Mindfulness and Meditation for Nursing Students PDF

Mindfulness and Meditation for Nursing Students Jill Dombrowski, PhD, RN 1  Mini-meditation and breathing From Headspace: Mini-Meditation/Breathe When you inhale, allow your belly to expand, like a child! How did you feel after that brief exercise? Di...

Mindfulness and Meditation for Nursing Students Jill Dombrowski, PhD, RN 1  Mini-meditation and breathing From Headspace: Mini-Meditation/Breathe When you inhale, allow your belly to expand, like a child! How did you feel after that brief exercise? Diaphragmatic breathing and other resources from CUA Counseling Center https://counseling.catholic.edu/resources/video-audio-library.html (4:50): https://vimeo.com/403320572 2  What is Meditation? “Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. ” (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH, 2016) 3  Do many people meditate? A new report based on data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that U.S. adults’ use of meditation in the past 12 months tripled between 2012 and 2017 (from 4.1 percent to 14.2 percent). (NCCIH, 2016) https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-in-depth National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 4  Is meditation new? Is it just for Buddists? Can prayer be meditation? Meditation has been around for about 5,000 years! Many faith traditions and secular traditions include meditation. Yes, prayer can be a form of meditation. John Main was an Irish Benedictine Monk. For more information on local Catholic meditation The John Main Center at GU 5 Meditation in the Christian tradition “The repetition of a sacred word or phrase is a universal method of meditation that can be practiced by all ages and people of all backgrounds. A mantra is a word (or phrase) you repeat, silently and faithfully, during the entire time of your meditation…” (The John Main Center, 2016.) Available at https://johnmaincenter.org/about-meditation/ 6  Catholic Mindfulness Dr. Greg Bottaro (Author of “The Mindful Catholic”) “Mindfulness is awareness of the present moment” Try The Sacramental Pause: Ever present God, here with me now, help me to be here with you (repeat several times) Difference between Buddist and Catholic traditions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1341zAc1Xw 7  Historical Highlights 1500 BC: Earliest archeological documentation 1970’s clinical studies by Herbert Benson, MD 1979 Jon Kabat-Zinn founded Mindfulness- based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at U. Mass 1996 Deepak Chopra founded Chopra Center for Well-being 2007 NCCIM published study that over 9% of adults meditate 2010-2024 proliferation of meditation centers and resources 8  Defining mindfulness Paying attention in a particular way on purpose, in the present moment, without judgement” Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD Professor Emeritus University of Massachusetts Medical School Founder of Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society and Stress Reduction Clinic [used Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with chronically ill patients] 9  How is Mindfulness related to Meditation? “Mindfulness is the key ingredient of most meditation techniques.” “Often the words are used interchangeably.” “The practice of meditation provides such good conditions for learning mindfulness that for many (people), that’s as far as they want to take it.” (Puddicombe, 2011) (Founder of Headspace) 10  How do you know if you should practice Mindfulness? “There are some signs that practicing mindfulness might be beneficial in your life. You might want to give mindfulness a try if: You are struggling with feelings of anxiety or depression. You feel distracted or find it hard to concentrate. You feel stressed. You have a hard time practicing self-compassion. You struggle with overeating or excessive snacking. You tend to focus on negative emotions. Your relationships with others are not as close or as strong as you would like.” (VeryWell Mind, 2022) https://www.verywellmind.com/mindfulness-the-health-and-stress-relief-benefits-3145189 11  Benefits of Mindfulness Some research suggests that practicing meditation may reduce blood pressure, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression, and insomnia. Evidence about its effectiveness for pain and as a smoking-cessation treatment is uncertain. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-in-depth 12  Mindfulness approach “Mindfulness refers to being completely in touch with and aware of the present moment, as well as taking a non-evaluative and non- judgmental approach to your inner experience. For example, a mindful approach to one's inner experience is simply viewing "thoughts as thoughts" as opposed to evaluating certain thoughts as positive or negative.” (verywell mind, 2024) http://ptsd.about.com/od/glossary/g/Mind_def.htm 13  Attitudes of Mindfulness (Davies, 2017) 1. Beginner’s mind: the 5. Patience: letting an experience unfold without ability to look afresh at your experience trying to hasten it 2. Curiosity: approaching an 6. Trust: belief in yourself experience with interest 7. Letting Go: allow 