Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Transcription

1 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction William Frey, M.Ed. Organization & Professional Development

2 What are some ways you experience stress (in your body or mind)? Stress is a reaction to demands placed on the body and the mind. When we work hard or quickly, when we think hard or quickly, we have a tendency to experience stress, so it might seem that some amount of stress is a natural part of our daily lives, especially at work. The point is to set our expectations realistically and to manage or reduce stress but not to expect to eliminate stress entirely. Stress can be a reaction to external factors such as hard labor, environmental conditions, and threats and to internal factors such as perceived loss of control, misunderstandings, emotional states, and thoughts. Psychological stress depends on the interpretation we make of the external and internal factors. What is stressful to one person may not be stressful to another. Stress can episodic when it happens once in a while, is relatively short in duration, and we have an adequate amount of time to recover. Our bodies are built to handle occasional episodic stress. Stress can also be chronic when one thing happens after another, is prolonged, and we don t have a chance to recover before the next stressful event occurs. Our bodies tend to handle chronic stress poorly and to suffer in a variety of ways, depending on the weakest part of our bodies. Half of our central nervous system (the sympathetic nervous system) generates a Stress Reaction: stress hormones go UP and rational thinking tends to go DOWN. The stress reaction is usually fast, unconscious, and automatic. Some of the time, this automaticity is not a problem; it conserves energy and speeds up our reaction time in emergencies. But it does limit our choices and fails to handle complex situations thoroughly. The other half of our central nervous system (the parasympathetic nervous system) generates a Relaxation Response: stress hormones go DOWN and rational thinking has the opportunity to go UP. The relaxation response can be automatically generated when we collapse from exhaustion, which is not conducive to a long, healthy life, so we re better served by learning mindfulness practices, such as breath awareness and generating choices, which support rational thinking and physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 2

3 Breath Awareness Without having to change anything, notice where you feel your breath in the body. Most people feel the breath at the nostrils, the chest, or the belly. Notice how your breath feels. What are the qualities of your breath at this moment? Is it short or long? Deep or shallow? Ragged or smooth? When you recognize thoughts intruding on your attention, simply acknowledge thinking and gently return your awareness to the sensation of breathing. Simply maintain your attention on breathing however it appears, not on controlling it or changing it. Abdominal Breathing Let your belly expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale. If this is hard to do, place one hand over your navel and imagine inhaling into your hand. Or imagine your belly is a balloon that you fill with air, then allow to empty. Be gentle as you breathe. Automatic or Mindful When we operate on automatic pilot, we unconsciously react to a stimulus: Stimulus Reaction Viktor Frankl suggested that between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. When we are mindful, we are consciously aware of the stimulus, of our inner state (thoughts and emotions), and our capacity to choose our response or action: Stimulus AWARENESS Choose Your Response Mindfulness is the intentional, nonjudgmental awareness of what is. The awareness is intentional, not accidental, and it takes practice to be consistently aware. We may find that our thoughts are judgmental, but the awareness of our thoughts is not itself judgmental awareness simply observes. Making the practice compassionate opens our hearts as well as our minds. Breathing Space Pause: stop and consciously note where you are and what you re doing Breathe: focus attention on where and how the breath feels in the body Expand: gradually expand your field of awareness from the breath to your surroundings Mindful Dialogue Pause: stop what you re doing and consciously notice what is going on internally and externally Relax: intentionally let go of tension so that you are less defensive and reactive Open: gradually become more willing to really listen to the other person as well as yourself Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 3

