Mindfulness Skills - VIDEO 2

Study Notes

Understanding Mindfulness: What Skills and Techniques to Use

Mindfulness is the state of fully awake and embodied awareness that arises through paying attention on purpose in the present moment.
Mindfulness includes focused attention, open awareness, and kind intention.
Observe is the first skill of mindfulness, which involves observing our experience at the level of pure sensation using our five senses.
Describing what we are observing is an optional step, using objective words and phrases, not judgments or editorializing.
Describing what we observe can help us recognize and name our feelings, which can help calm us down and settle our nervous system.
Imagining that thoughts and feelings are coming and going can help us let them pass naturally without clinging to them, which can lead to more suffering.
Some images that can be used to allow things we observe to pass through our awareness are putting them in a box and watching them travel down a conveyor belt, putting them on a leaf on a stream and watching them float away, or imagining clouds in the sky passing by.
Participate is the third skill of mindfulness, which involves putting mindfulness into action in everyday life.
Engaging in everyday activities mindfully can help slow down and tune into sensory experiences, which can help put us in the moment and take us out of our heads.
Mindfulness is often practiced in DBT groups and can also be found on the internet and apps.
Practicing mindfulness can help improve mental health and overall well-being.
Mindfulness involves being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment or attachment, which can help us respond to situations more effectively.

Description

Test your knowledge on the essential skills and techniques of mindfulness, including focused attention, open awareness, and kind intention. Learn about observing, describing, and participating mindfully to improve mental health and well-being.