teayoucanletgo

Mind20181MindfulnessThisresourceprovidesinformationonmindfulness,howtopracticeitandhowitcanhelpwithmentalhealthproblems.
IfyouneedthisinformationinWorddocumentformatforcompatibilitywithscreenreaders,pleaseemail:publications@mind.
org.
ukContentsAboutmindfulness2Whatismindfulness2Howdoesmindfulnesswork2Canmindfulnesstreatmentalhealthproblems3WhatexercisescanItrytoday3Mindfulnessexercisestotry3Tipsongettingthemostfrommindfulnessexercises4HowcanIlearnmindfulness5Introductorycourses,tastersessionsandgroups5Formalmindfulnesscourses(MBCTandMBSR)6Buddhistmindfulnesscourses.
6One-to-onesessionswithprivatepractitioners7Onlinecourses,apps,booksandCDs.
7Ismindfulnessrightforme7Whatifitdoesn'tworkforme8Usefulcontacts.
9Whoelsecouldhelp9Mind20182AboutmindfulnessWhatismindfulnessMindfulnessisatechniqueyoucanlearnwhichinvolvesmakingaspecialefforttonoticewhat'shappeninginthepresentmoment(inyourmind,bodyandsurroundings)–withoutjudginganything.
IthasrootsinBuddhismandmeditation,butyoudon'thavetobespiritual,orhaveanyparticularbeliefs,totryit.
Itaimstohelpyou:becomemoreself-awarefeelcalmerandlessstressedfeelmoreabletochoosehowtorespondtoyourthoughtsandfeelingscopewithdifficultorunhelpfulthoughtsbekindertowardsyourself.
Manypeoplefindpractisingmindfulnesshelpsthemmanagetheirday-to-daywellbeing,butitdoesn'talwaysworkforeveryone(seeourpageonismindfulnessrightforme)Mindfulnessisaskill.
Itrequiresworklikeanytherapyandpracticelikeanyskill.
Itisn'tashortcutandcoursesonlysetthescene,butIfinditenjoyableandrewarding.
MostofallIfinditbringssomepeaceintomylife.
HowdoesmindfulnessworkThewaywethink(andwhatwethinkabout)canaffecthowwefeelandact.
Forexample,ifyouthinkorworryalotaboutupsettingpastorfutureevents,youmightoftenfeelsadoranxious.
Thetheorybehindmindfulnessisthatbyusingvarioustechniquestobringyourattentiontothepresent(usuallyfocusingonyourbodyandyourbreathing),youcan:Noticehowthoughtscomeandgoinyourmind.
Youmaylearnthattheydon'thavetodefinewhoyouare,oryourexperienceoftheworld,andyoucanletgoofthem.
Noticewhatyourbodyistellingyou.
Forexample,tensionoranxietycanoftenbefeltinyourbody(suchasinafastheartbeat,tensemusclesorshallowbreathing).
Createspacebetweenyouandyourthoughts,soyoucanreactmorecalmly.
TheOxfordMindfulnessCentrehasmoreinformationabouthowmindfulnessworks.
WhenIfeelanxietybuilding,mindfulnesshelpsmetokeepcalmbybecomingmoreintouchwiththesituation.
Mind20183CanmindfulnesstreatmentalhealthproblemsCommonmentalhealthproblems.
Studiesshowthatpractisingmindfulnesscanhelptomanagedepression,someanxietyproblemsandfeelingsofstress.
Somestructuredmindfulness-basedtherapieshavealsobeendevelopedtotreattheseproblemsmoreformally.
Insomecasesthesetreatmentsarerecommendedasevidence-basedtreatmentsbytheNationalInstituteofHealthandClinicalExcellence(NICE).
Complexmentalhealthproblems.
Researchintowhethermindfulnesscouldhelptreatmorecomplexmentalhealthconditions,suchaspsychosisandbipolardisorder,isstillintheearlystages.
It'snotclearyethowhelpfulmindfulnesscouldbeformanagingtheseconditions–butyoumightfinditworksforyou.
