Mindfulness
The term ‘mindfulness’ seems to have entered the popular lexicon, but you may be wondering what it is and whether it can help you. Mindfulness has its origins in Buddhist teachings and is an integral part of meditative practices. Through the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program in 1979 to help people suffering with chronic health problems, mindfulness techniques have become more mainstream and have been incorporated into several psychological therapies (e.g. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and applied to the treatment of a wide range of problems including, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, etc. However, mindfulness is not a technique, but rather it is a way of being, which involves bringing awareness to one’s experiences (e.g. thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, etc.) in the present moment while maintaining an attitude of curiosity, openness, and acceptance towards these experiences. Jon Kabat-Zinn defined mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (1).
How can being more mindful of our experiences be helpful? Much of the time our mind is on ‘autopilot’, and we are not really attending to what is happening in the present moment. An example of this is driving. Have you ever had the experience of arriving at your destination with little memory of how you got there? This mental ‘autopilot’ can be particularly problematic for people who struggle with depression and anxiety, as the mind can get stuck in well-worn (over-rehearsed) patterns of thinking that are often ruminative in nature. For example, if we are depressed, we may repetitively go over past mistakes or failures and if we are anxious, we may spend a great deal of time worrying about possible future scenarios. In this way we are (mentally) living in the past or future and failing to attend to what is happening to us in the present moment. This ruminative thinking is often motivated by a desire to solve our problems (e.g. If I can just figure out where my life went wrong, I can fix it, or if I plan enough for future problems, I can avoid bad things happening), but, ironically, this type of thinking has been shown to be associated with worse problem-solving (2).
Ruminative thinking is problematic on several fronts. Firstly, it takes away from mental resources that could be directed towards more active problem solving. Secondly, the nature of ruminative thinking is such that it often results in problems appearing to escalate or ‘snowball’.
For example, imagine that your spouse has not arrived home from work at the usual hour. You may have an initial worrying thought that they have been involved in a car accident. You may then experience a mental image of their mangled car and your spouse lying on a stretcher their body bloody and broken. From there, you may think about your spouse dying and you may picture yourself at their funeral sobbing. You may then begin to worry that you are not going to be able to pay your bills, and, as a result, you may think about losing your house and ending up living on the streets.
In the example above, you can see how the initial worrying thought about your spouse being in an accident quickly escalates to the point where you find yourself contemplating homelessness. A third problem with ruminative thinking is that it has often become so ingrained that we are not even aware that we are doing it (hence the term ‘autopilot’). Therefore, we may find that we suddenly feel very down or anxious, and we are not really sure how we got there.
So, how do we get out of these ruminative mental ruts? The first step is to become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations as they are happening in the present moment. Mindfulness techniques are one way of doing this. However, mindfulness techniques not only help us to become more aware of our experiences, but they also allow us to begin to cultivate a different response to these experiences (i.e. a more detached, curious, and open position). Jon Kabat-Zinn puts it this way: “it is remarkable how liberating it feels to be able to see that your thoughts are just thoughts and that they are not ‘you’ or ‘reality’…the simple act of recognizing your thoughts as thoughts can free you from the distorted reality they often create and allow for more clear-sightedness and a greater sense of manageability in your life” (3).
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness there are many resources available online (e.g. https://www.mindfulnesscds.com or https://www.mindful.org/). If you are struggling with depression and/or anxiety and you think this approach may be helpful for you contact a psychologist or other mental health professional and ask if they utilize mindfulness techniques in their practice.
- Kabat-Zinn J. Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion, 1994.
- Lyubomirsky S, Nolen-Hoeksema S. Effects of self-focused rumination on negative thinking and interpersonal problem solving. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1995; 69: 176-190.
- Kabat-Zinn J. Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York: Dell Publishing, 1990.
Disclaimer: This blog does not provide or replace psychological treatment or evaluation. Contact a psychologist in your community if you are in need of individualized services.
Written by Eiryth Finnigan, PhD