Contents
Mindfulness is a state in which a person is fully concentrated on his feelings and experiences at the present moment. There is a lot of evidence that mindfulness practice helps fight anxiety and stress, improves sleep quality, and reduces the risk of depression.
Psychologist Adam Hanley from Florida State University (USA) and a group of colleagues decided to find out if the practice of mindfulness can be applied to such a seemingly banal and routine household chore as washing dishes.
“I have been interested in mindfulness for many years, practicing this technique myself and researching it as a scientist. I am especially interested in how the most ordinary, everyday activities can help you enter a conscious state, ”says Adam Hanley.
The experiment involved 51 students who were given a simple task – to wash the dishes. The participants were divided into two groups – one (control) group was read simple recommendations for washing dishes before completing the task. The second group received instructions regarding the conscious performance of this action. The need to focus on the task at hand was especially emphasized.
Read more:
- Eternal time pressure: why our life eludes us
In particular, the instructions said: “When I wash dishes, I do only this and nothing else. This means that I must be fully aware of the fact that I am washing dishes at the moment. At first glance, it sounds pretty stupid. Why is it necessary to emphasize such a simple thing so insistently? But the meaning is in it. The reality is that I stand and do the dishes. I can be completely myself, watch my breathing, be aware of my presence, and be aware of my every thought and action. I will not allow myself to mindlessly drift with the flow, surrendering to the will of the waves that throw me from side to side. Participants were instructed to focus on the sensations: be aware of how the soap smells, how warm the water is, how the dishes feel to the touch.
Before and after washing the dishes, the students underwent psychological testing. Those who did it consciously experienced a 27% reduction in anxiety, according to test results, and they also felt more inspired. Students in the control group did not receive any benefit from washing dishes.
Read more:
- Jon Kabat-Zinn: “Meditation strengthens the immune system”
- Conscious approach to life
“When the participants in the experiment consciously focused on the dishes, their minds were most likely able to at least partially free themselves from the constant stream of thoughts in which we are immersed most of the time. Often, it is this flow that feeds many of our anxieties, fears, and itself becomes a source of stress. By “fixing” in the current moment, students were freed from constant memories of past events or constant planning for future events and were able to simply be in the present, here and now, ”says Adam Hanley.
Researchers believe that with the help of mindfulness techniques, even such a routine activity as washing dishes can improve the psychological state and well-being. “Perhaps in the future we will check how other household chores or, for example, gardening like weeding are combined with mindfulness. We also plan to repeat the dishwashing experiment, but this time the participants will not just read a brief instruction, but will undergo a full-fledged training in mindfulness training, ”says Adam Hanley.
Подробнее см. А. Hanley et al. «Washing dishes to wash the dishes: Brief instruction in an informal mindfulness practice», Mindfulness, October 2015, vol. 6, № 5.