Self-healing is a method that is less of a box-checking exercise with a psychologist and more of a river-flowing experience. It’s a method of using awareness to effect change in the here and now.
Self-healing is a method that is less of a box-checking exercise with a psychologist and more of a river-flowing experience. It’s a method of using awareness to effect change in the here and now. It provides strategies to help you feel better more quickly if you’ve been sad for a long time, even if you’re unable to connect with your inner self, are numbed out and unable to sense your emotions, or are unsure about your own health issues. You can and will get well, even if you believe you’re beyond treatment and will never do so.
The core of self-healing is acceptance and mindfulness.
The times we live in are exciting. There is growing evidence from new brain scanning technology that prolonged reflection and
The heart of Self-healing: Mindfulness & acceptance
We live in exciting times. New technologies to scan brains are accumulating evidence showing that sustained contemplation and meditation can actually bring about physical changes in brain structures associated with the experience of well-being and peace and ease of mind.
Mindfulness
The awareness that arises from deliberately focusing on the here and now is known as mindfulness. We can learn to live in the present instead of worrying about the past or the future by developing a mindful attitude to depression. The ancient idea of mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist practices, which date back possibly 2,600 years. A “psychological state of awareness without judging” is one term used to describe it. Slowing down, focusing on one task at a time, and fully embracing both our inner and external activities are all part of it. It offers a potentially effective remedy for the stress caused by time constraints, expectations placed on oneself, overload, distraction, agitation, and anxiety. Mindfulness is a state of mind, not a behavioural trait and, even though it might be promoted by certain practices or activities such as tai chi, it is not equivalent to or synonymous with them.
We can discover a fresh sense of assurance and self-confidence by practicing mindfulness. We learn to be aware of our feelings, their effects, their sources, and their transience via consistent practice. We learn to pay attention to how we think. We become conscious of the ways in which particular thoughts impact our feelings. We get the ability to stand back, evaluate the outcomes, and then react with complete awareness. As our ideas and experiences come and go, we become an unbiased observer. We may transcend the incessant self-judgment and overreaction to the inner and external experiences that race through our heads the more we cultivate mindfulness. When we are able to focus for extended periods of time, we can discover fresh viewpoints, acquire more understanding, and solve problems creatively.
By engaging in “mindfulness meditation,” one can cultivate mindfulness. The self-regulating practice of mindfulness meditation focusses on developing awareness and attention to increase voluntary control over the mind, which in turn promotes tranquilly, clarity, concentration, and overall emotional well-being. Research conducted at Oxford University has demonstrated that mindfulness meditation can reduce the recurrence of depression by a staggering 50% in addition to providing rapid relief from its symptoms.
Among other industries, Silicon Valley has embraced mindfulness. When he needed to concentrate on creating Apple, Steve Jobs said that mindfulness helped him block out distractions. For the past five years, Google has provided mindfulness training to its staff members. The company’s “Search Inside Yourself” program helps its brightest minds de-stress. Its goal is to support workers in developing inner joy while they are at work. That’s awesome! Five hundred people are on the waiting list for the training!
Mindfulness and depression
The idea that mindfulness might help us overcome depression has a very rational explanation. Our natural tendency while experiencing depression is to either ignore it or “think” our way out of it. We end up worrying over the past or the future in an attempt to distract ourselves from the unpleasant emotions we are experiencing at the moment when we try to think our way out of the sadness. Naturally, none of these strategies work, so we feel even more stuck and then criticise ourselves for not coming up with a solution.
As the internal dialogue heats up, we become preoccupied with the battle we’ve got inside our heads and we lose touch with the reality of our world, the people who surround us, and the help that’s available. We begin to feel hopeless. The depression is taking us over and we can’t see a way out of it – and the despair begins to set in.
By assisting us in adopting an entirely different strategy, mindfulness can help us end this cycle. It helps prevent our thoughts from becoming fixated on the past and the future. The true worth is in the ability to change our automatic or reflexive response to a situation so that we can choose an alternative action. Studies have demonstrated that regular mindfulness practice can help people gain some control over their racing minds, stop dwelling on their past regrets, and stop worrying about the future.