WANT TO BE MORE MINDFUL? TRY THIS COLOURING BOOK

This book is a gem---a colouring book for adults.

The book, entitled The Mindfulness Colouring Book: Anti-stress Art Therapy for Busy People, and created by French illustrator and graphic designer Emma Farrarons, is filled with pages of beautiful black-and-white line drawings.

Art therapy is nothing new, nor is the idea of colouring---'colouring-in', I always called it---for adults, but this colouring book is the best I’ve seen, and it now sits on top of the Australian independent bestseller list.

Numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown that mindfulness improves one’s powers of concentration, focus and attention, and the converse seems true as well---that is, any activity requiring those three things enhances one’s powers of mindfulness. Additionally, such an activity can serve as a powerful anti-stress remedy, and study after study has shown that mindfulness is a most effective anti-stress remedy.

I love this adult colouring book. For a baby boomer such as myself, the book is not only great therapy, it’s also a chance to re-experience one of the great joys of my childhood.

Book: The Mindfulness Colouring Book: Anti-stress Art Therapy for Busy People, by Emma Farrarons. Publisher: Pan Macmillan. Imprint: Boxtree Ltd. 2015. ISBN 9780752265629.

MINDFULNESS IN SCHOOLS WORKS WONDERS---AND EVEN IMPROVES MATH SCORES

I was never that good at mathematics at school, nor for that matter were my wife and three children. Well, listen up, ye parents who have children at school who are struggling with math---the children that is, but most likely the parents as well. (Yes, genetics has more than a little to do with all this, as it does most other things as well.)

A social and emotional learning program started by actress and mindfulness ‘guru’ Goldie Hawn to help school children improve their learning abilities, be more caring, and become less stressed is now backed by new scientific evidence. Of course, that will not come as a surprise to anyone who is familiar with even a few of the more than 1,600 scholarly refereed medical and scientific journal articles attesting to the health and other benefits of the practice of mindfulness.

In a study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers from across multiple disciplines---specifically, a neuroscientist, a developmental pediatrician, developmental psychologists, and education experts---examined the effectiveness of the program MindUP™ which teaches a number of mindfulness practices, including breathing, tasting and movement exercises.

They found fourth and fifth graders who participated in the program were better at regulating stress, were more optimistic and helpful. They were also better liked by their peers than children in a program that taught caring for others but without a mindfulness component. They also found the children in the mindfulness-based program performed better at math.

‘Our findings suggest that children who are taught mindfulness – to pay attention to the present intentionally and without judgment – are better positioned to succeed both in school and in life,’ said lead author Dr Kimberly A Schonert-Reichl, who is a professor in UBC’s Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, as well as interim director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, a collaborative interdisciplinary research network who helped conduct the study.

Dr Schonert-Reichl said this study is one of the first of its kind to investigate the value of a social and emotional learning program that incorporates mindfulness techniques for children’s wellbeing using a variety of scientific measures including both biological and neurological tests. Other studies have focused mostly on adults, showing positive results.

To measure the MindUP™ program’s effectiveness on stress physiology, the researchers collected saliva from the children to analyze their cortisol levels, a stress indicator. They also relied on peer and self-reporting and also measured the children’s cognitive abilities, testing skills like memory, concentration and focus.

Dr Schonert-Reichl said there are multiple explanations as to why a mindfulness program could improve a child’s math scores. ‘One explanation is that learning occurs in social interaction, so if you are less stressed and more attentive, you will able to share and help others, and then be able to achieve more, including excelling in school.’

Study: Schonert-Reich K A, Oberle E, Lawlor M S; Abbott D, Thomson, K, Oberlander, T F, Diamond, A. ‘Enhancing cognitive and social–emotional development through a simple-to-administer mindfulness-based school program for elementary school children: A randomized controlled trial.’ Developmental Psychology, Vol 51(1), Jan 2015, 52-66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0038454 Special Section: Mindfulness and Compassion in Human Development.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

NEW STUDY FINDS THAT MINDFULNESS MAY PREVENT ABSENTEEISM

An 8-month parliamentary inquiry in the United Kingdom has found that public servants may be less likely to burn out if they use mindfulness techniques to control stress, anxiety and depression.

The inquiry, which was conducted by the British All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mindfulness, found frontline public servants could be less likely to fall ill with stress, or quit altogether, if they engage in mindfulness.

