The Art of Mindfulness for Anxiety & Depression

Today’s fast-paced world requires much of each of us. We have emails, calls, meetings, sports, activities, interruptions presentations, distractions, assignments, and deadlines. For some the family life is just as if not more stressful and filled with momentum. Each day brings its own chaos and we can find it easy to focus on everyone and everything else, leaving our self and the present to slip thru the cracks. Mindfulness is the purposeful and intentional focus on the present. It is a moment within your day, where you do not need to worry about the laundry list of to-dos left undone or the chaos of tomorrow. Mindfulness is being fully present and fully in the moment. With everything that is going on in our world right now, there is no denying that all off us could use a little mindfulness, in our day.

I myself am working from home, as many others throughout the world are currently doing, and I can testify that this, while at first sounds quite nice, comes with its own challenges. Being home with the spouse and kiddo, while trying to maintain a normal workday, its quite the adventure. I know there are others out there that are temporarily unemployed and struggling to get by, so this is indeed a difficult time for all of us. So, what better time for Light of the Rockies to come out with an article on Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a simple process that anyone can participate in. By utilizing the exercises that we will cover in this

article, you can improve your relationship with thinking. When you find yourself being drawn back into unhelpful past memories or propelled into the future, the art of mindfulness can help you center yourself in the here and now (Hasson, 2015).

“Instead of letting pass experience or future possibilities paralyze you, mindfulness can help you be aware of these judgmental thoughts and how unhelpful they are”(Hasson, 2015, p6).

Creating a mindfulness habit, can reduce stress, improve relationships, elevate mood, improve confidence and mental health, as well as teach those closest to you how to regulate in the same fashion.

Posture Practice

Our bodies and minds are intricately connected. Try 2-3 of these body postures to reduce stress and send a calming message to your brain.

· Relax your shoulders

· Keep your head level

· Sit or stand straight

· Distribute your weight evenly between both logs

· If you are sitting, place your elbows on the arms of the chair

· Try to lower the pitch of your voice

· Speak slowly, articulating each work

Much of this is non-verbal, and it would be exceptionally difficult to focus on all of these simultaneously (Hasson, 2015). By focusing your attention on the posture of your body or the tone and speed of your voice, you can draw your attention away from the stressors around you and focus them on something that you can control.

Mona Lisa Smile

Another interesting mindfulness technique is the “Mona Lisa smile”. I’ll admit, that this one actually boosts my mood and puts my head in a much better space. The Mona Lisa Smile is quite advantageous in stressful situations. It is a technique that you can practice without drawing attention to yourself and instantly creating a space of calm. Simply relax your jaw and curl the edges of your mouth slightly upward in a coy ½ smile. Inhale the calm and exhale with a half-smile. (Hasson, 2015)

Body Scan

The body scan is a common mindfulness practice, utilized by thousands of therapists. I find it most beneficial before bed, especially for those who struggle with anxiety before bed, or sleep anxiety. Find somewhere comfortable for you to sit or lay down, making sure not to cross your arms or legs. (Crossing the legs and arms limits blood flow to those areas and can increase blood pressure and placing pressure on hip and shoulder joints).

Once you are in a safe and comfortable position, close your eyes and take in a few slow, deep breaths. As you continue to breathe deeply and slowly (at least 4 counts in and out for each breath), begin at the top of your body, starting with your neck, and become aware of any tension or tightness that may be there. Continue to focus on your breathing and relaxing each part of your body from your neck down to your toes, isolating and focusing on each individual section. A full mindfulness script and audio recording can be found at https://www.mindful.org/a-3-minute-body-scan-meditation-to-cultivate-mindfulness/ (2017).

Belly or Diaphragmatic Breathing

A noticeable indicator of stress or anxiety can be increased breathing speed. Belly breathing can slow down one’s breathing and help you rein in your thoughts, bringing both back under your control. Belly breathing is simple. You can sit, lie down, or stand in a comfortable position, while placing one hand on your abdomen. Focus your attention on your breathing, as your abdomen expands and contracts. If it helps, you can count your breaths. Most use 4 count inhales and 4 count exhales.