NICErecommendsagainstusingmindfulness-basedtreatmentsforsocialanxietyasthere'ssomeevidencethatmindfulnessmightmakeyoursymptomsworseratherthanbetter.
Talktoyourdoctoraboutwhatkindsoftreatmentsmightsuityoubest.
Mindfulnessdoeshelpmewithmymentalhealthissues.
It'snotthecureanditwon'tworkeverysingletime,butithashelpedmetoalleviateanxietyanddepressionbycentringmythoughts.
WhatexercisescanItrytodayMindfulnessexercisestotryHereareafewexercisesyoucouldtry.
Youdon'tneedanyspecialequipment:Mindfuleating.
Thisinvolvespayingattentiontothetaste,sightandtexturesofwhatyoueat.
Forexample,whendrinkingacupofteaorcoffeeyoucouldfocusonhowhotandliquiditfeelsonyourtongue,howsweetittastesorwatchthesteamthatitgivesoff.
Mindfulmoving,walkingorrunning.
Noticethefeelingofyourbodymoving.
Youmightnoticethebreezeagainstyourskin,thefeelingofyourfeetorhandsagainstdifferenttexturesonthegroundornearbysurfaces,andthedifferentsmellsthatarearoundyou.
Bodyscan.
Thisiswhereyoumoveyourattentionslowlythroughdifferentpartsofthebody,startingfromthetopofyourheadmovingallthewaydowntotheendofyourtoes.
Youcouldfocusonfeelingsofwarmth,tension,tinglingorrelaxationofdifferentpartsofyourbody.
Mindfulcolouringanddrawing.
Focusonthecoloursandthesensationofyourpencilagainstthepaper,ratherthantryingtodrawsomethinginparticular.
YouMind20184coulduseamindfulnesscolouringbookordownloadmindfulnesscolouringimages.
Mindfulmeditation.
Thisinvolvessittingquietlyandfocusingonyourbreathing,yourthoughts,sensationsinyourbodyandthethingsyoucanheararoundyou.
Trytobringyoufocusbacktothepresentifyourmindstartstowander.
Manypeoplealsofindthatyogahelpsthemtoconcentrateontheirbreathingandfocusonthepresentmoment.
Seeourpageontypesofalternativeandcomplementarytherapyformoreinformationmeditationandyoga.
Differentthingsworkfordifferentpeople,soifyoudon'tfindoneexerciseuseful,tryanother.
Youcanalsotryadaptingthemsothattheysuityouandareeasiertofitinwithyourdailylife.
Youcanfindmoreexamplesofexercisestotryinourpageonrelaxationexercises.
Somepeoplefindpractisingmindfulnessinnaturecanhaveextrabenefits–seeourpageofideastotryinnatureforsuggestions.
Themindfulnesscolouringreallyhelpsmeunwindandrelaxintheevening.
ItpromotesbettersleepandIgotobedfeelingreadytorestratherthananxiousandwired.
TipsongettingthemostfrommindfulnessexercisesWhenyoudoanymindfulnessexercise,thekeystepsare:Payattention–forexample,whenyoushowerinthemorning,makeaspecialefforttoreallypayattentiontothefeelofthewateronyourskin.
Notice–whenyourmindwanders,whichisjustwhatmindsdo,simplynoticewhereyourthoughtshavedriftedto.
Chooseandreturn–choosetobringyourattentionbacktothepresentmoment,usuallybyfocusingonyourbreathingoranothersensationinyourbody.
Beawareandaccept–noticeandbeawareofemotionsyouarefeelingorsensationsinyourbody.
Trytoobserveandacceptthesefeelingswithfriendlycuriosityandwithoutjudgement.
Bekindtoyourself–rememberthatmindfulnessisdifficulttodoandourmindswillalwayswander.
Trynottobecriticalofyourself.
Whenyounoticeyourmindwandering,youcanjustgentlybringyourselfbacktotheexercise.
Itcanalsohelpto:Setasideregulartimetopractise.
Regularshortperiodsofmindfulmeditationcanworkbetterthanoccasionallongones.
Ifyoustruggletofindthetime,youmightwanttodecideononeortworoutineactivitieswhichyouwilltrytodomindfullyeachday.
