An article to teach you about mindfulness training

Author: Ren Feng Department of Psychiatry, Peking University Shougang Hospital

Reviewer: Wang Huali, Researcher, National Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital)

People face various kinds of pressure in life, and they need to master some positive and healthy coping methods. Mindfulness training is one of them. Mindfulness training is simple and easy to operate. It can help relieve emotions, reduce stress, and improve physical and mental health. It is a relaxation exercise that can be tried.

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1. Mindfulness training and its effects

Mindfulness is the process of intentionally focusing our attention on the present moment without judgment.

In order to develop the ability to purposefully notice, pay attention to the present moment, and not make judgments, we need to be aware of every moment of inner experience, including physical sensations, emotions, and imaginations. Mindfulness training helps us develop this ability to be aware of the present moment. During the training process, we should treat these inner experiences with a fully accepting, open, curious, and friendly attitude, and not try to suppress or deny them.

On the one hand, mindfulness training can reduce our perceived stress, increase the alertness of the brain, enable us to feel the various real experiences in our heart with a peaceful mind, avoid blind psychological distress, enhance self-control, and fundamentally improve our attitudes and views towards stressful events and negative emotions; on the other hand, it can eliminate or reduce emotional disorders, and while improving cognitive abilities, enable our body and mind to enter a state of relaxation, thereby improving our emotional responses.

It can be seen from this that mindfulness training does have a certain effect in alleviating psychological stress reactions: it can improve negative emotions such as tension, anxiety, panic, etc.; it can relieve physical discomfort, including pain, fatigue, chest tightness, shortness of breath, etc.; it can improve mental and psychological problems, including depression, alcohol and tobacco addiction, compulsion, and decreased cognitive function.

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2. Common Methods of Mindfulness Training

Mindfulness is not a skill that can be acquired by reading books or watching videos, but a skill that must be acquired through continuous training. There are many ways to train mindfulness, and commonly used methods include body scanning, breathing awareness, mindfulness stretching, etc.

1. Body scan training

Body scanning is a training that uses body sensations as an object of observation. When training, keep an open mind and experience the sensations of various parts of the body according to a certain sequence or audio instructions. When you discover the sensations in those parts of the body, you don't need to judge them as good or bad, but treat them as part of the training and continue to observe them with a gentle and curious attitude.

2. Breathing awareness training

Breathing awareness is a training method that uses breathing as an object of observation. During training, you can experience the changes in your breathing process, as well as the physical and mental feelings brought about by the changes in the depth and length of your breathing. During this process, you may be distracted, which is a normal phenomenon. At this time, you do not need to judge it. You can continue to focus on the awareness of breathing with a gentle attitude and experience the present moment.

3. Mindful stretching

Mindful stretching is a training that uses the stretching of the body as an object of awareness. During the training, you can experience the changes that various movements bring to your body and mind. It should be noted that during the training process, you should carry out the training in a way that is based on your physical condition and without any compulsion.

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At the beginning of mindfulness training, it is recommended to spend 30 minutes a day on regular training, and form a habit within 1 to 2 months. It is recommended to keep a stable mood, relax and feel comfortable during training, because if you start training with an anxious or panicky mentality, it may aggravate emotional problems. After 2 months, on the premise of being familiar with the key points of the technique, you can try to train at some difficult times (such as when you are depressed, nervous, panicked, etc.).

3. Precautions before and during training

In order to achieve better training results, you can make some appropriate preparations before mindfulness training.

First of all, you need to choose a safe place, ensure that the environment is quiet, comfortable, not disturbed by others, and the temperature is appropriate. When training, you can sit on a chair or lie on a bed.

Secondly, we need to adjust our mentality. As training progresses, our body and mind will get rest and balance, and then slowly change. In this process, we need to be patient and persist in training. In addition, it is best to train without a purposeful mentality during training, let go of expectations for training results, and experience it slowly. The more relaxed your mentality is, the better the training effect will be.

There are also some issues that need attention during training.

First of all, you should master the basic relaxation training techniques in advance, and then conduct mindfulness training on this basis to get into the state better.

Secondly, for older people, they need to train when their physical condition allows. If they experience persistent and unrelieved pain, chest tightness, breathlessness, or other physical discomfort, they should stop training immediately. When doing stretching exercises, they should prevent physical injuries caused by excessive activity. It is important to keep your legs and body warm during training.

Finally, mindfulness training includes regular practice and daily practice, and you need to integrate the attitude of being aware of the present moment into your daily life. You can stay aware of your current physical and mental conditions when you get up in the morning, brush your teeth, wash your face, do housework, and eat, understand your own psychological reactions, and slowly enjoy the present moment.

Mindfulness training is a positive and healthy way that is suitable for each of us. In daily life and work, when you feel a little irritable or anxious, you can use mindfulness training to calm and relax your mood, thereby improving your sense of happiness and quality of life.