A number of small pilot studies on the potential impact of mindfulness in the public sector are already underway in the UK. One hundred frontline health workers in Surrey were given mindfulness training last year and showed a fall in sickness absence, according to the UK Department of Health. Several prisons are running pilots to see how mindfulness can help convicted criminals avoid re-offending while 300 teachers in a network of academy schools in the northwest of England have also been trained.

‘[Mindfulness] could be rolled out to prison staff, GPs and in key professions where there is big burn out,’ said Chris Ruane MP, co-chair of the group. ‘If we prove conclusively that mindfulness can stabilise those individuals it would be a great benefit to society.’

‘Absenteeism costs the public sector a lot and giving people mindfulness training could save money in the short and long term,’ added co-chair Tracey Crouch MP. She added that interest in the practice is growing in Westminster and that she knew of two British Cabinet ministers who use mindfulness techniques. Sixty MPs and 55 peers have also had training in mindfulness.

The report represents the most significant political pressure yet to bring mindfulness into the mainstream.

Note. Acknowledgements are due to The Guardian for material in this post.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES OF MINDFULNESS MEDITATION FOR JUST THREE DAYS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE STRESS

There’s an old Zen saying that has something very profound to say about stress and meditation. It goes something like this. ‘You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes a day, unless you’re too busy, in which case you should sit for an hour.’ Well, new research shows that even short sessions of mindfulness meditation are effective at reducing mental stress.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found that engaging in mindfulness meditation for twenty-five minutes for just three days can significantly lower stress and boost the ability to endure stress.

‘More and more people report using meditation practices for stress reduction, but we know very little about how much you need to do for stress reduction and health benefits,’ said lead author Dr J David Creswell (pictured left), associate professor of psychology in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, in a press release.

We have known for many years that the so-called ‘stress cascade’ is governed by the brain's hypothalamus, which communicates with the pituitary and adrenal glands, which in turn secrete stress hormones like cortisol. Too much cortisol in the bloodstream is not a good thing at all. Finding effective ways of preventing or blocking the body’s stress reaction from occurring is the name of the game.

The Carnegie Mellon University study was conducted on 66 healthy participants aged between 18 and 30. They were told to take part in a 3-day experiment where some participants underwent mindfulness meditation training programs for 25 minutes for three consecutive days. Others were told to learn breathing exercises that could help monitor their breath and pay attention to their present moment experiences. The researchers also included a matched control group where participants were told to improve their problem-solving skills through poetry analysis.

Following their programs, participants were given tasks to complete stressful speech and math in front of ‘stern’ researchers who recorded their stress levels by measuring cortisol levels in saliva samples.

The study findings showed that people in the mindfulness meditation group were less stressed when performing speech and math tasks. However, these participants also showed greater cortisol reactivity in saliva samples.

‘When you initially learn mindfulness mediation practices, you have to cognitively work at it -- especially during a stressful task,’ said Dr Creswell. ‘And, these active cognitive efforts may result in the task feeling less stressful, but they may also have physiological costs with higher cortisol production.’

The findings have been published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Journal article: Creswell J D, Pacilio L E, Lindsay E K, and Brown K W, ‘Brief mindfulness meditation training alters psychological and neuroendocrine responses to social evaluative stress.’ Psychoneuroendocrinology. Vol 44, June 2014, 1-12.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

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JASON RUSSELL’S MELTDOWN: IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE

Jason Russell stripped naked and ran through the streets of San Diego.
Video footage of his ‘meltdown’ leaked onto the net. Picture: TMZ.

Footage of Kony 2012 filmmaker Jason Russell's recent public---as well as pubic--- 'meltdown' in San Diego has gone viral---just like Russell’s Kony 2012 video itself---and has been entertaining the world for the past few days.

                                                                                          

According to Russell’s family, exhaustion, dehydration, malnutrition, criticism of his recently released documentary, and stress are all to blame for Russell's aberrant behaviour, where he stormed around his San Diego neighbourhood, banging on the cement and cars, gesticulating sexually, cursing incoherently, screaming at the devil and clapping his hands. His family insists he was clean and sober at the time of the incident---and he probably was.

