Mindfulness for change Archives

27/02/202327/02/2023

Mindfulness as a tool to build Resilience

What is Resilience?

My friend and mindfulness colleague, Karina Furga-Dąbrowska, is the Chief Mindfulness Officer at Denton’s Global Law Firm and she recently produced this helpful article on resilience. I’m grateful to Karina and Dentons for allowing me to reproduce it here.

~~~~

So you think the glass is half-full, eh? Evolutionarily speaking, it’s probably half empty. You are much more likely to notice, react to, and remember unpleasant, distressful and negative experiences than good ones. Our brain has this negativity bias hard-wired in to ensure our survival, as individuals and as a species. Throughout human history, those more attuned to danger were more likely to survive.

Despite the sad demise of sabre-tooth tigers, our survival mechanism remains. Dangers come in the shape of tight deadlines at work, heavy workload, job insecurity and in the personal sphere rocky relationships, illnesses and family worries. This stress can impact our health, disturbing the body’s internal balance.

It’s absolutely normal to have difficult moments, triggering negative emotions. But it’s how we deal with it that counts. How we react to those “dangers” – the challenging situations, emotions and feelings that we all inevitably experience as human beings.

“People are not afraid of things, but of how they view them.” – Epictetus

According to the Cambridge Dictionary resilience is “the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened”. There is also another definition: “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity” which is a great metaphor for a resilient person.

Think of someone you believe is resilient. Why are they resilient? What approaches do they use?

Do you recognise any of these characteristics of resilient people …

Aware of situations, their own emotional reactions, and the behaviour of others.
Maintain control of a situation and think of new ways to tackle problems.
Overcome major difficulties without engaging in dysfunctional behaviour.
Keep energy levels up under pressure.
Smoothly adapt to changes.
Quickly bounce back from difficulties. Have strong social connections (friends, family, co-workers).
Look for help (books, psychotherapy, support groups).

The power of resilient people lies in noticing, soaking in and building on positive experiences: developing a positive outlook and positive explanatory style. Many studies show a direct link between resilience and happiness and meaning in life.

When the road gets rocky, what do you do? Where do you find the inner strength to manage during difficult times of uncertainty to support your coping and resilience?

Building Resilience with Mindfulness

“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” – Carl Jung

You can develop a resilient mindset through practicing mindfulness. It is a powerful tool that offers the opportunity to make a radical shift in orientation. There are many ways to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives. As we become increasingly mindful, we begin to respond from a place of choice. In other words, we opt for resilience.

We can develop inner resources that help us strengthen our resilience. These include: Continue reading “Mindfulness as a tool to build Resilience”

03/01/202304/01/2023

Working Mindfully with Anorexia

This is a powerful article that asks ‘how mindful can you really be with an anorexic child?’ Working mindfully with anorexia written by Hector, a client I coached a while back. Hector’s daughter wasn’t diagnosed at the time we worked together so this is a real-life story of how mindfulness can be a much needed support in times of intense challenge. Thank you Hector for allowing me to post it here.

******

“Pause, and take a deep breath”

“Always put your own oxygen mask on first”

You hear this quote a lot if you have an anorexic child. Just surviving the unimaginable reality of this illness is often the best we parents can hope for. The importance of “self care” is constantly emphasised by the experts, and “mindfulness” is often suggested as one of the ways to maintain some sanity and hope.

But pausing and taking a deep breath can seem impossible when faced with the often violent resistance parents face. So finding the time, and peace of mind, to regularly meditate may seem faintly ridiculous to some of you.

I have to confess that I started doing mindfulness meditation a year or so before my daughter was diagnosed. I started with the Headspace app and then was coached by Simon Barnes. So it was easier for me to stick with it while in the trenches with the bullets flying overhead. Continue reading “Working Mindfully with Anorexia”

23/08/202124/08/2021

Can companies actually help workers stay happy and healthy?

Here’s a great blog by Kate Morgan that caught my eye recently. It looks at the growing need for us all to take care of one another, and employers’ responsibility to create a supportive work environment. Brief workshops for well-being activities, such as mindfulness, don’t cut the mustard. A sustained and meaningful approach is required if we are to take our mental health seriously. Over to Kate…

More employers are providing mental-health benefits to employees. But is this what workers want – and can they actually help keep people well?

When Eliza, 31, first went to work at a large US investment firm six years ago, it was a “’we don’t talk about our feelings at work’ kind of place”, says Eliza, who is withholding her surname for job-security concerns. “It’s money, so it’s all about numbers, numbers, numbers. There was no place for a compassionate work culture. That’s what I felt like I worked in for years.” Continue reading “Can companies actually help workers stay happy and healthy?”