4 Gratitude Practice Before going to sleep at night, share three things in the day you are truly grateful for and why. They can be small or large, common or exceptional, and must be something that happened that day. Do not try to minimize them or balance them with a downside or a negative. Do this for at least 21 days and notice how you feel at the end of that time. Write one to three things you are grateful for from the past week, then share one with a person next to you. Mindfulness of Thoughts Sit upright but at ease. Feel the sensations of sitting and of breathing. Let your breath serve as home base. Notice your thoughts as they naturally appear and disappear, not having to search for thoughts nor reject thoughts. Let all thoughts come and go, regardless how you feel about them. If you find that a thought has carried away your attention, simply come back to the sensation of breathing, then when you re ready, allow yourself to continue noticing your thoughts. Stretches for Work and Home Instructions: Move slowly, with your breath, with total awareness, respecting your body s limits. Stretch neck and head down and up, side to side, forward and back. Lift shoulders up to ears and slowly down. Extend hands and gently flex and rotate. Lift one arm overhead and arch to opposite side, then switch sides. Place left hand on right knee and gently twist right; repeat on opposite side. Point, flex, and rotate each foot. Practicing mindfulness during the workday Sit with your breath and thoughts every morning to set the tone of the day. At your workspace, pay attention to your body sensations and breathing at regular intervals. Use everyday cues as reminders such as a ringing phone to center yourself. Stretch and exercise often, preferably every day. Eat at least one meal a day mindfully. Pay attention to walking when going down the hall or when grocery shopping. Before entering your home, briefly pause and breathe. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 4

5 Improve the Odds: support your changes Identify your issue clearly, then identify one thing you want to focus on changing. Crucial moments: Predict when you are most likely to be challenged. Vital behaviors: Use these six sources of influence to help you meet the challenge: MOTIVATION What are the most convincing benefits to you? ABILITY What do you know and what do you need to learn how to do? PERSONAL Who are your allies and cheerleaders? How can you harness the power of teamwork? SOCIAL What are your rewards and accountabilities? How can you make your environment supportive? STRUCTURAL Write your plan in detail, tell someone you trust, and ask for professional help if needed. Adapted from Change Anything by Kerry Patterson et al. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 5

6 UNC Mindfulness Program for Stress & Pain Reduction Life is full of stressful events such as difficult relationships, demanding work, health problems, money issues, too much to do in too little time. When the level of stress exceeds your ability to cope, you may suffer from physical and emotional symptoms such as Headaches and backaches Frequent illnesses or accidents High blood pressure Fatigue and sleep problems Depression, anxiety, and panic Irritability and mood swings Chronic pain Heart disease Stress is responsible for lost work days, reduces your ability to perform effectively, and erodes both personal and professional relationships. Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life, a way of being responsible for your life, a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you: consciously and systematically working with your own stress, pain, illness, or the challenges and demands of everyday life. You will learn how to slow down, to recognize the warning signs of stress reactions, and to stay focused and relaxed in ways that enhance the body s natural adaptive and healing abilities and the mind s ability to choose healthy responses. Mindfulness helps to calm people who are receiving medical care and is an essential foundation for other stress reduction techniques. Some of the benefits of learning mindfulness are: More ease and equilibrium in every aspect of life Increased clarity, choice, and balance Deeper understanding of emotions and thoughts and how they interact More refined sensory awareness Less suffering from physical and mental difficulties More calm and contentment Heightened appreciation of life The class format includes instruction and practice of mindfulness skills, mind-body exercises, group dialogue, and daily home assignments. In this program you will receive: 8 weekly classes of 2-1/2 hours each One 6-hour retreat on a Saturday Recordings with guided meditations and stretching practices Notebook with handouts, reading lists, home assignments, resources, etc. 20-minute private mindfulness consultation with your instructor Participants are expected to practice home assignments for minutes every day and to complete an initial questionnaire and a culminating evaluation. The program is challenging and life-affirming and requires a strong commitment to participate in class and to practice at home to receive the greatest benefit. Your instructors are committed to and skilled at creating a safe, supportive, and deeply engaging learning environment. mindfulness@med.unc.edu Phone Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 6

7 The Healthy Workplace Situational Factors are the working conditions that come with the job, that are set by the employer, and that are not directly controlled by the employees, although the workers may have some influence over the presence or absence of the conditions. The following suggestions are not inclusive. What other suggestions might be specific to your job and working conditions? Design of tasks Ensure the workload is in line with workers capabilities and resources Give opportunities to use strengths and skills Clarify meaning and value of work Allow flex time when feasible Seek temporary help to ease excessive workload Prioritize tasks Schedule breaks every minutes Management style Clearly define worker roles, responsibilities, and expectations Let workers participate in decisions that affect their jobs Build team work Allow flex time when feasible Keep workers well informed Mix directive and supportive management techniques Recognize workers for good performance Career concerns Reduce uncertainty about future employment prospects Provide career development opportunities Attend training sessions Ask for what you need to develop Update resume periodically Work relationships Allow social interactions, such as meals Set schedules that are compatible with health and demands outside the job Be a role model, mentor, or coach Develop communication and conflict management skills Environment Safe, healthy work conditions Ergonomically functional tools Pleasant, stimulating setting Sources: American Psychological Association and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 7

8 Resources Books Shawn Achor. The Happiness Advantage Bob Anderson. Stretching Jeffrey Brantley. Calming Your Anxious Mind Richard D. Carson. Taming Your Gremlin Stephen Covey. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Martha Davis et al. The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook Barbara Fredrickson. Positivity William Frey. Ease into Freedom: Keys for Reducing Stress & Unlocking Your Potential Jon Kabat-Zinn. Full Catastrophe Living Jon Kabat-Zinn. Wherever You Go, There You Are Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz. The Power of Full Engagement Kerry Patterson et al. Change Anything Audio Recordings William Frey. Free recordings at Michael Reed Gach. Stress Relief. Headspace app. Jon Kabat-Zinn. Mindfulness Meditation Practice. Emmett Miller. Ten-Minute Stress Manager. Belleruth Naparstek. Health Journeys. Martin Rossman. Anxiety Relief. Stress Tips A free, short, practical tip is delivered to you via once a month. For more information, contact William Frey (will@pathfinderscoaching.com) and see the latest stress tip at Pathfinders Coaching ( in the News section. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 8

9 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction William Frey, M.Ed

10 Practical skills that draw on natural inner resources for resilience and well-being Percentage of lawyers with depression 20 (Hyman)

11 Percentage visits to MD due to stress 70+ Annual cost to businesses $190 Billion (Forbes 2015)

12 What are some ways you experience stress? Page 2 Top Symptoms of Stress Fatigue (51%) Irritability (50%) Sleep disturbance (48%) Nervous (45%) Lack of energy (45%) Headache (44%) Feel like crying (35%)

13 Other Symptoms of Stress Anger Disturbed relationships Low morale Upset stomach Frequent illness Cardiovascular disease Asthma Diabetes Accidents and injuries Pain What is stress? Page 2

14 Stress is a reaction to demands Page 2 Stress is a part of life Page 2

15 Episodic Stress Chronic Stress

16 Belief in the ability to cope Stress Reaction Stress hormones Blood pressure Heart rate Breath rate Muscle tension Rational thinking Page 2

17 Benefits of Stress Reaction

18 Stress reaction is automatic

19 Relaxation Response Stress hormones Blood pressure Heart rate Breath rate Muscle tension Rational thinking Page 2 Benefits of Relaxation

20 Activate the Relaxation Response

21 Breath Awareness Breathe naturally Where do you feel your breath? What does your breath feel like? Page 3 Abdominal Breathing Page 3

22 Autopilot Reactive Mind Stimulus Reaction

23 The Space Between Stimulus Reaction Mindfulness Event Response Awareness Choice Awareness What is it possible to be aware of? Stimulus Page 3

24 Mindfulness nonjudgmental compassionate Event Awareness Choice intentional awareness of what is What is it possible to be aware of? Page 3 Breathing Space Page 3

25 Stretching Page 4 Mindful Dialogue Pause Relax Open Page 3

26 Gratitude Page 4 Mindful Dialogue about Gratitude Pause Relax Open Pages 3-4

27 Observation of Thoughts Let thoughts come & go like clouds Acknowledge thoughts & gently come back to the breath Page 4

28 Mindful Workday Sit with breath or thoughts Use a routine cue Stretch & exercise Eat mindfully Attention on walking At home, pause and breathe Page 4 Books & recordings Stress Tips Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction More suggestions in workbook Page 8

29 What tools work for you? or What questions do you have? Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction William Frey, M.Ed