Jason Russell describes himself as a radical, rebel soul and dream evangelist. He seems a really nice guy to me---clothed or unclothed---and I think he has done a helluva lot of good from a humanitarian point of view. I wish him well in his recovery. If nothing else, this sad episode reveals the not-so-pleasant reality of mental illness in one of its albeit more bizarre manifestations.

Look, despite the stigma that society wrongly attaches to these things, mental health issues can happen to anyone and are by no means an indictment of a person’s character. What happened to Russell can happen to you or me. We all have a breaking point. We all can ‘snap’ and 'break'---in a moment. And then we may do or say things which we would never do or say ordinarily.

Psychological or emotional 'meltdowns'---a most imprecise term---may be due to a buildup of stress, especially psychosocial and emotional stress. They can occur even in anticipation of a stressful time or situation. In many cases, there are outbursts of bad language, anger and generalized ‘acting out’ behaviour. Memory tends to go offline and it becomes hard or even impossible to concentrate. For some, a meltdown can feel like they’re having an out-of-body experience. There may even be feelings resembling derealization.

Being able to identify the 'triggers' to a meltdown, and learning how to avoid and otherwise manage triggers as well as how to remove oneself from a stressful situation, are all very important. In that regard, here’s something really helpful you can do with respect to triggers, especially at a time when everything seems to be piling up on you at once, and you feel really stressed out---breathe. Deeply. Instead of exploding and venting your anger and frustration, take a moment to consider what is physically happening---in your body and mind. For example, you may be breathing fast, your stomach may feel tense, and you may even be clenching your fists. There will probably be tightness in the jaw and neck, and there may well be a buzzing, whirling feeling in your head---even a pounding, throbbing sensation. This could mean you’re on the verge of an emotional meltdown. This is the important thing to do: step back from whatever is happening---and simply observe, that is, be choicelessly aware. Then take three long, deep, slow breaths to diffuse the physical and emotional tension that has built up. This gives you time---and time is what you need more than anything else---to think rationally about how best to cope with the situation.

Studies on neurocognitive processes indicate that mindfulness meditation increases awareness and the creation of alternatives to mindless, automatic behaviour, thus reducing the stress response by guiding conscious thought away from uncontrollable past or future scenarios and towards a non-attached acceptance of present circumstances, rather than battling unwanted thoughts. Because the brain has less opportunity to scenario build and apply internalized interpretations to forecast social responses, actual or perceived threats have a reduced ability to trigger feelings of anxiety, fear and lack of control.

There is a lot we can do to help ourselves. Of course, there are times when professional help is required. I have spent many years working with mental health workers, and I respect them immensely. I have also known the reality of mental illness in my own life and in the lives of others close to me. There is always help available---if you want to be helped and are prepared to go through what is sometimes referred to as the 'agony of change.' Having said that, much of the so-called 'agony' is due to our resistance to change as opposed to the change itself. The latter can happen very quickly, even instantaneously at times. In other cases---most cases---it takes time.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

DESTRESS YOURSELF WITH MINDFULNESS ... IN THE SILENCE

Professor Mark Williams (Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at the University of Oxford) and Dr Danny Penman are the authors of Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World.

The book uses a program based on mindfulness meditation developed by Williams and Penman at the University of Oxford to relieve anxiety, stress, exhaustion and depression.

In this CNN feature the authors discuss ‘10 easy steps’ to destress your life, and in this YouTube video clip Professor Williams, who is the Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, talks about the 'science of mindfulnesss':

Now, here’s something else which you can do, proactively, each day – something which, if done regularly, will help to desensitise yourself to stress. It’s called ‘entering the silence’ as well as 'practising the silence.'

Now, the silence is not a negative state of mind nor is it an inert state of mind. It is a place where you can hear interiorly what the Bible refers to as the ‘still small voice’ (1 Ki 19:12). Jesus, who taught that the 'kingdom of God' is within [Gk entos] us (see Lk 17:21), had some very good advice on this matter of 'entering the silence'. His instruction (cf Mt 6:6) was to enter into the closet (that is, the silence of your mind) and shut the door – that is, focus your attention on the experience of simply being without seeking to think, feel, analyse, and so forth.

When you enter the silence, you are approaching the very presence of being – that is, sheer existence … the very livingness of life itself. The state of mind experienced in the silence is not one of passivity or non-action. No, it is an awakened state of mind in which all things are experienced – as new – in the eternal now. Mental action may slow – indeed, it should – but the action of being fully present in the moment from one moment to the next will quicken and intensify.

