Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a simple form of meditation practice or ‘mental training’  that increases our ability to pay attention to any given task in the present moment. This can include focussing on our breath, our feelings, letting go of unhelpful thoughts, or allowing ourselves a break from difficult thoughts and feelings by focussing on an everyday activity. 

Mindfulness incorporates a wide range of techniques that empower you with the freedom to regain control over your thoughts and emotions and to choose whether or not to act on them. Mindfulness also helps you learn to be more compassionate with yourself.

Mindfulness can be helpful if you tend to spend a lot of time thinking about past events (recent or distant) and worrying about the future. ‘Time-travelling’ in your mind to the past and future means that you can miss important or good things that are happening in the present. It can also mean that you get immersed in your thoughts and emotions when it might be more beneficial to your well-being to be able to focus on the task at hand and come back to those thoughts and feelings later with a fresh perspective.

There is a growing evidence base for mindfulness. Benefits include: increases in concentration, productivity, physical and psychological resilience, and the ability to respond skillfully to stressful situations. It can also help with overcoming symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and help people respond to their moods in healthier ways.

Mindfulness is is also used successfully in workplace settings and has become popular with famous actors  such as Goldie Hawn (who promotes its use with children) in attaining a sense of calm and control.

I offer Mindfulness as part of a complete and comprehensive treatment plan, which includes: a detailed assessment;  teaching you a wide range of mindfulness exercises and techniques; often applying ideas from other models of therapy to maximise the benefit to your moods and relationships; and incorporating mindfulness into your daily life to help you achieve your goals associated with a more satisfying and stable life.