Mind20185Makeyourselfcomfortable.
Itcanhelptodomindfulnessinaspacewhereyoufeelsafeandcomfortableandwon'tbeeasilydistracted.
Goslowly.
Trytobuildyourpracticeslowly.
Remember,you'relearninganewskillsoit'lltaketimetodevelop.
Mostpeoplefindithardtositandmeditateforlongperiodsoftimeatfirst,sotrytodoafewminutesandgraduallybuilduptomore.
Bepatient.
There'snoneedtosetambitiousgoalsorputpressureonyourself.
Manypeoplefindittakesawhiletofeelcomfortabledoingmindfulnessexercises.
MindfulnessmakesmefeelsafebecauseevenwhenIcan'taccessmycounsellors,carers,medicationandrelapsepreventionplan,mindfulnessisstillthere.
Nothingcantakeitaway.
HowcanIlearnmindfulnessThispagegivesanoverviewofthefollowingoptions,andletsyouknowwheretofindoutmoreaboutthem:Introductorycourses,tastersessionsandgroupsFormalmindfulnesscourses(MBCTandMBSR)BuddhistmindfulnesscoursesOne-to-onesessionswithprivatepractitionersOnlinecourses,apps,booksandCDsOurinformationondecidingwhethermindfulnessisrightforyouandgettingthemostfrommindfulnessalsosuggestssomeusefulthingstobearinmind.
Checkyourmindfulnessteacher'squalificationsMindfulnesscoursesshouldalwaysbedeliveredbyanappropriateperson.
CheckyourteacherislistedbytheUKMindfulnessNetwork.
Thisshowsthattheyareproperlytrained,holdinsuranceandaresupervisedbyanotherexperiencedprofessional.
Sometimesmindfulnessmakesyouturntowardsthingsyouwouldnormallyavoid.
Thatcanbechallenging.
Butifyouhaveanexperiencedmindfulnessteachertheycanhelpyoutopaceyourself.
Introductorycourses,tastersessionsandgroups'Introductiontomindfulness'courses:canrangefromonedaycoursestoeightweekcoursesaretypicallyverystructuredandwillgothroughthebasicconceptsandexercisesmaybetailoredtoparticulargroups,suchasstudents,peopleservinginthemilitaryorpeoplewithaparticulardiagnosis.
Brieftastersessionsandinformalmindfulnessgroupsarealsocommon.
Mind20186Youmightfindintroductorycourses,tastersessionsorgroupsareorganisedthroughyourplaceofworkoreducation,oralocallibraryorcommunitycentre.
SomelocalMindbranchesmayrunmindfulnesscoursesandgroups.
Privatepractitionersmayalsoofferintroductorycoursesforafee.
Iwentonamindfulnesscourseonceaweekforabouteightweeks.
Itcoveredbodymindfulness,mindfuleating,mindfulwalking,mindfulenvironmentalawarenessandmore.
Formalmindfulnesscourses(MBCTandMBSR)Somestructuredmindfulnesstherapyprogrammeshavebeendevelopedtotreatspecificproblems.
Themostwell-establishedcoursesare:Mindfulness-basedcognitivetherapy(MBCT)–fordepressionandanxiety.
Mindfulness-basedstressreduction(MBSR)–forgeneralstress.
Itcanalsohelpyoumanagelong-termhealthconditions.
InsomecasesthesearerecommendedtreatmentsontheNHS,asstudiesshowthattheycanworkwell.
ButtheiravailabilityontheNHSvariesacrossthecountry,andwaitinglistscanbelong.
Differentcoursesmayhaveslightlydifferentstructures,butingeneralthey:aredeliveredbyqualifiedpractitionerslastforafixednumberofsessions,acrossaspecifictimeframe(typicallyweeklytwo-hoursessionsrunovereightweeks)–althoughsomecoursesmayofferintroductorysessionswhicharemuchshorter.
aregroup-based,involvinggroupworkandgroupdiscussion(youcanusuallycontributeasmuchasyoufeelcomfortablewith)involveamixtureofmeditationdailymindfulnessexercises,whichyou'reaskedtopractiseinbetweensessions.
