Developing a regular mindfulness practice

Why bother? It takes a lot of energy and time to start a new habit. This blog explores some of the evidence for the benefits of a regular mindfulness practice and how to get started.

Years ago I was in a high-pressure job, stressed, constantly busy and not very happy. Someone mentioned mindfulness and I thought I would give it a go. I did it for six weeks, saw amazing benefits (I was less stressed, less reactive and slept better).

But then I gave up, going back to my ‘old’ ways.

There is now a wealth of research on the various benefits of mindfulness practice.  So much so, it’s really hard to ignore how beneficial a regular mindfulness practice can be. So naturally, I talk about mindfulness quite a bit with my clients. 

In this section, the links will take you to various research papers. Of course these only give a snapshot of the research so if you would like to know more, send me a message and I will signpost to more resources.

To bust one common myth straight away: mindfulness is not about emptying your mind

It is a technique for building present-moment awareness that is incredibly useful in supporting the work of counselling and psychotherapy

Potential mental health benefits:

• Reduced anxiety

• Improved brain function

• Improved focus (feeling less distracted)

• Feeling more in control of challenging feelings (quicker to get back to a more regulated state)

• Less reactive

Other health potential benefits:

• Better sleep quality

• Managing chronic pain

• Lowers blood pressure

• Reduced risk of high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease

How do I get started?

If you are keen to get started, Mind has some resources here and Patrizia Collard’s Little Book of Mindfulness is a lovely intro text.

Apps: All the main apps do some form of 'getting started' programme that usually lasts a week. There may be student discounts available. You can find some information with reviews of each here.

This article gives a good overview of how to get started and you can try out a short online (5 mins) mindfulness exercise here. After that, it's a matter of finding a user interface and voice you like for guided mindfulness practice. 

If you don't want to use an app, there are some guided mindfulness practices for all levels on YouTube; for example, Jon Kabat-Zinn who has some online videos here.

Once you get used to the techniques and philosophy of mindfulness, there are all sorts of mindful activities you can do, for example:

• Compassionate body scan (11mins 30 secs)

• Mindful tea drinking exercise (11.5 mins) which you might like to try if you struggle with the above.

• Mindful walking

There are some meet-ups in Manchester too if you want to be with others:

• Stillness in the City - monthly meet-up

• Manchester Mind - a course