A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
What is Mindfulness?
Describe an item that you ate today with at least 5 different descriptions (what it looks like, feels like, tastes like, etc.)
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Benefits of Mindfulness:
What is:
- Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Improved memory, focus, and mental processing speed
- Improved ability to manage emotions
- Improved ability to adapt to stressful situations
PARTICIPATE: Set a time for 1 minute. Players sit silently and observe one another. Notice how it feels to silently stare and be seen.
The leader picks a secret person and creates a question about their appearance. Ex: "Who is wearing a button down shirt and glasses?"
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Mindful Gratitude Exercise: Write down up to five things for which you feel grateful. The physical record is important—don’t just do this exercise in your head. The things you list can be relatively small in importance (“The tasty sandwich I had for lunch today.”) or relatively large (“My sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy.”). The goal of the exercise is to remember a good event, experience, person, or thing in your life—then enjoy the good emotions that come with it.
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Sit in silence with your eyes closed. Notice the parts of you that are touching the ground or chair. You may notice sensations of discomfort, perhaps an itch or a strong desire to move. These will not last long. Try to focus on breathing into the sense of discomfort. What will happen if you don't move?
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Share an example of a stressful situation that you think a person could utilize a mindfulness activity, and which activity would you recommend?
What is ....
Demonstrate how to do Square breathing...
Breathe in 1 2 3 4 ... Hold 1 2 3 4 ... Breathe out 1 2 3 4 ... Pause 1 2 3 4
A way of listening without judgment, criticism or interruption, while being aware of internal thoughts and reactions that may get in the way of people communicating with you effectively. When you listen mindfully, you are fully present in the moment, which means you can absorb the speaker's whole message, and s/he can feel heard and respected. By being present, cultivating empathy, and listening to your own cues, you can learn to let go of reactions and other distractions that block your understanding, so that you remain open and receptive to other people's ideas.
What is Mindful Listening?
Practice a Self Compassion activity: Ask yourself, “What do I need to hear right now to express kindness to myself?” Is there a phrase that speaks to you in your particular situation that would be useful to hear right now?
EXAMPLES: •May I give myself the compassion that I need •May I learn to accept myself just as I am •May I forgive myself •May I be strong and full of courage •May I be patient •May I develop skills to help myself