Good news – after six months, the three clots (visitors from inner space) would be gone and, voila, I could resume my regular activities. But I had to cancel my annual cross-country skiing trip to Maine. Not happy. After a few weeks into the PE regime, guess who was grumpy, restless, anxious and getting more impatient?
Why I took A Mindfulness Class: Self Awareness and Life Long Learning in Action by Richard Boucher
Visitors From Inner Space
I felt relieved. The doctor got the results of a bunch of tests and told me I had Pulmonary Embolism (PE). I had three clots in my lungs and for the next six months I had to: take blood thinning medicine daily, get my blood tested once a week, and follow a specific diet with limited amounts of green, leafy plants. Given my ‘lung attack’ I had to restrict my cardio workouts and listen to my body when I exercised. How difficult could this regime be?
Good news – after six months, the three clots (visitors from inner space) would be gone and, voila, I could resume my regular activities. But I had to cancel my annual cross-country skiing trip to Maine. Not happy. After a few weeks into the PE regime, guess who was grumpy, restless, anxious and getting more impatient?
Most of my weekly schedule revolved around anticipating my visit to the blood clinic to get my blood checked and monitoring daily diet. I was feeling annoyed and not doing especially well with the occasional chest pains that flared-up when I went for my short walks.
I felt stuck (sound familiar?) and wanted to find a way to deal with this issue in a more proactive manner.
I had read about a local Mindfulness program. I read thru the program material, went to an orientation program and signed-up for the 8 week program.
Good news – after six months, the three clots (visitors from inner space) would be gone and, voila, I could resume my regular activities. But I had to cancel my annual cross-country skiing trip to Maine. Not happy. After a few weeks into the PE regime, guess who was grumpy, restless, anxious and getting more impatient?
Most of my weekly schedule revolved around anticipating my visit to the blood clinic to get my blood checked and monitoring daily diet. I was feeling annoyed and not doing especially well with the occasional chest pains that flared-up when I went for my short walks.
I felt stuck (sound familiar?) and wanted to find a way to deal with this issue in a more proactive manner.
I had read about a local Mindfulness program. I read thru the program material, went to an orientation program and signed-up for the 8 week program.
Background Information and Content Preview
In the following sections the term, The Issue replaces my specific PE medical condition. There is a universe of life challenges…that yields stress. Pick one or more: health, money, career, relationships et al. They come in all sizes and shapes, evolve from life milestones and are typically unscheduled with varied ‘expiration’ dates.
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Jon Kabot-Zinn developed the Mindfulness program as a medical model. A quick search will provide much background information about this program that started at University of Massachusetts in the 1990s and offered across the US and abroad.
Learn more about the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society, University of Massachusetts Medical School here.
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This blog provides basic information for individuals searching for a program to help guide them in working thru a significant, stressful situation.
This blog includes the following:
- The Awareness Triangle (Body-Mind-Emotion) - A framework for developing self-awareness
- A description of several Mindfulness strategies
- My reactions to the Mindfulness strategies
- Overview Chart of the Mindful Program
Above: Click/tap the images for Lightbox view.
Mindfulness - The Awareness Triangle
The Awareness Triangle (AT) has three parts: Body-Thoughts-Emotions. These Parts are ‘observed’ by applying strategies such as body scan to learn ‘what’s going on’ with The Issue. The ‘inside’ of the triangle includes Body-Emotion-Thoughts combined with three strategies to develop your awareness.
The twirl and swirl of daily activities are ‘observed’ from both close and far. In other words, Mindful strategies are used to better understand a particular dynamic that evolves (all about you here) as a result of The Issue.
The twirl and swirl of daily activities are ‘observed’ from both close and far. In other words, Mindful strategies are used to better understand a particular dynamic that evolves (all about you here) as a result of The Issue.
"Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing." - Thích Nhất Hạnh
Above: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) infographic. Source: M Factor, Shalini Bahl.
Body – Stay Connected
We started with the Body Scanning exercise. Scanning the various body parts seemed tedious and annoying. However, after several practices I found this exercise enabled me to attend to what’s going on with my specific issue (pains and aches with dashes of anxiety). Regular ‘visits’ to The Issue seemed to help me get better acquainted (think awareness) and seemed to evoke comforting feelings.
Emotions – Use Breath
Breath slowly and deliberately. Not sure why this works but it did work very well for me. When inevitable ‘stuff’ happened, breathing a bit deeper while concentrating on the in-out rhythms of my breath tended to move my thoughts toward this soothing rhythm. This breath exercise - actually listening to the in-out rhythm- was like putting gentle wrap around The Issue.
Thoughts - Create a Container
Make space for what’s going on. When The Issue associated thoughts came to mind I would picture a clay container within arms reach in front of me and place the ‘thought’ into the container and describe in a few words this specific thought. For example, I kept wondering what would happen if I had to keep taking blood thinning medicine and the impact of this regime on my outdoor activities.
I was able to limit knee-jerk reactions by ‘moving’ The Issue into the container and pausing to reflect on The Issue.
I was able to limit knee-jerk reactions by ‘moving’ The Issue into the container and pausing to reflect on The Issue.
Above: A Mindfulness Program Overview and my reflections on this experience from a Learning and Development perspective - Richard Boucher.
Be Non-Judgmental
Awareness of my reactions and o-so-quick-to-judge thoughts were daily insights. If my reactions to situations and/or events (lots of national, global news events these months) were high on the judgmental scale and became a negative loop-de-loop.
Working to both identify this tendency and reframe these thoughts moved my thinking lower on the scale of judgment.
Taking the time to identify and reflect on these thoughts enabled me to be pause and question my patterns. Asking the question: Is this judging stuff providing what I need to deal with The Issue? And how can I shift my perspective to reduce or eliminate this judgment? The role of critic-at-large was my default. I needed to learn to practice neutral observer-at-large. Also, spending my time and energy in a productive dynamic (think wellness) was a major goal.
Working to both identify this tendency and reframe these thoughts moved my thinking lower on the scale of judgment.
Taking the time to identify and reflect on these thoughts enabled me to be pause and question my patterns. Asking the question: Is this judging stuff providing what I need to deal with The Issue? And how can I shift my perspective to reduce or eliminate this judgment? The role of critic-at-large was my default. I needed to learn to practice neutral observer-at-large. Also, spending my time and energy in a productive dynamic (think wellness) was a major goal.
Be Present: Moment-to-Moment
The question: Are my thoughts and behaviors focused on Now?
Asking this question was a helpful prompt to assess if I was focused on Now or Past-Future thoughts.
Most of my thinking (maybe 80%) revolved around past and future thoughts. Being present seemed an afterthought.
Being intentional regarding when I was Being Present helped to identify patterns of thinking and related time/energy focused on my current experiences.
Asking this question was a helpful prompt to assess if I was focused on Now or Past-Future thoughts.
Most of my thinking (maybe 80%) revolved around past and future thoughts. Being present seemed an afterthought.
Being intentional regarding when I was Being Present helped to identify patterns of thinking and related time/energy focused on my current experiences.
Be Curious
I was not an especially curious person during my first months dealing with The Issue. I evolved into more of a curious learner as I started feeling better. I learned about the gap between my ‘default’ thought and behaviors and what I wanted as more productive thoughts and behaviors.
Triangle of Awareness-Using Breath as an Anchor from "Stress Management In A Fast Paced Workplace" by Shalini Bahl, PhD
Summary – Triangle of Awareness
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The practice of actually identifying the specific Body-Emotion-Thoughts combined with Non-Judgment, Moment to Moment and Affectionate Curiosity strategies helped me gain clarity about significant elements that were influencing my reactions. Working with the triangle provided space to pause…before reacting. Most importantly, checking my behavior across three basic categories (Judgment, Moment to Moment and Affectionate Curiosity) enabled me to assess my reactions and determine if they are contributing to my goals.
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"The components of the AT can be a little more clear as in differentiating between what we are attending to - body, thoughts, and emotions - and how - using the strategies/attitudes of curiosity, non-judgement, and moment to moment - by way of practices/exercises like body scan and awareness of breath in order to develop awareness." - Shalini Bahl, PhD
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Have you had experiences using mindfulness practice to improve healthy living and awareness? What are your stories? Did mindfulness help you? Leave your comment in the comment section below, we'd like to hear from you.
Richard Boucher
Shalini Bahl, PhD
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Richard Boucher is a Learning and Development Consultant
Richard Boucher has worked as a Learning and Development professional for over twenty-five years across a wide range of settings: Public School, Corporations and Higher Education. He is a recognized expert in the application of the ADDIE (Analysis-Design-Implementation-Evaluation) model to develop Learning and Development projects. Read More...
Shalini Bahl Milne, PhD is a contributing expert to this article on mindfulness. Shalini is a Search Inside Yourself Certified Teacher, a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher and is dedicated to Corporate Wellness.
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