TalktoyourGPorusetheonlineNHSservicefindertofindoutiftheseprogrammesareavailablenearyou.
Theymayalsobeofferedthroughtheprivatesector,althoughthisinvolvespayingafee.
Youcanalsofindoutmorefromourpagesoncognitivebehaviouraltherapy(CBT)andtalkingtherapyandcounselling,andtheMBCTwebsite.
BuddhistmindfulnesscoursesThesekindsofcoursesincludetraditionalBuddhistpracticesofmindfulnessmeditationandothermindfultechniques.
They'reusuallytaughtatBuddhistcentresinthecontextofBuddhistteaching,andarelikelytopromotegeneralmentalwellbeing(notbeatailoredtreatmentforspecifichealthproblems).
SeeBuddhanet'sworldBuddhistdirectorytofindaBuddhistcentrenearyou,andcontactthemdirectlytoseewhattheyoffer.
Mind20187One-to-onesessionswithprivatepractitionersSomemindfulnessteachersofferone-to-onesessionsthroughtheprivatesector.
Sometherapistsandcounsellorsalsohavemindfulnesstrainingandcanintegratemindfulness-basedtechniquesintotheirapproach.
One-to-onesessionsaremorelikelytobebetailoredtoyourparticularsituation,anddon'tincludeanygroupwork,buttheymaybeexpensive.
Youcanlookforaqualifiedmindfulnessteacherortherapistinyourlocalareathrough:TheUKMindfulnessNetworkandBeMindfulonlinesearchtools,whichonlylistqualifiedteachers.
Oneoftheprofessionalbodiesfortherapylistedinourinformationonhowtofindaprivatetherapist.
Formoreinformationonthingstoconsiderwhenstartinganykindoftherapy,seeourpagegettingthemostfromtherapy.
Onlinecourses,apps,booksandCDsTherearemanyself-guidedmindfulnessresourcesavailabletoguideyouthroughdifferentmindfulnessexercises.
Apps,booksandCDsaretypicallylessstructuredthananonlinecourses.
There'snoformalregulationofself-helpresourcesandtheyvarygreatlyinqualityandcost,soitcanbehardtojudgewhatmightworkforyou.
Butingeneral,it'sagoodideatolookforcourseorresourcethat:isdesignedanddeliveredbyqualifiedmindfulnessteachersgivesyouclearinformationaboutitspotentialbenefitsandrisksprovidesinformationaboutresearchstudiesthathaveexploredhoweffectiveitisissupportedbytheNHSoramentalhealthorganisation,orhasbeenrecommendedtoyoubysomeoneyoutrust.
Forexample:BeMindful(partoftheMentalHealthFoundationcharity)runsa4weekonlinemindfulnesscoursedevelopedbyqualifiedteachers.
It'slistedintheNHSDigitalLibrary.
Breathworksoffersmindfulnesscoursestomanagepain,stressandillness.
Ourpageofmindfulnessexercisesgivesmoretipsondoingmindfulnessbyyourself.
Forsupportwithusingdigitalmentalhealthtools,seeourpagesonstayingsafeonline.
IsmindfulnessrightformeMind20188Althoughanyonecantryit,beingmindfulisn'talwayseasytodo.
Itcantakepractice,andmightnotberightforeveryone.
Itmighthelptoconsider:HowdoIwanttolearnmindfulnessTherearelotsofwaystolearnmindfulness,andtheywon'tallsuiteveryone.
(Ourpageonwheretolearnmindfulnessdiscussesdifferentoptions.
)WhatwillitcostManyeverydaymindfulnessexercisesarefreetodo,butformalcoursesandlearningmaterialsmaycostmoney.
AmIpreparedtonoticemydifficultthoughtsThiscouldmakeyoufeelworseatfirst.
Ifyoufindtheexercisesdistressingthenit'sbesttogetadvicefromatrainedprofessional.
AmIabletoputtheworkinLearningmindfulnesstakesregularpractice.
Ifyou'reattendingamindfulnesscourse,youmightalsohavetotraveltoweeklysessions,whichcanbedemanding.
