Mindfulness and Other Healthy Practices

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is used in Western culture to mean that one is present in the moment.  This is supported by the scripture, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). He is asking us only to focus on the moment and not to worry.  This is one of the many uses of practicing mindfulness. Another verse includes, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. … You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”  (John 14:16-17 NIV). When God’s Spirit is in us, we can focus on the present and not on the past or the present. He will be our help in times of trouble.

Focusing on this moment, this very moment and grounding ourselves in the moment means that we are unable to worry about the past or the future. So, how do we accomplish living in the moment because it sounds like a wonderful idea but is it realistic?  Yes! Simply, we can do it in many ways. There are lots of mindfulness exercises that can help.  A simple idea is to take deep breaths from your belly and then focus on your breath. When other thoughts come into your mind (because they will), notice them without judging them and then focus once more on your breath. After that I often like to think about the qualities of God or recite some scripture in my mind. IAs I stated before, if you are doing these things, you can’t focus on the past or future.

When I get angry, panicked or experience other intense emotions, I will often use a mindfulness/grounding exercise called 5-4-3-2-1.  This is finding 5 things I can see, 4 things I can feel, 3 things I can hear, 2 things I can smell, and 1 thing I can taste. When I look at the things I can see, I really notice them. I notice the shape, the color(s), the texture, where it sits, etc.  The sense of feeling could be how my feet touch the floor, my bottom on the seat, my hands that are touching my jeans. When I really listen, I can hear the fan in the background, others talking, the silence of the room, or the cars outside my window.  Smelling could be the fresh air, the stale air, the smell of food cooking, your clothing, or anything.  As far as taste, it could simply be the taste of the roof of your mouth, or put something spicy, sour, or sweet in your mouth. Chew some gum. Whatever you need.  This is grounding yourself in the present and I guarantee that if you are focusing on these things, you will most likely become calmer.

Another practice is to go on a mindful walk.  Go outside and look, really look at the leaves, flowers, the smells of the flowers, your feet on the sidewalk, the people around you, or any number of things. When I do this, I often will thank God for all the beautiful sights, sounds, smells, etc.

Gratitude is another part of mindfulness.  I almost don’t need to say anything to Christians regarding this topic as anyone who follows Jesus knows what is said about gratitude, “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” (1 Timothy 4:4 NIV). I have a box that fits 3×5 note cards (like a recipe box) and I will write the date and something I am grateful for.  Then I use it to thank God for the blessings He gives. Some people keep a journal of gratitude. I challenge you to list three things you are grateful for each day. Studies confirm that those who have a practice of gratefulness are overall happier, deal with adversity in a more positive way, and have better overall health. (Harvard Publishing, 2021)

Studies show that a healthy practice of mindfulness improves mood, reduces emotional reactivity, and decreases anxiety and depression. How does it do that in our brains? Remember when we talked about the HPA axis? If you click here, you can go back to that post. The video I previously posted there is below if you’d rather watch it again. Recall that the hypothalamus sits in the bottom part of the brain on top of the pituitary gland.  When you have a stressful event, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH).  The pituitary gland sees the CRH and knows that it needs to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).  When ACTH is released, the adrenal gland releases adrenaline which puts your body into “fight, flight or freeze.” This was designed to help us to be alert during danger. Some people are consistently in “fight, flight, or freeze” because of various reasons.  Mindfulness helps to counteract the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This is not the only brain function that is affected by mindfulness. They find that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are also found to be activated. You might recall these parts of your brain help with attention. The PFC and ACC help the amygdala and the rest of the limbic system to calm. The video below is a review of what I just talked about.

The history of mindfulness is something that may prevent Christians from the practice as it has roots in the Hindu and Buddhist religions and in yoga; however, “It is important to include that some commentators argue that the history of mindfulness should not be reduced to Buddhism and Hinduism, as mindfulness also has roots in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” (Trousselard et al., 2014).  Current day mindfulness isn’t religious; although, you can incorporate your faith into the above ideas.  Part of mindfulness teaches us to be focused and intentional. Christian blogger Sara Grace states, “In mindfulness teaching we are encouraged to bring our attention back to the present moment by focusing on our breath or some other sensation. That’s a helpful way to anchor our minds in the present, but Christians can also remember God’s presence as our anchor. He is always near, and we can always turn our thoughts to Him, enjoying His presence in the present moment.” There are many other exercises that you can do similarly to what I have shared with you. Google some. It’s good to have a repertoire of mindfulness exercises that you are comfortable with.

Meditation

The Bible calls Christians to meditate on God’s Word, (Joshua 1:8). It is a practice just as reading the Word, praying, and worshiping the One who created us. In mindfulness, meditation is not emptying your mind, rather, it is a practice which “involves taking the time to pay attention to where we are and what’s going on, and that starts with being aware of our body.” (https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/). Scripture says, “Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love,” (Psalm 48:9 NIV). We are God’s temple. There are many verses which support meditation and instruct us how and on what to meditate. “May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD,” (Psalm 104:34 NIV). Meditation for Christians is meditating on God’s Word.

There are so many apps that you can download on your phone for meditation if you don’t know how to get started. One of them I really like is Insight Timer because it has meditations for all sorts of situations and religious beliefs. The app is free and you can purchase meditations; however, there are SO MANY free meditations that I have never purchased anything in the app.  Another really good app that I have tried is the Calm app. It has meditations and stories. It’s a really wonderful app to listen to before you go to sleep. Headspace is another popular app but I will fully admit I have never used it before. I have friends that really like it. I’m sure there are more out there but these are some of the most popular.

Journaling

Journaling is something I love to do. You don’t have to be a writer or even write in complete sentences. Journaling has scientifically been shown to reduce depression and stress (Hubbs & Brand, 2005).  I love what is written on the University of Rochester website:  “Journaling helps control your symptoms and improve your mood by:

• Helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns

• Tracking any symptoms day-to-day so that you can recognize triggers and learn ways to better control them

• Providing an opportunity for positive self-talk and identifying negative thoughts and behaviors”‘

Some people write to God. Some people write to themselves. Some people just write in a free flowing way.  Whatever you do, don’t overthink it. Just write.

I would love to hear your experiences on these topics. Please share with me in the comments your thoughts and ideas about things that are helpful to you, or maybe leave a comment telling me about something you hadn’t really thought about before. Whatever you want to talk about, I would love to hear from you.

Lisa

References:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier#:~:text=In%20positive%20psychology%20research%2C%20gratitude,adversity%2C%20and%20build%20strong%20relationships.

Hubbs DL, Brand CF. The Paper Mirror: Understanding Reflective Journaling. Journal of Experiential Education. 2005;28(1):60-71. doi:10.1177/105382590502800107

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentID=4552&ContentTypeID=1

https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/