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Mindfulness is the new black of psychology. But for those of us raised on the “let’s change your thinking, fix you up and make everything positive and happy” philosophy behind Western psychology, it can seem a little confusing. Mindfulness is less about getting rid of pain and more about alleviating the suffering that comes from it. It’s about being in the moment rather than trying to make sense of the past or planning for the future. Psychologist Louise Adams reveals seven ways that mindfulness can improve your daily life.
1. Chronic pain
It was the “phenomenal” results that patients got when dealing with chronic pain that really convinced Adams of the benefits of mindfulness. “I looked at MRI scans and saw the changes in the brains of people using mindfulness and it was amazing,” she says. “They produced less cortisol and more oxytocin which increases ‘relaxation’ chemicals in the brain. [The patients] weren’t so bothered by the pain.”
2. Anxiety and worry
People are great at problem-solving – we have that ability to imagine the future, know what might go wrong and strategise. However, if you’re constantly predicting bad things that might happen, it can cause suffering. Mindfulness teaches people to notice when they’re worrying and to return to the moment by recognising what they can see, hear and feel now, Adams says.
3. Eating issues
Eating mindfully without any distractions and appreciating everything from the feel of the cutlery to how you cut the food, the muscles you use to raise the food to your mouth, and the texture, smell and taste of the meal as you chew it slowly can all reduce overeating, Adams says.
Mindfulness can also help with emotional eating. Many emotional eaters will head to the fridge as a reaction to stress or boredom without even thinking about it. Mindfulness teaches them to check in with themselves and their thoughts first.
4. Household chores
The staff at Adams’ Sydney practice used to argue about who should do the washing up – until they discovered mindfulness. “Mindfulness gives me a break from my head as I stand in front of a sink filled with hot, soapy water, and feel the texture of the cups,” Adams reveals.
5. Being stuck in a traffic jam
The commute to and from work can be testing. “You can either struggle with it and think, ‘Bloody traffic, what’s going on? I’m going to write a letter to the RTA,’” Adams says. “Or you can accept it and instead focus on the feeling of your hands on the steering wheel, the sun on your arms and the music on the radio.”
6. Relationships
If you’re feeling grumpy, it’s easy to take it out on your partner. In modern life, we rarely stop to examine how we’re thinking or feeling, we just react. So we might walk in the door after a bad day at work, thinking, “I bet he hasn’t started dinner.” And if he hasn’t, it can quickly lead to a row.
Mindfulness teaches you to recognise these negative scripts in your head before they play themselves out, which helps to improve your relationships, Adams says.
7. Parenting
Working parents can find mindfulness particularly useful. “I had a client who was a busy mum, racing home from work to tuck the kids into bed and read them a story. She’d rush through the story and if the kids asked what a word meant, she’d get annoyed,” Adams says. “She used mindfulness to really be present and aware. She later told me, ‘I had the best time doing that story.’”
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