Attention as a resource is a trendy topic. Hundreds of articles have been devoted to mindfulness, and meditation techniques are touted as the newest way to relieve stress and get rid of problems. How can mindfulness help? Psychologist Anastasia Gosteva explains.
Whatever philosophical doctrine you take, there is always the impression that the mind and body are two entities of a fundamentally different nature, which are separated from each other. However, in the 1980s, biologist Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor at the University of Massachusetts who himself practiced Zen and Vipassana, suggested using mindfulness, a form of Buddhist meditation, for medical purposes. In other words, to influence the body with the help of thoughts.
The method was called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and quickly proved effective. It also turned out that this practice helps with chronic pain, depression, and other serious conditions — even when medicines are powerless.
“Scientific discoveries of recent decades have contributed to the triumphant success, which confirmed that meditation changes the structure of the brain areas associated with attention, learning and emotional regulation, it improves the executive functions of the brain and boosts immunity,” says psychologist and coach Anastasia Gosteva.
However, this is not about any meditation. Although the term “mindfulness practice” combines different techniques, they have one common principle, which was formulated by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the book “The Practice of Meditation”: we direct our attention in the present to sensations, emotions, thoughts, while we are relaxed and do not formulate no value judgments (such as “what a terrible thought” or “what an unpleasant feeling”).
How does it work?
Often, the practice of mindfulness (mindfulness) is advertised as a “pill for everything”: it supposedly will solve all problems, relieve stress, phobias, depression, we will earn a lot, improve relationships — and all this in two hours of classes.
“In this case, it is worth considering: is this possible in principle? Anastasia Gosteva warns. What is the cause of modern stress? A gigantic flow of information falls upon him, which absorbs his attention, he does not have time to rest, to be alone with himself. He does not feel his body, is not aware of his emotions. He does not notice that negative thoughts are constantly spinning in his head. Practicing mindfulness helps us begin to notice how we live. What is with our body, how alive is it? How do we build relationships? It allows you to focus on yourself and on the quality of your life.”
What’s the point?
And speaking of serenity, it arises when we learn to notice our emotions. This helps not to be impulsive, not to react automatically to what is happening.
Even if we can’t change our circumstances, we can change how we react to them and stop being a powerless victim.
“We can choose whether to be more serene or anxious,” explains the psychologist. You can look at mindfulness practice as a way to take back control of your life. We often feel like hostages of circumstances that we cannot change, and this gives rise to a sense of our own helplessness.
“Viktor Frankl said that there is always a gap between stimulus and response. And in this gap lies our freedom,” continues Anastasia Gosteva. “The practice of mindfulness teaches us to create that gap. Even if we cannot change adverse circumstances, we can change our response to them. And then we stop being a powerless victim and become adults who are able to determine their lives.
Where to learn?
Is it possible to learn the practice of mindfulness from books on your own? You still need to study with a teacher, the psychologist is sure: “A simple example. In the classroom, I need to build the correct posture for the students. I ask people to relax and straighten their backs. But many remain crouched, although they themselves are sure that they are sitting with a straight back! These are clamps associated with unmanifested emotions that we ourselves do not see. Practicing with a teacher gives you the necessary perspective.”
Basic techniques can be learned in a one-day workshop. But during independent practice, questions are bound to arise, and it’s good when there is someone to ask them. Therefore, it is better to go for 6-8-week programs, where once a week, meeting with the teacher in person, and not in the format of a webinar, you can clarify what remains incomprehensible.
Anastasia Gosteva believes that only those coaches who have a psychological, medical or pedagogical education and relevant diplomas should be trusted. It is also worth finding out if he has been meditating for a long time, who his teachers are, and whether he has a website. You will have to work on your own regularly.
You can’t meditate for a week and then rest for a year. “Attention in this sense is like a muscle,” says the psychologist. — For sustainable changes in the neural circuits of the brain, you need to meditate every day for 30 minutes. It’s just a different way to live.»