Dynamic Breathing

This one reminds me of the chicken dance and is easier to do while standing. Place your fists near your armpits or shoulders and keep your mouth closed. Breathe rapidly and deeply while trying to keep your neck and shoulders relaxed. As you inhale lift your elbows from your sides to shoulder level. As you exhale lower your elbows to your sides. You might look like you are flapping your wings, like a chicken, however it’s just enough details for you to focus on, to clear your mind and elevate your mood and give you a boost of energy (Rogers & Maytan, 2012)

Walking Meditation

Find a spacious area where you can walk comfortably for about 10-30 paces. This can be a backyard, sidewalk, or hallway for example. Close your eyes, stand tall and center your body comfortably distributing your weight between both legs. Feel the bottom of your feet and focus on that feeling. Now slowly open your eyes and take 10-30 steps forward being mindful of each step as you place each foot on the ground. When you reach the end of your path, pause, close your eyes, and center yourself. Then turn around and repeat this process. Play around with speed and direction, finding what works best to keep you present and focus your thoughts on a single moment focused on the present. (Rogers & Maytan, 2012).

Stop Sign

Visualization is one of my personal favorites. I am a very visual person, so this practice here helps me be mindful and is a great exercise for training the mind to fight anxiety. The Stop Sign is a wonderful visual technique that can help reduce stress and slow down those anxious thoughts, long enough for you to take back control. Here is how it works… Find a comfortable spot and either sit or lay down and close your eyes. Take 3 slow deep breaths (4 count inhale and 4 count exhale). As you exhale your third breath, picture a stop sign in your mind. It doesn’t have to be a traditional stop sign; this is your stop sign. It can be any shape and color your wish. Focus on the shape of the sign and count its sides. Focus on the color of the sign, Is it matte, glossy, pearlescent? What font are the letters S-T-O-P written in? What color are the letters? Does the sign stand atop a pole, or is it some sort of street sign that is lower to the ground? Focus on each of these details as you see the stop sign in your mind’s eye. Then take 3 more slow, deep breaths, (4 count inhale and 4 count exhale).

focused on the present. (Rogers & Maytan, 2012).

The Mind

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath” ~ Amit Ray

Mindfulness goes beyond breathing, posture, and movement. It is a practice that permeates your thinking and elevates your self-control. It means, that when anxiety strikes, instead of resigning to the anxiety, shaming yourself for feeling anxious, or living in fear, you acknowledge and accept the feeling of being overwhelmed. If that is how you feel, then you are accepting that this is how you feel in this moment. It is acceptance, that is entirely strategic. You don’t have to like what is happening, or accept that you will always feel this way, you are merely becoming aware of what you are feeling and allowing yourself to feel it in that moment. By accepting what you feel and being present in that feeling, you empower yourself to introduce reason into the situation. Fear, anxiety, depression and panic feed off of speeding up thoughts and sending them into a spiral, throwing you into the pit of despair. Denying or attempting to instantly fix the feelings you have, doesn’t serve to stop the cycle, rather it either buries it, or feeds into it. However, you can interrupt this cycle with acceptance (Hasson, 2015). Feelings are not facts, so you are not accepting a fact, but rather a temporary emotion. Acceptance engages the logical centers of the brain, allowing reason to enter into the equation so that you can think of a rational solution. Acceptance can break out of that fight or flight mindset and allow for rational and logical thinking to take place.

Introverts and HSPs

Introverts and Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) tend to thrive on having alone time to rest, recover, and refuel their spirit. With everything that is going on in our world, alone time may not be easy to find right now. If you’re like me, and you’re an introvert as well as an HSP, you thrive on alone time, quiet, and piece. With the Stay at Home order in effect, I am not getting a whole lot of that right now. I have a kiddo and a husband, and both of us are working remotely at home, while our kiddo bounces off the wall. Trapped within the confines of my home, with 2 other people that I take care of on top of my actual job, leaves me drained and exhausted. So, carving out time and space for self-care is essential.

If you live with others that require your attention and care, here are some ways you can get what you need as an introvert.

· talk to them and be open and honest about what you need. If you don’t advocate for yourself, they may not know how they can help you, or that you even need help

· Set boundaries and carve out time for yourself. This might mean that you talk to your significant other and ask that from 7-8am they take care of the kiddo, or otherwise occupy themselves, so that you can have your morning cup of joe, read, and stare out the window in silence, before the chaos of the day begins

· If you are feeling agitated or frustrated, tell your family or partner, so that you can get the feelings out. They might surprise you and have some insight, because they are now some of the closest people to you, if they weren’t before. If you talk to them about it, you are less likely to snap at them and cause tension in your home.

· Get out of the house. This could mean the backyard, do some gardening, go for a walk/jog, walk the dog, go for a drive to the grocery store to get this week’s supplies.

· Go on stay dates with your partner. When the kids go to sleep, have a picnic in the Livingroom or backyard, light some candles and put on some mood music, bust out the massage oils, etc... Take time to have some genuine connection with your partner. Be present. Be patient. Be goofy with each other. This is your time to connect and unwind.

If you are not a teacher, but have recently become the teacher to your child, thanks to the Coronavirus, give yourself grace. It’s frustrating for everyone. It’s ok, to not be perfect.

If you do not live with others and are alone during this time, here are some ways you can get what you need as an introvert

· Facetime, Zoom, Google Hangout, and call those closest to you. While you may not require nearly as much human interaction as an extrovert, you may want some.

· If you are working remotely set up an area that is just for work and keep it separate from your restful space

· If you are an essential employee, carve out at least 30 minutes each day, that is just for you. 30 minutes that is restful, relaxing, and refueling. That could be a bubble bath, counting the number of hand sanitizer bottles you scored at the store, soaking your feet in warm water and putting on lotion and cozy socks, etc.

· Don’t focus on watching all the Coronavirus news reporots. It’s probably not going to help ease your stress. Stick to facts and reports given by the CDC, World Health Organization, and addresses made by the president and other government officials.

· Take 5-10 minutes a day and do one of the mindfulness exercises from this article. Studies show that individuals that do mindfulness exercises for 10 minutes can reduce stress responses, thereby reducing stress. It allows you to be Intune with your emotions and aware of the emotions present. You are then able to problem solve and move forward.

Extroverts

Extroverts thrive on socialization, so quarantine, is pretty much torture. However, in addition to the mindfulness techniques listed in this article, there are a few other things that you can do during this time.

· Video chat with friends and family. We are so blessed to live in a day and age where technology allows us to not only communicate with our friends and family via voice, but also video.

· Set up video hangouts with your friends.

· Remote happy hour

· play games

· cook together

· watch shows together

· Play online games with friends. There are a variety of online platforms that allow voice, video, and game play simultaneously.

· Exercise. Go outside for a jog, walk, or walk the dog. I’ve seen people put leashes on their cats and take them for a walk. Whatever it takes to get your body moving

· If you are desperate for human contact and are low on groceries, make a grocery run. Please be careful to keep six feet apart, but you can chat from that distance quite well.

· Make funny Tik-Tok videos with your friends or family

· Make funny YouTube videos with your friends or family

· Snap Chat and Instagram with friends and family

· Create

· Chat with your therapist about the struggles of social distancing. If you are an extrovert, you thrive on human contact, so this quarantine, can shake the very core of who you are. Talk to someone about it. You are not alone in this struggle. Light of the Rockies and its counselors are here to help.

Self-Care

It is always important to take care of yourself, however during these trying times, it’s even more important. If you have ever been on a plane, I’m sure you’ve heard the flight attendant’s spiel. “Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others”

This applies to Self-Care as well. Self-care is something that no one can do for you. It is something that only you can do for yourself, and if you are not doing for yourself, your ability to help and take care of those around you will be significantly impacted. Just like on a depressurized airplane. Put that mask on yourself, or you will pass out and be of no use to anyone. Take care of yourself, or you will be of no use to anyone else. You will be exhausted, depleted, and drained. You are too important not to take care of yourself.

Self-Care can look different from person to person. It may be a bubble bath and Netflix for one, exercising for another, Video Chatting, alone time, or puppy snuggles. Whatever it looks like for you, carve out the time to take care of you and refill your emotional and spiritual cup. This article has a variety of ways listed to help you figure out what works for you.

Article Resources

Greater Good Science Center. (2017, March 6). A 3-Minute Body Scan Meditation to Cultivate Mindfulness. https://www.mindful.org/a-3-minute-body-scan-meditation-to-cultivate-mindfulness/

Hasson, G. (2015). Mindfulness pocketbook: Little exercise for a calmer life. Capstone.

Hershfield, J. (2013). The mindfulness workbook for OCD: a guide to overcoming obsessions and compulsions using mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. New Harbinger Publications.

Rogers, H. & Maytan, M. (2012). Mindfulness for the next generation: Helping emerging adults manage stress and lead healthier lives. Oxford university Press.