Mindfulness 101 & Nature
The number one skill I recommend to everyone, regardless of life stage or issue, is mindfulness. Here’s what mindfulness is all about and why it’s my go-to skill:
Mindfulness defined: in it’s simplest form, mindfulness is merely telling your mind what to focus on. A more formal definition, from a DBT perspective, is awareness of the present moment, without judgement and without attachment or pushing away.
In DBT, we use the example that our mind is like an untrained puppy. If that puppy were to enter the space you find yourself in now, it may excitedly trot toward you, then dodge you to crawl under the chair, suddenly tug at your shoelaces for a moment before getting distracted by a speck of something on the floor… then be startled by a noise before settling into chew on the leg of the chair and before you know it, it is trotting off to see the next thing and peeing along the way. It’s distracted with whatever comes into awareness. Mindfulness is like training school for your puppy mind. With training, you can better control your thoughts and reactions just like a puppy learns to sit and stay with good training. It is difficult work that takes time and practice, but over time it allows you to have more control over your mind, your awareness, attention and thoughts.
Open vs. closed attention: With mindfulness, we can focus our attention on one thing while filtering out distractions (closed attention) or open our attention to whatever comes into our field of awareness (open attention). An example of closed attention: focusing on your breathing, letting go of any other thought or sensation, meaning you let everything but your breath fall into the background. An example of open attention: set a soft gaze out the window but allow yourself to notice anything that comes into awareness, such as the people walking their dogs, the bug on the screen, a bird flying by, the sound of your refrigerator or air conditioning humming in the background, the sound of your phone buzzing as you receive a notification, then the subtle itch on your shin… letting each thing pass as the next enters. Both are forms of mindfulness and worthy of practice.
Benefits of mindfulness: Mindfulness helps us increase our awareness of our reality, and in turn, respond to life situations more effectively; over time, it can promote positive behavior change and better habits. In addition to that, mindfulness has many proven benefits, including:
- improved ability to problem solve and make decisions
- decreased stress, depression and anxiety
- improved concentration, memory and cognitive flexibility
- lower blood pressure
- improved sleep
- improved immune function
Forms of mindfulness (Note: this list is not exhaustive):
- Meditation
- Breathing exercises
- Movement, including yoga and walking
- Prayer
- Reading or listening to a song
Mindfulness and nature: Nature is a great vehicle for practicing mindfulness no matter whether you are a beginner or more advanced in your practice. Nature is one of the best tools for mindfulness because of the way it captures nearly all of our senses at once which helps ground us in the present moment more easily, plus our biological wiring toward survival helps us have heightened awareness. People who spend time in nature frequently describe it as calming, grounding and peaceful. Here are a few starting points to practice mindfulness in nature:
- Pay attention to your five senses: what can you see, hear, feel, smell and taste?
- Pay attention to movement— both of the environment around you and your own. Notice the rhythm of nature and your rhythm as you move- do they flow together? Is one faster or slower?
- Pay attention to your breathing; perhaps taking a deep breath with each, slow step you take, or using the wind as a reminder to pause, check on your breathing and take a few deep breaths.
- Notice the panoramic view before you, upward to the sky, down to ground level and the right and left periphery of your vision, expanding awareness to the limits of your attention and awareness.
- Drop a stick, rock or leaf in a body of water and observe the effect it has and where it goes.
- Observe the behavior of bugs or animals around you. (Tip: if you stand still or move slowly and quietly, you will likely notice more around you!)
You can also utilize nature for mindfulness without going outside; research shows merely looking at photos of nature has a calming effect. Here are a couple of ideas:
- Observe a photo of a beautiful, natural place you have visited; what emotions and memories does it bring up? See if you can recall the sights, sounds and smells around you in that place.
- Using your imagination to visualize a calming, natural space.
A handful of favorite resources:
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay