Managing with Mindfulness

”....paying attention on purpose, in the present moment,

non-judgementally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.’’

Mindfulness is....

Jon Kabat Zinn

Positive thinking

A relaxation technique

Going into a trance

Trying to blank your mind

A religion

Group therapy

Mindfulness is NOT

Breaking things, spilling things, clumsiness, accidents because of carelessness, inattention or thinking about something else.

Failing to notice subtle or not-so-subtle feelings of physical discomfort, pain, tension etc.

Listening to someone while doing something else at the same time.

MindLESSness

Getting so focussed on goals that you lose touch with what you are doing right now.

Forgetting someone’s name as soon as you hear it.

Getting lost in your thoughts and feelings.

Being preoccupied with the future or the past.

Eating without being aware of eating.

Having periods of time where you have difficulty remembering the details of what happened – running on autopilot.

MindLESSness

Doing several things at once rather than focussing on one thing at a time.

Reacting emotionally in certain ways – feeling that an emotion just “came out of nowhere”.

Daydreaming or thinking of other things when doing chores.

Allowing yourself to get distracted.

MindLESSness

Learning through mindfulness to approach our experience in new ways

Moment by moment non-judgmental awareness of body sensations, thoughts and emotions

Formal meditation practice - bodyscan, mindful movement, sitting practice

Informal practice - awareness of present moment experiences during daily life

Coming to our Senses

AWARENESS

EMOTIONS THOUGHTS

BODY

MOMENT BY

MOMENT

NONJUDGEMENTOPEN

CURIOSITY

Mindfulness at Work

Recognise, slow down or stop automatic and

habitual reactions.

Cope better and respond more effectively to

complex or difficult situations.

Develop positive strategies for dealing with

workplace stress and pressure.

Mindfulness at Work

See situations more clearly.

Enhance self-regulation.

Become more creative.

Improve task performance.

Mindful Leadership

Authenticity through self-awareness - being true to beliefs, values and principles

More effective in understanding and relating to others

Motivates toward shared goals

Reduces stress, anxiety and conflict

Improves communication in the workplace

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Mindfulness

Management

Managing mindfullySelf awareness

Focus Creativity

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

The intention to clear the mind of thoughts increases activity in the attention association area

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Activity in the surrounding frontal cortex decreases

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Activity in the surrounding frontal cortex decreases

Neuroscience of MindfulnessInitial shift in right brain activity and then a decrease in activity in the orientation association area

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Activation of the hippocampus conveys emotional significance of the experience and imprints into long term memory

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Realignment of the amygdala from dealing with signals from the prefrontal cortex to signals from the hippocampus

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Actions on the hypothalamus and the amygdala modify the activity of the autonomic nervous system

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system followed by activation of the sympathetic nervous system

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Focus and memoryStrengthens left prefrontal cortex increases white matter between prefrontal cortex and amygdala

Self awarenessGreater activationin the insula

Realigned activity of amygdala

Physiological effects, changes to breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure

Mindfulness as an Adaptive Response

Breath

Body Mind

Perspective

ClarityChoice

Self Regulation of Attention

Focus attention on breath

Acknowledge current focus of attention

Redirect attention to breath

Attention wanders away from breath

Be consciously present - what’s going on around you?

Work on a single task at any one time

Slow down to speed up

Recognise the importance of stress - respond wisely and appropriately rather than adding to the difficulty, as you perceive it, through habitual reactions

Show gratitude and appreciation

Develop humility – accept your limitations, appreciate others, rediscover a sense of wonder

Tips for Developing Mindfulness

Managing with Mindfulness

Deal with one thing at a time

Accept the power of stress

Be grateful and humble

The great thing about Mindfulness Practice is that you can’t get it wrong

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