Mystics of all faiths and none often refer to the experience of the silence as a period of conscious, wordless communion with the sacred or the divine. Indeed, it is, for what could be more sacred or divine than life itself … in all its fullness … experienced in the intensity of the moment? There is only one life manifesting itself in all things as all things. If you can truly know – not as book-knowledge – this life as one you will experience conscious communion with all life. Yes, you will come to know the ‘Self as One.’ Here's the 'secret': 'Be still, and know' (Ps 46:10). In the words of the poet John Keats, ‘that is all there is to know on earth and all you need to know.’

If you are ‘new’ to the practice of the silence, I suggest that you do not make the period of silence too long in the beginning. Start with, say, 2 or 3 minutes. The important thing is to have a regular period of silence each day, preferably at the same time (eg first thing in the morning).

Return to the silence throughout the day as and when necessary and when you simply want to commune with the divine. It is written, 'My presence will go with you, and ... give you rest' (Ex 33:14), and 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while' (Mk 6:31). Yes, the experience of the silence is akin to the calm that precedes or follows the proverbial storm, but it is much more than that. Much more. You see, the silence is calm. The silence knows no storms. The silence is also peace. Not just peace, but that peace that passes all understanding (cf Phil 4:7) which abides in the minds of those who consciously dwell in the eternal now. Another thing. The silence is a power – indeed, the Power – for good which makes all things new. The silence is also a presence – indeed, the Presence – in which we, along with all other persons and things, live and move and have our being (cf Acts 17:28). One Presence. One Power. One Life.

You need not call It 'God,' but you can if you wish. The important thing, as I see it, is this – this Presence is 'our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble' (Ps 46:1), and this Power, well, 'There is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.' The Presence is a Power – the only Power (despite there being both 'good' and 'bad' forces at work in life). The Power is also a Presence – that very same Presence – indeed Omnipresence ... for the Presence of Life fills all, and is all, and empowers all, for everything is truly an individualised expression of life. (It is written, 'Of His fulness have all we received' [Jn 1:16].) And this Presence and Power –  this All-in-All – is most fully and personally experienced in the silence. It is experienced as peace, calmness, tranquility, equanimity, wisdom, love and compassion – indeed, as all those things which we ordinarily associate with the sacred or the divine.

Here is some very good advice on 'entering the silence' from the New Thought leader, writer and historian Horatio W Dresser. It's from his book The Power of Silence:

[S]ome devotees of the ‘silence’ have thought that there was some sort of mysterious power or feeling which one might enter into by opening the mind in what they called a ‘spiritual’ direction. Hence they have entered the silence with no particular idea in mind. Now, it is desirable to help people out of the thought of ‘mysteries,’ not into them. It is the clear-cut, the intelligible idea, that is the desirable. To set out upon a vague search for the mysterious is to open the door to all sorts of abnormal mental experiences. It is because of this that so many have found it altogether imprudent to try to enter the silence at all. But the trouble lay in themselves. We find what we look for. If you believe in the occult, you will invite it. If you are in search of the sane, the quicker you cut loose from all vague groping after the mysterious the better.

So, practise the silence ... and make today – indeed, every moment – count. Angels can do no better.

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STUDY SUPPORTS MINDFUL EATING AND MEDITATION FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Recent research at UC San Francisco indicates that meditation could help people to control their dietary habits and thereby lose weight.  Although this particular research study is small-scale, its findings are consistent with other studies of mindfulness.

The researchers took a randomized group of 47 overweight women – albeit a small test group – and divided them into two groups. Each group received training on the basics of diet and exercise, but no diets were prescribed to either group.Move up Move down  The experimental group received training in ‘mindful eating’ and meditation in weekly sessions. In the mindful eating training, the women were trained to experience the moment-by-moment sensory experience of eating. They also meditated for 30 minutes each day.

The goal of the experiment was two-fold – to use mindful eating to help control cravings and overeating, and to use meditation as a stress relief to prevent ‘comfort eating.’ The preliminary results showed that they were successful. The women in the control group gained weight, while those in the control group maintained their weight and showed significant reductions in their cortisol levels (high cortisol levels are a side effect of stress).

