12.1 Definition of mindfulness or full attention
Nowadays, most people live stressed by the pace of life, problems and worries. We spend the day worrying about the past or thinking about the future that is to come. That is why our society is slowly losing the capacity to live in the present moment. We pay a high price for not appreciating the wealth of our present moments.
Ryan Niemiec (2012) points out that this fact often leads us to activate the autopilot. Autopilot makes us carry out activities without full consciousness. For example, sometimes we activate this autopilot when we are driving. Suddenly, we discover that we have reached our destination, but we barely remember the path we took to arrive. But perhaps what most affects our enjoyment of life is that this automatic pilot often prevents us from savoring and appreciating the good times when they occur. For example, every day we have the opportunity to enjoy and savor our meals, but we often do this activity on autopilot, so we often finish our meal without having tasted it.
Full attention or mindfulness is a practice for attention training. Beyond its origins in oriental spiritual currents, mindfulness is having a rapid expansion in many health fields. Nowadays mindfulness practices are being included to work not only on mental health, but also physical, many doctors are even including it in their prescriptions to help people cope with stress and emotional distress. Thus, mindfulness has transcended its oriental origin, reaching the west with force, where it has had multiple influences in many fields, including psychology.
One of the psychologists that has most popularized this technique is Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, of the University of Massachusetts. According to Kabat-Zinn (2009) , mindfulness is the practice of attention centered on the present, the here and the now. Mindfulness training consists of a greater awareness of ourselves, of our ways of thinking and our ways of behaving; as these ways of being are so ingrained in us, they go unnoticed by an inattentive mind and can cause emotional distress.
Through mindfulness you get to contemplate the whole inner world from the outside, without judgments, without implications, accepting the moment, accepting the here and now. The idea is to learn to channel this resource (attention) to transform our way of relating to our own emotions, such as anxiety, anger or sadness. There are several programs based on mindfulness for stress reduction (Kabat-Zinn, 1979) or for managing depression (Segal, Williams & Teasdale, 2002.)
12.2 Mindfulness attitudes
The practice of mindfulness resembles the cultivation of a garden that only flourishes when certain circumstances are present. Kabat-Zinn (1979) proposes 9 attitudes for the practice of mindfulness. These attitudes are the basic elements necessary for the development of this practice:
Click on each to read its description.
Observe what happens and admit what happens as it is in the present, without trying for it to be otherwise. Do not confuse with hopelessness, resignation or passivity. The acceptance of which we speak simply means developing the disposition to see things as they are. Promote an attitude of acceptance of our emotional world, beginning by accepting our discomfort as a natural part of being human, if we are not aware of this fact and refuse to experience negative emotions, the suffering increases.
Assume an impartial observer position, without judgments or labels.
It is about contemplating things in a new way, a quality that allows us to contemplate things with curiosity, as if we saw them for the first time. As if we were a child or a Martian who comes to Earth. It is a curious and astonishing way of seeing.
Learning a skill requires time. It is important to be patient with the process.
Trust in yourself. Accept the uncertainty and trust that all discomfort eventually ends.
Realize that you are already here. Do not strive to achieve a goal.
Yield, do not cling to things, especially the results. When we begin to pay attention to our inner experience, it is very common to realize that our mind tends to cling to some things, the past or the future. Simply, let these thoughts pass.
Express because you are grateful, an example could be simply being grateful because we are alive.
When you surrender and take care of others. When you have the desire to make others happy.
These attitudes can be cultivated through formal meditation or through any activity of daily life.
12.3 Benefits of practicing mindfulness
Through different studies, it has been shown that mindfulness has different benefits:
One of the main benefits are the neurobiological ones. In different studies conducted with Buddhist monks (meditation experts) it was shown that the practice of meditation:
Increases neuronal activity in the left pre-frontal cortex of the brain, an area related to happiness, and a decrease in brain activity in the right lobe, an area related to depression. Although to a lesser extent, these changes were also observed in people with less meditative practice. A decrease in amygdala activity was also found, an area related to fear and anger. (Davidson and Lutz, 2008; Hölzel et al., 2011).
On the other hand, there are also benefits in attention. Meditation improves attention capacity and increases the ability to maintain attention for longer (Moore & Malinowski, 2009) and reduces circular thoughts (Chambers et al., 2009).
It reduces anxiety and stress and decreases reactivity to emotional stimuli (Ortner et al., 2007), increases positive emotions (Fredrickson et al., 2008) and reduces the perception of physical symptoms (Fredrickson et al., 2008) and changes in the immune system (Davidson et al., 2003).
Finally, some types of meditation such as compassionate meditation or kindness-based meditation (Fredrickson et al., 2008) improve personal relationships and social support as well as promote empathy, compassion and love for others (Barnes et al., 2007; Shapiro et al., 2005). As monk Thich Nhat Hanh says "The most precious gift we can offer to any person is our attention. When attention reaches those we love, they bloom like flowers”.
12.4 Mindfulness in daily life
Kabat-Zinn (2009) proposes ideas to practice the main attitudes of mindfulness in the activities of daily life:
Click on each one to read its description.
Do not jump out of bed immediately as soon as the alarm goes off. Take a few minutes to perform a mental tour of your body first. Beginning the day with a greater awareness of the present moment will establish the adequate conditions to face the difficult situations that life brings with greater calm and equanimity. Stop for a moment, give thanks and smile for the new day.
Observe while you bathe if your mind is thinking, organizing or preparing for the day that awaits you. Then bring your mind back to the present moment. Focus on the sensations that the bathroom gives you: the smell of soap, the temperature of the room, feel the water falling on your skin, hear the sound of the water falling on the floor and realize that you are bathing.
If you live with someone, take advantage before leaving home to talk and listen carefully with those people.
Take your slowest step, when you approach the car. Connect with your body, notice the presence of any tension and try to relax it before putting the car in motion.
Find some occasion, while driving, to go a little more slowly. Use the red traffic lights as a reminder to allow you to be aware of your breathing.
Walking is something that we usually do on autopilot. When you go to your classes or your office, do it in a different way. Slow your step down. Breathe in, for example, during three steps and breathe out during the next three steps. Notice the bodily sensations, both of the feet and the rest of the body, that accompany walking.
Try to focus on one task at a time. Working with multiple tasks at the same time reduces cognitive ability.
If possible, eat in silence once a week. Chew your food a little slower than usual and trying to be aware of each bite. Take your time to observe the colors and textures of the food before putting them in your mouth. Stop to smell each ingredient before ingesting it. Once in the mouth, take the time necessary to chew consciously. Discover the different flavors in your mouth. Taste the different textures of the food. Do not rush to swallow, be aware of the taste and temperature of the food on your palate.
