Mindfulness Resources

So, what is this thing called mindfulness?

To be mindful means to pay attention to what is happening in the mind, body, and immediate environment and to remain present, while both curious and compassionate. Here are some resources to learn more about what mindfulness is and how to incorporate more of it into your life.

Resources

Simple Ways to Practice Mindfulness & Relaxation at Cooper – Working in a hospital setting can be stressful at times. We are busy taking care of others, and it’s often the case that we forget to take care of ourselves. Here are a few, simple ways to help us regain focus, pay attention to our surroundings, and hopefully find pockets of relaxation in our busy days.

Stop. Be. Breathe – The exercise at this link is brief and might be useful in everyday life. It is very simple – it is a discipline of taking a few short moments each day just to stop and be in the moment, notice what is happening, and then move on. You might want to incorporate it into your daily work by, for example, stopping for a moment just before you see a patient, take a breath, wait a second and allow yourself to clear your mind so that you can just be with the patient

University of Pennsylvania Mindfulness – The Penn Program for Mindfulness provides powerful tools for coping and personal growth. Combining modern cognitive science with ancient mindfulness techniques, the program teaches participants to change the way that they experience themselves and their world. Participants learn to reconnect with the sources of meaning in their lives, to be steady in the most difficult moments and to connect more deeply with what matters most. Skillfully applied, mindfulness-based approaches help individuals to let go of unproductive habits and reactivity and start anew.

How to Apply Mindfulness to Your Clinical Work – Mindfulness works. It can help clients reduce stress, optimize learning, and improve their relationships. Not only that, research shows that mindfulness changes the brain. But knowing what mindfulness can do, and helping clients actually put it into practice, often requires skill. Mindfulness practice is simple, but it isn’t always easy. The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM) designed a program (for purchase) with this idea firmly in mind – and to give you expert perspectives and practical applications for working more adeptly with mindfulness in nearly every clinical circumstance, no matter what objectives you’re working toward.