Health professionals often advise patients and clients to prioritise self care but regularly find it hard to follow their own advice. Mindfulness is one of those self care tools that can feel like another stick health professionals beat themselves with. You may know it’ll help you manage stress, but just can’t get round to fitting it in. Or perhaps you tried it but couldn’t clear your mind of thoughts so it seemed like a waste of time.
Despite mindfulness being an evidence based tool used in the NHS to reduce mental health problems, many people, including health professionals, have misconceptions about it which prevent them from using it.
This blog will clear up some common mindfulness myths and help busy health professionals find ways to use it that suits them, even on a busy day. But first the basics.
What is mindfulness and how can it help manage stress?
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Mindfulness increases a person’s awareness, with a sense of curiosity and acceptance, of what’s going on in the present moment. This includes stuff outside you (i.e. what you can see, hear and feel) but also inside you (i.e. your mind, body and emotions). Being more aware of these things in a curious and accepting way helps us to manage our thoughts and feelings and therefore respond to stress more helpfully.
However, the focus on “present moment awareness” leads to the first misconception – that you are meant to be clearing your mind of all thoughts.
It’s impossible to clear your mind of thoughts and people can have very busy minds and still practice mindfulness (like me!). But when you are mindfully aware of your thoughts you can take a step back and react differently to them. A head full of “shoulds” or self criticism becomes more manageable when we label them as “”just thoughts”.
But it doesn’t end there. In fact when it comes to managing stress, what happens from the neck down is just as important.
Stressful situations create physical sensations in the body that, if we are not aware of them, will build through the day and get worse. The magic of mindfulness is that you become much more aware that this is happening and can take steps to release stress from your body by relaxing your muscles or taking some deep breaths. So even though it can’t change the huge, work based demands on health professionals, it can help you change your response to those demands by helping you regulate stress in the body.
Another myth is that you have to fit in long meditations which is another big no if you’re already feel short of time. But although a regular planned meditation will certainly help you to be more mindful, weaving mindfulness practices into a busy day can also be effective. A “ mini mindful moment” really can be done anytime, anywhere by loosely following these steps:
How to practice mindfulness anytime, any place
- Choose an “anchor” to focus on i.e sounds, feet on floor, taste of tea. Really notice the details of that. When (not if) your mind wanders away, simply acknowledge and label the thoughts i.e. I am having lots of busy thoughts, I am noticing I am being harsh on myself.
- After a few moments bring attention to your body as a whole. Briefly scan from the head downwards, paying peculiar attention to where you usually hold tension, e.g. shoulder neck and jaw.
- Spend a few moments naming the feelings in the body e.g. I am aware I am feeling stressed, I am noticing anxiety.
- Try to release stress from the body i.e drop your shoulders, loosen your jaw, take some deeper breaths.
- Return to the chosen anchor for a few moments and then carry on with your day.
Suggestions for mini mindful moments on busy days
Here are some suggestions for mindful moments that busy health professionals can easily weave into their day:
- When showering in the morning, notice the water against your skin, the sound of the shower or the smell and feel of soap.
- When having your morning coffee, notice how it looks and tastes as well as the warmth of the cup in your hands.
- On your commute, instead of looking at your phone or catching up with emails, set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Use that time to focus on your breath and/or body and build in a short meditation practice.
- When catching up with client notes at your desk, notice your feet on the floor and body sat on the chair. Stop what you are doing and focus on the sounds you can hear around you. Zoom into the fine detail of the buzz in the office such as chatting and photocopier etc.
- If you’re on your feet a lot, tune into the soles of your feet a few times a day. Notice the contact points they make with the floor and then expand your awareness to notice the rest of your body too.
- When having lunch, instead of eating and working, spend time looking, smelling and tasting the food.
- On your commute home, scan your body from head to toe and let go of stress before you arrive home.
Practising little and often, in the middle of everyday activities, is a great way to start being more mindful that doesn’t take up extra time. It can be tricky to remember at first, so it can help to set reminders or commit to 1 or 2 activities you will do mindfully each day. The more you make an effort to be mindful, the more it becomes second nature.
For more information about mindfulness and how to get started visit Mind.
Rebecca Stambridge is a mindfulness teacher and integrative psychotherapist. She spent many years working for busy national and local mental health charities as a project manager but now runs the private therapy practice “Contentedmind” where she specialises in anxiety and low self esteem.
