Learn to train your mind with Mindfulness

How does Mindfulness help us to regulate our emotions and thoughts?

According to the definition of Jon Kabat-Zinn (founder and director of the Minsfulness Centers) this practice would be "the awareness that arises from paying attention, intentionally, to the present moment and without judgment". It is therefore an intentional attention with an attitude based on the absence of judgment.

Precisely the attitude of non-judgment, which connects with compassionate curiosity towards oneself, is one of the most healing aspects, is one of the most healing aspects of Mindfulness, also called Mindfulness.also called Mindfulness. At this point it is necessary to explain that the attitude of curiosity is incompatible with that of generating a concrete expectation.

The difference between Mindfulness and relaxation techniques.

On occasions, I have encountered patients in consultation who explain to me their difficulty in trying to relax when applying relaxation techniques; this is precisely where the objective of Mindfulness differs, it goes beyond relaxation.

Its goal is to allow us to observe the present moment without expecting anything specific, in the absence of demands that usually end up in the end.in the absence of demands that usually end up generating guilt. And it is there where we curiously end up getting the long-awaited relaxation, which usually comes when it is not forced to come.

How to calm the mind with Mindfulness?

There is research on the role that the practice of Mindfulness plays in the reduction of a number of symptoms such as chronic pain, anxiety and psoriasis.. Dr. Kabat-Zinn has been studying the effects of Mindfulness on such disorders for 20 years and states "participants feel a strong reduction over the course of 8 weeks, both in the number of medical symptoms initially reported and in psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and hostility. These improvements occur in most par cipants in each class and regardless of diagnosis, which means that the program is important for people with a Wide range of medical disorders and different life situations."

Psychologists teach stress management through Midnfulness; we usually start with attention to the breath, trying to focus on the breath while consciously shifting our attention away from environmental events. This is achieved with practice, without haste and with a compassionate attitude towards ourselves. However, each case is unique and it is necessary to know how to adapt to the needs of the users.

What is compassion?

Here I would like to stop and explain the concept of "compassion", as it is too often confused with the pity, almost contemptuous, with which we look at someone. From the conception of Mindfulness, compassion is understood as the attitude of loving and empathic observation that will mobilize our acceptance, so that from there we can so that, from there, we can train our resources to face the day to day.

With daily practice we will come to have a sense of ourselves as a present awareness that observes our thoughts as something that deserves to be heard but without identifying them with what "I" am.

When we can observe our thoughts from a certain "distance", because we are much more than those thoughts, then our relationship with them changes. Mindfulness allows us to see our circumstances as observers and, from that privileged point of view, it will be easier to calm down.