Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
“The core invitation of mindfulness is for you to befriend yourself. That means recognizing and inhabiting your own intrinsic wholeness and beauty in the only moment any of us ever has—namely this one.” -Jon Kabat-Zinn
I recently completed an 8 week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the New York Mind Institute where I was able to deepen my own personal practice of mindfulness and learn additional ways to reduce overall stress by paying closer attention to the present moment. I first started practicing mindfulness after I took a “Science of Happiness” class when I was in college at NYU. I learned about positive psychology and specifically the benefits of small acts of kindness, gratitude practices, mindfulness, and meditation. I began doing short meditations every now and then and as a full-time college student working an internship and job I found it to be wonderfully grounding. My hope with this article is to provide an understanding of how mindfulness can be used as a tool to help reduce stress and anxiety with the understanding that it is a practice and can become strengthened over-time.
MBSR was first developed in the 1970’s by Jon Kabat-Zinn and is largely based on the foundations of mindfulness meditation which involves paying attention in the present moment without judgment. The aim of the MBSR program is to help individuals reduce stress and improve their well-being through developing a greater awareness of the present moment and fostering a nonjudgmental attitude towards the self. Since its inception, MBSR has become a popular approach to stress reduction, and it has been used in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, and workplaces.
What is stress?
We live in a world with a multitude of different stressors that can impact us on a small or large level each and everyday. Stress is a natural physical and mental response to challenges and demands that we encounter in our daily lives. It is a state of physiological and psychological arousal that prepares us to cope with situations that require an immediate response. When we experience stress, the body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which trigger a series of reactions that increase heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. These reactions are designed to prepare us to respond to a threat or challenge, whether it's a physical danger or an emotional stressor. These can vary in relative significance, but nonetheless have an impact on the mind and body.
While stress can be beneficial in short bursts, chronic stress or excessive stress can be harmful to our health and wellbeing. It can lead to a range of physical and mental health problems, which is why it is so important to practice healthy coping skills to reduce built up stress in our minds and our bodies. One of these skills that we can cultivate and incorporate into a daily practice is mindfulness.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and engaged in the current moment, without judgment or distraction. It involves intentionally paying attention to your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and the environment around you with curiosity and openness. It asks the question of “what is here now?” Mindfulness can be a state of mind that involves calmness, compassion, and gratitude for what is here. When we are mindful, we don’t try to change or resist things as they are, but rather allow them to be and notice them. So often when we go about our daily lives we are thinking about things in the past or in the future which can cause anxiety. Mindfulness says, “what is happening in this moment that I can focus on?” It brings us back to the here and now and allows us to notice our immediate surroundings and be more present.
While mindfulness is often cultivated through meditation, where the focus is on observing thoughts and emotions without becoming attached to them or reacting to them, it is also a way of living and going about daily life. It is truly something we can learn to cultivate whenever it may be helpful even in the most mundane moments. My personal favorite cultivation of mindfulness is microdosing joy. While I like to hone in on it for the good, the bad, and the ugly, I find myself focusing more on the little moments that spark joy in me. For example, I take joy in going out for a walk and having the sun hit my face in a certain way, listening to sounds of nature, baking bread, hugging my partner mid-day, sipping a hot beverage, cuddling my dog etc. It’s in these moments when I allow myself to be mindfully present that I am able to absorb the joy I am being given. The goal of mindfulness is to develop greater self-awareness, reduce stress, and improve mental and physical well-being. It has been shown to have a wide range of benefits, including improved cognitive function, reduced anxiety and depression, and increased resilience to stress.
How can mindfulness help reduce stress?
MBSR can reduce stress by enhancing self-awareness, changing thought patterns, improving emotional regulation, enhancing relaxation, and increasing resilience. One of the main goals of MBSR is to help individuals become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations in an openly curious and friendly way. By doing so, people can learn to respond to stress in a more constructive way, rather than reacting automatically. When the nervous system is calm, we are less emotionally dysregulated, which is why cultivating a mindfulness practice is so important for overall stress reduction. During the sessions in the MBSR program, participants learn various mindfulness practices, including body scan meditation, mindful breathing, and yoga. These practices combined and repeated over-time allow for less reactivity, more patience, and heightened awareness.
MBSR is a program that can be effective in reducing stress and improving well-being. By learning mindfulness practices and developing a non-judgmental attitude towards thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, individuals can learn to respond to stress in a more constructive way. Remember that this is a practice and a way of being. Each moment you pay closer attention, accept things as they are, and stop judging yourself, you will come closer to living a more present and engaged life.
