I found our Mindfulness and Relaxation lab very helpful because I have never taken the time to seriously give relaxation techniques or mindfulness a try. My one and only exposure to Mindfulness exercises from a Positive Psychology class had been a memorable one. I have never thought of myself as being patient enough to sit still and focus on something as subtle as my own breath. But since then, I have not tried it again. It was great to experience how relaxation techniques (both passive and progressive!) can feel and compare it to mindfulness exercises.
Zindel Segal's "Teflon mind" as part of being mindful was a concept that stuck with me after lab. Although I don't overthink to the point of rumination (at least I don't think I do...), I do admit to having a tendency to overthink things. This tendency is usually related to events in my interpersonal relationships or social situations in general. In addition to this, I am very future oriented person. Those who know me will know that I'm a "planner". Paying attention to the present, to today and what's happening now has always been something that I have to remember to remind myself to do. The "Teflon mind" --being able to step back from emotions and let the present happen, is something that I aspire to have. If I could practice being more mindful, negative emotions would end up being peripheral issues that simply happen and I would feel that it is not necessary to react to them. In fact, I would probably become more observant to details through mindfulness practice. I'm a person who likes to feel productive and active in some way, which is why I found the mindfulness exercises more engaging. However, I can see when relaxation techniques would be more useful. For me, they would be more helpful than mindfulness when I'm feeling very Very stressed with my thoughts and just don't want to think any more.
Currently, my personal relaxation tools include washing dishes and ironing. Both of these activities have concrete steps that allow me to not think of anything but getting the task done. And after I am able to focus and complete the activity, there is the observable result of clean dishes or a smooth shirt as a reward. And that smooth white shirt is a beautiful sight indeed... I could try to incorporate mindfulness exercises into the stress-relieving activities I engage in now. Definitely something to think about!
RESOURCES to Try...
Mindfulness Exercises from UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center
More Mindfulness Exercises from Free Mindfulness
Suggestions for Daily Practice of Mindfulness from Jon Kabat-Zinn
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