|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
Home
What Is Mindfulness?
Where’s your mind right now? Maybe you’re thinking about all the laundry piling up, worrying about what happened in today’s meeting or stressing about an important relationship. Our minds are often in the past or future. We make up stories about what has happened or what is going to happen, and that creates unnecessary stress. Have you ever paced around the room and thought, “I know he’s going to be late,” only to find that he actually arrives on time? Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a program conceived 25 years ago by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., at the Univeristy of Massachusetts Medical Center, helps you learn how to stop all you're doing and worrying about, and shift over to “being.” A mindful person observes what her mind is up to moment-to-moment and lets go of her thoughts without getting caught up and driven by them. You live in the present without trying to change anything. You respond rather than react to situations. You’re nonjudgmental and open-hearted about yourself and others. Have you ever been deep in conversation, but instead of listening you’re thinking about your response? Mindfulness helps you focus and listen, and then communicate effectively. Your relationships are more fulfilling. Mindfulness helps you transform physically, too. Being present during eating helps you eat more slowly, savoring each bite, becoming full sooner and possibly losing weight (if that is your goal!). You also become more aware of sensations in your body – you’re more in tune if something doesn’t feel right and able to take good care of yourself. You’re happier, healthier and more relaxed. In fact, studies have shown that mindful practices help improve your immune system, blood pressure, anxiety and depression, and help you cope with pain and illness. What are these practices? Through the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction’s eight-week course at Lehigh Valley Health Network — taught by highly qualified and educated professionals — you’ll learn how to use meditation, breathing techniques, yoga and group support to become more self-aware.
Need Help? Call 610-402-CARE (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday) to talk with nurses and other experts about the mindfulness program.
This page last updated 10/28/08 03:52 PM
ARTICLE TOOLS:
|
Questions?ResourcesGet maps and directions
|
|
||||
|
|
|
||||||