3. Non-judgement: sensing thoughts and emotions to pass the raw data without labeling as good or bad 8. Non-Striving: rather 4. Acceptance: Allowing than rushing toward a your experience to be as it goal, let things be as they are is without trying to change it. 9. Compassion: being kind to yourself and others 14  4 major Skills of Mindfulness http://ptsd.about.com/od/selfhelp/a/mindskill.htm 1. Awareness Focus your attention on one thing at a time. “This includes being aware of and able to recognize all the things that are going on around you (for example, sights and sounds), as well as all the things that are going on inside you (for example, thoughts and feelings).” (Verywell Mind, 2022) https://www.verywellmind.com/using-mindfulness-for-ptsd-2797588 Critical Thinking Moment (CTM): What would this school of thought have to say about multi-tasking? What does the evidence say about multi-tasking in regard to time and stress-management? 15  4 Major Skills of Mindfulness 2. Nonjudgmental/Nonevaluative Observation: “This skill is focused on looking at your experiences in a nonjudgmental way. That is, simply looking at things in an objective way as opposed to labeling them as either "good" or "bad." An important part of this skill is self-compassion.” (Verywell Mind, 2022) Hmmm… that teacher’s comment made me feel tense… Say to yourself: That’s not good or bad, it’s just the way I feel. 16  4 Major Skills of Mindfulness 3. Being in the Present Moment “Part of mindfulness is being in touch with the present moment as opposed to being caught up in thoughts about the past (also called rumination) or the future (or worry). An aspect of this skill is being an active participant in experiences instead of just "going through the motions" or "being stuck on auto-pilot.“ (Verywell Mind, 2022) You’re walking on campus and you see this: 2. the mindfulness response would sound Do you think: more like? 1. “huh, cool flower. Wow that test was awful… bet I failed” 17  4 Major Skills of Mindfulness 4. Beginner's Mind “This skill of mindfulness focuses on being open to new possibilities. It also refers to observing or looking at things as they truly are, as opposed to what we think they are or evaluate them to be. For example, going into a situation with a preconceived notion of how things will turn out can color your experience. This can prevent you from getting in touch with the true experience.” (Verywell Mind, 2022) CTM: Consider what you’ve heard about a particular nursing situation, for example, your psych/mental health rotation. What could you do on day one of that rotation that would use the skill of “beginner’s mind”? 18  Physiological Evidence: Mindfulness works through The Relaxation Response: Dr. Herbert Benson (died Feb 3, 2022) “The relaxation response is a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress (e.g., decreases in heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, and muscle tension).” (The American Institute of Stress, 2012) 19  How to be there for others from Dr. Holly Weber, Counseling Center 1. Listen mindfully 2. Ask what friend needs (validation, problem- solving, distraction) 3. Share info about Counseling Center if needed Not sure what to do? Call the Counseling Center at 202-319-5765 to consult with them 20 Know when to refer (Dr. H. Weber) Change in mood for 1 wk + Change in appetite/ weight Decreased interest in usual activities Sleeping +/- Fatigue, physical symptoms Difficulty concentration Suicidal or homicidal ideation, self-harm Isolating, withdrawal Lower grades, difficulty completing work Increased alcohol or drug use 21  Mental Health Resources National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Crisis textline. Text HOME to 741741 Warmline: DCAccess Helpline 888-793-4357 22  Videos from the CUA Counseling Center Diaphragmatic breathing (4:50): https://vimeo.com/403320572 Mindful moments (6:10): https://vimeo.com/432509316 Mindful moments 2 (7:07) Breathing in a tender & loving way https://vimeo.com/417616660 Mindfully processing emotion https://vimeo.com/425936448 23  How to Elicit The Relaxation Response: Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system, such as "one," "peace," "The Lord is my shepherd," "Hail Mary full of grace," or "shalom." Sit quietly in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, head, and neck. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself as you exhale. Assume a passive attitude. Don't worry about how well you're doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, "Oh well," and gently return to your repetition. Continue for ten to 20 minutes. Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising. 24  Select References Davies, K. (2017). Mastering Mindfulness: Finding Focus, Calm, and Happiness in Daily Life. Anness Publishing Ltd. Puddicombe, A. (2011). The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day. NY: St. Martin’s Essentials 25  Other resources CUA counseling center video library: https://counseling.catholic.edu/resources/video -audio-library.html Catholic Mindfulness with Dr. Greg Bottaro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSt3c- UdW4s (4:05) Watch this one on your own 26