right hemisphere. We know that the right prefrontal cortex (the front-most
part of the brain that controls higher functions) is highly active when we are
in a depressed, anxious mood.
On the other hand, our brain has high activity in the left
prefrontal cortex when we are happy and energetic. This ratio of left-to-right
activity shows our happiness set-point throughout daily activities. So, what
happens to this ratio when we practice mindfulness meditation?
The research of Richard Davidson and Jon Kabat-Zinn shows that a
simple 8-week course of 1-hour daily mindfulness practice led to significant
increases in left-sided activation in the brain—an increase that is maintained
even after 4 months of the training program (Davidson et al., 2003). To sum up,
this finding demonstrates that short-term mindfulness practice increases our happiness level
significantly, all the way down to the physical level.
#6 – Mindfulness can make you more resilient
In the most basic terms, resilience refers to an individual’s
ability to recover from setbacks and adapt well to change. The little corner of
our brain that is relevant to resilience is a region called the anterior cingulate
cortex (ACC), which is located deep in the center of the brain. The ACC plays
an important role in self-regulation and learning from the past experience to
promote optimal decision-making.
The research findings of Tang and his colleagues show that
mindfulness training groups that completed 3-hour mindfulness practice session
have higher activity in ACC and also show higher performance on the tests of
self-regulation and resisting distractors, compared to the control group (Tang
et al., 2007; 2009).
This means that with just a small commitment to practicing
mindfulness, we can change the way our brain reacts to setbacks and improve our
ability to make smart decisions.
#7 – It shrinks the stress region in your brain
Have you ever experienced a rough patch in which you rush through
your day-to-day life with sweaty palms and anxiety, perhaps even struggling to
sleep at night? Every time we get stressed, a little part of our brain called
the amygdala takes control.
The amygdala is a key stress-responding region in our brain and
plays an important role in helping us cope with anxious situations. It’s a
well-known fact that high amygdala activity is associated with depression
and anxiety disorders (Siegle et al., 2002).
The good news is that mindfulness practice can actually shrink the
size of the amygdala and increase our stress reactivity threshold. Recent
research performed by Taren and colleagues showed a connection between
long-term mindfulness practice and an amygdala that is decreased (Taren et al.,
2013). By practicing mindfulness, we can change how we react to stressful
situations and improve our mental and physical well-being.
Research on Mindfulness in Psychology: When is Mindfulness a Bad
Idea?
It may not be fair to say that mindfulness is ever a bad idea, but
the benefits may have been overstated and the disadvantages—as few as there
are—shrugged off (Dholakia, 2016).
These disadvantages and downsides include:
A slight decrease in the ability to discern what is real and what
is not, leading to the possibility of false memories (Wilson, Mickes,
Stolarz-Fantino, Evrard, & Pantino, 2015).
The potential for discarding thoughts that are helpful, positive,
or important in some other way (Briñol, Gascó, Petty, & Horcajo, 2012).
The potential for an avoidance of challenging problems and
critical thinking, turning to mindfulness meditation instead of working out a
solution (Brendel, 2015).
Surprisingly, there are many negative side effects (and some
negative direct effects) that have been reported. They are rare, but still real
possibilities for practitioners of mindfulness; these include
depersonalization, psychosis, delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech,
anxiety, increased risk of seizures, loss of appetite, and insomnia (Lustyk,
Chawla, Nolan, & Marlatt, 2009).
Although these are real potential outcomes of mindfulness, the
risk to the average person is minimal. If you keep your mindfulness practice in
check and make sure not to use it as an escape, you should have nothing to
worry about.
References
Langer, E. J., & Ngnoumen, C. T. (2017). Mindfulness. In Positive Psychology (pp. 95-111).
Routledge.
Shapiro, S. L., & Carlson, L. E. (2009). The art and science of
mindfulness: Integrating mindfulness into psychology and the helping professions. American
Psychological Association.
Ackerman, C. (2019, April 9). 7
Great Benefits of Mindfulness in Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com
Mindful staff. (2014, October 8).
What is Mindfulness?. Mindful. Retrieved
from https://www.mindful.org
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