ArealltheexercisessafeformetodoSomemayinvolvesittingstillforlongperiodsoftimeandfocusingonyourbreath,whichmightnotbesuitableforeveryone–forexampleifyouhavemobilityissuesorbreathingproblems.
TalktoyourGPoratrainedmindfulnesspractitionerifyouhaveanyconcerns.
IsmindfulnesstherighttoolformyproblemsMindfulnesstendstobequiteageneralwellbeingtool.
Ifyouwanttoworkonaspecificissuethenyoumightfindamorefocusedtreatmentmorehelpful.
AmIwellenoughtostartsomethingnewrightnowIfyou'refeelingveryunwelltryingtolearnanewskillmightbeoverwhelming.
Youmightneedmoretreatmentandsupportinplacebeforeyoustart.
SometimesmindfulnessputsmeintouchwithfeelingsI'vebeenpushingaway.
Inthelongtermthat'sbetterbutatthetimeitcanbereallydistressing.
Whatifitdoesn'tworkformeAlthoughsomepeoplefindmindfulnesshelpful,noteveryonedoes.
Ifyou'vetriedsomethingandithasn'thelped,it'simportantnottoblameyourself.
Lookingafteryourmentalhealthcanbereallydifficult,especiallywhenyou'renotfeelingwell.
Itcantaketimeandmaynotbestraightforward.
Butmanypeoplefindthatwhentheyfindtherightcombinationoftreatments,self-careandsupport,itispossibletofeelbetter.
Seeourpagesonlookingafteryourwellbeingandseekinghelpforamentalhealthproblemforotheroptionsyoucouldexplore.
WhenI'minaparticularlyunwellstatemindfulnessisnotbeneficial,asIcannotbringmyselfintothepresentatall.
Mind20189UsefulcontactsMind'sservicesHelplines–allourhelplinesprovideinformationandsupportbyphoneandemail.
OurBlueLightInfolineisjustforemergencyservicestaff,volunteersandtheirfamilies.
oMind'sInfoline–03001233393,info@mindoMind'sLegalLine–03004666463,legal@mindoBlueLightInfoline–03003035999,bluelightinfo@mindLocalMinds–thereareover140localMindsacrossEnglandandWaleswhichprovideservicessuchastalkingtreatments,peersupport,andadvocacy.
FindyourlocalMindhere,andcontactthemdirectlytoseehowtheycanhelp.
Elefriendsisasupportiveonlinecommunityforanyoneexperiencingamentalhealthproblem.
SeeourElefriendspagefordetails.
WhoelsecouldhelpBeMindfulbemindful.
co.
ukInformationaboutmindfulnessandanonlinecourse,aswellasasearchtooltofindmindfulnesspractitionersinyourarea.
Breathworksbreathworks-mindfulness.
org.
ukProvidesmindfulnesscoursesformanagingalltypesoflongtermhealthconditions,includingpainandstress.
Buddhanetbuddhanet.
netAnot-for-profitorganisationwhichprovidesinformationaboutBuddhistgroupsaroundtheworld.
Hasasearchabledirectorytofindgroupsnearyou.
Mindfulness-basedCognitiveTherapy(MBCT)mbct.
co.
ukInformationaboutmindfulness-basedcognitivetherapy(MBCT)includingonlineresources.
NationalInstituteforHealthandCareExcellence(NICE)nice.
org.
ukReportsandguidelinesonvariousmentalhealthproblemsandtreatments.
Mind201810NHSservicefindernhs.
uk/service-searchSearchfacilitywhichenablesyoutolookforahealthservice,includingaGP,inyourarea.
OxfordMindfulnessCentreoxfordmindfulness.
orgAcharityandacademicresearchcentrewithinformationandresearchaboutmindfulness.
Italsorunssessionsandofferstrainingformindfulnessteachers.
UKMindfulnessNetworkukmindfulnessnetwork.
co.
ukProvidesasearchtooltofindregisteredmindfulnessteachersinyourlocalarea.
MindJune2018Toberevisedin2021.
Referencesareavailableonrequest.