‘You’re training the mind to notice, but to not automatically react based on habitual patterns - to not reach for a candy bar in response to feeling anger, for example,’ says UC San Francisco researcher Dr Jennifer Daubenmier (pictured left).  ‘If you can first recognize what you are feeling before you act, you have a greater chance of making a wiser decision.’

The UC San Francisco findings are certainly consistent with numerous brain studies showing that mindfulness brings about changes in brain areas responsible for body sensations, especially body sensations related to hunger and craving. The changes occur in the brain area called the ‘insula.’ (Interestingly, it has been shown that 'damage' to that part of the brain disrupts addiction to cigarette smoking.)

It should be mentioned that the difference in the weight changes reported in the UC San Francisco study only applied to the women in the study who were classified as ‘obese’ by their BMI. Overall, there wasn’t a statistically significant difference between the control group and the experimental group when it came to weight. However, the stress levels were different, which is not at all surprising. That also is consistent with many other studies on the effects of mindfulness.

Finally, here is what I think is a very helpful video (courtesy YouTube) on mindful eating – full of practical hints and advice:

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

GOLDIE HAWN’S LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD

The celebrated actor, producer, director and author Goldie Hawn (pictured left), whose autobiography A Lotus Grows in the Mud is one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read, created The Hawn Foundation in 2005, whose mission is to ‘equip children with the social and emotional skills they need to navigate the challenges of the contemporary world in order to lead smarter, healthier, and happier lives.’ Wonderful!

Working with leading neuroscientists, educators and researchers, The Hawn Foundation has developed the MindUP program, a curriculum that has already been implemented in classrooms in more than 1,000 schools in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The MindUP program is now on its way to a number of other countries including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. (The program is expected to start in Australia before the end of this year.)

Here’s a short Hawn Foundation video on the MindUP program:

The exciting, cutting-edge curriculum (now available through Scholastic Books) – which goes beyond mere academics – features some 15 very practical but evidence-based ‘lessons’ designed to help children:

·         reduce stress and anxiety,

·         improve concentration and academic performance,

·         understand the brain science linking thoughts, emotions and behaviour,

·         manage their emotions and behaviour more effectively,

·         develop greater empathy for others and the world, and

·         learn to be optimistic and happy.

Ms Hawn’s curriculum dramatically transforms the way we view education, using methods that are backed up by the latest research about the brain, but does it work? Yes. Already research shows impressive results in children who are learning in the MindUp classroom. For example, a University of British Columbia study reveals that children in Vancouver schools who participated in the program reported not only increased optimism but also decreased aggression in both the classroom and the playground.

Says Hawn, ‘We’ve had children who have lived through genocide, people trafficking and parental drug addiction, and experts have come in to test their cortisol (stress) levels after they slow down and focus on their breathing, and their stress levels are lower.’

Research from Germany on the efficacy of the MindUP program has produced similar results. Once again, the children participating in the MindUp were more able to manage their cortisol levels than the control group. Hawn states that aggression went down in the playground by about 30 per cent. In addition, the children were found to be much more focused and attentive in school ... and also much happier.

For those who are interested, Ms Hawn has written a book 10 Mindful Minutes: Giving Our Children--and Ourselves--the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happy Lives as a guide for parents to teach the MindUP program at home to children aged 5 to 12.

Here, by way of example, is some advice from Goldie on teaching young ones 'mindful breathing' ...

Sit with your children for 10 minutes a day (two sittings of five minutes recommended). Focus on your breathing, then ask your children to sit comfortably with their hands in their lap and to close their eyes. Expect young children to be able to do only a few seconds at first, then build up. Get them to put their hands on their bellies to feel the rise and fall of their breath. Be prepared for distractions and fidgeting ...

and 'mindful listening' ...

Gather together household items such as pencils, paper, coins or a pot. Place them in a box, so children can’t see what they are. Ask them to close their eyes, then to focus on the sound you make with them.

Get the book. There's much more in it. Way to go!

(NOTE. This blog sets out a simple form of mindfulness sitting meditation.)

The book 10 Mindful Minutes by Goldie Hawn with Wendy Holden

is published by Piatkus [Hachette Australia] (RRP AUS$29.99)

For information regarding the book 10 Mindful Minutes contact Jaki Arthur
at Little, Brown publicity on jaki.arthur@hachette.com.au or 02-8248 0864

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