In our third and last segment of GEM we will discuss mindfulness which Hugh defines as "the ability to be wherever you are." Practicing mindfulness can improve your ability to concentrate, increase empathy - which we practiced over this last month, and - this is my favorite concept - improve equanimity, or as Jeff Warren calls it being "frictionless." Equanimity is basically the ability to stay level-headed, calm and composed regardless of the situation. This allows all events to be experienced equally and without bias - while our natural habitual tendency is typically to seek the pleasant and avoid the unpleasant.
In order to receive these benefits Hugh suggests several different exercises, the first being whatever form of meditation works best for you. There are countless meditation apps, you can do breathing exercises, or one of my favorites is honing in on one particular sense like closing your eyes and observing any sounds you can hear, or studying an object and all its details, colors, or textures. I have personally always had a hard time "clearing my mind" which is what I originally thought meditation was supposed to be. However as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn mindfulness is simply “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
The other major detraction from mindfulness can often be dopamine-chasing. It could manifest itself in habits like excessive snacking, social media, or many others. It is the desire, and sometimes addiction, of wanting a quick feel-good win and avoiding discomfort - whether that discomfort might be a project you're putting off, boredom, or loneliness. Smart phones and social media seem to be one of the most commonly used quick dopamine fixes. For this reason Hugh suggests at least analyzing why you are picking up your phone or computer so often - is there a feeling you're trying to avoid? Are there times you could leave your phone in the other room, turn off notifications, or delete apps that are feeding this dopamine chase? And once you figure that out, let the negative emotions play out - it's okay to not always feel positive feelings. The world is full of the yin and yang and with mindfulness we can give both space to exist because without one you would not be able to fully experience the other.
During this holiday season I hope that we are all able to slow down, enjoy our experiences, and carry forth new habits that will allow us to continue moving toward the higher end of the mental health spectrum more often. I will include resources below and a link to the last time we worked on meditation to hopefully help you find success in this adventure. Thank you so much for another amazing year and see you all in 2024!
Resources:
"Let Go" - Hugh van Cuylenburg https://www.amazon.com/Let-Go/dp/1761043277
Phone jail: https://www.amazon.com/KSafe-Time-Release-Lock-Box/dp/B09SRGYK5F
Meditation Apps:
Resiliency project
Calm
Headspace
Insight Timer
Healthy Minds Program
Ten Percent
Jeff Warren https://jeffwarren.org/articles/vehiclesvsparts/
National Library of Medicine - Mindfulness and Equanimity https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350240/
Breaking the Dopamine Cycle https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/1090009509/addiction-how-to-break-the-cycle-and-find-balance
Comments