Make Mindfulness Part of Your Daily Routine in 2019

Make Mindfulness Part of Your Daily Routine in 2019

by | Jan 18, 2019

Blue and orange sunset over a lake surrounded by trees in the foreground and background.

Be mindful and enjoy the moment.
Photo source: UF/IFAS Northwest District

Now that the busy holiday season is over, it is time not only to reflect on the past, but to prepare and refocus for the New Year ahead. As we focus on the New Year, it is always refreshing to have a clean slate. As the year begins to unfold, there are tips to help you manage your day-to-day stress levels.  It begins with mindfulness.

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” –Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn (1991)

Mindfulness is best thought of as a way of being rather than an activity in and of itself. Almost any activity can be carried out with mindful awareness.

Mindful awareness has three key features:
Purpose – mindfulness involves intentionally and purposefully directing your attention rather than letting it wander.

Presence – mindfulness involves being fully engaged with and attentive to the present moment. Thoughts about the past and future that arise are recognized simply as thoughts occurring in the present.

Acceptance – mindfulness involves being nonjudgmental toward whatever arises in the moment. This means that sensations, thoughts, and emotions are not judged as good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant; they are simply noticed as “happening,” and observed until they eventually pass (Naik, Harris, and Forthun 2016).

Mindfulness is a mind-body practice that has been found to benefit both psychological and physical health. The primary psychological change that occurs during mindfulness practice is an increased awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the present moment. Over time, mindfulness practice can help you to become aware of the space between noticing experiences and reacting to them by letting you slow down and observe the processes of your mind (Black 2010). The ultimate goal of mindfulness practice is for you to take advantage of this space so you can make more intentional decisions – to wake up from living life on autopilot, based on unproductive habits of mind (Black 2010; Walach et al. 2007).

According to the American Psychological Association, some empirically supported benefits of mindfulness include the following (Davis & Hayes 2011):

Psychological Benefits
Increased awareness of one’s mind
Significantly reduced stress, anxiety, and negative emotions
Increased control over ruminative thinking (a major cause and symptom of depression and anxiety)
Increased mental flexibility and focus
More working memory
Decreased distracting thoughts
Decreased emotional reactivity
Increased capacity for intentional, responsive behaviors
Increased empathy, compassion and conscientiousness of others’ emotions

Physiological Benefits
Enhanced immune system functioning
Increased brain density and neural integration in areas responsible for positive emotions, self-regulation, and long-term planning
Lowered blood pressure
Lowered levels of blood cortisol (a major stress hormone)
Greater resistance to stress-related illnesses such as heart disease

Spiritual Benefits
Increased self-insight and self-acceptance
Increased acceptance of others
Increased compassion and empathy
Increased sense of morality, intuition, and courage to change
Increased control over automatic behaviors
Increased self-discipline

The question is: how many of us would like to benefit from mindfulness if it provides these positive benefits?  All of us should strive to lower our stress level and enjoy our daily lives with a more positive attitude and more attentiveness. So, how can we incorporate this into our lives?  The majority of this practice is about familiarizing yourself with what it feels like to be mindful, and getting better at “remembering” to maintain mindful awareness.

Experiment with creating your own mindfulness practices throughout your day. Being mindful of the sensation on the soles of your feet as you walk to your car or the taste and texture of your morning coffee can transform routine moments into deeply satisfying practices. However, having a ritualized and structured practice can be beneficial. To find out more about practicing mindfulness and how to incorporate a more structured practice in your life visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu, Publication # FCS2335 – Mindfulness: An Introduction.

Source: Mindfulness: An Introduction. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Publication # FCS2335.

Making SMART Resolutions

Making SMART Resolutions

by | Jan 18, 2019

Every year, millions of us make New Year’s resolutions in the hope of implementing a few changes in our lives. We resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, save money, read more, or spend more time with our family.

Unfortunately, research shows that only about 8% of New Year’s resolutions are actually kept, which begs the question: Why do so few of us stick to the goals we set for ourselves?

In many cases, the answer is simple. We set the bar too high and become discouraged. Instead of losing 5 pounds, we want to lose 50. Instead of saving $10, we want to save $1000. Many resolutions are created with the overall end goal in mind, when we really should be focusing on making incremental changes.

The trick to successful goal-setting is crafting realistic goals that have a better chance of being reached. For example, instead of making the goal to lose 50 pounds, how about setting smaller goals to lose 5 pounds at a time until the overall goal of 50 pounds is met? These smaller goals help reduce frustration and discouragement and are more likely to lead to success.

Setting smaller, realistic goals is one of the major characteristics of what are known as SMART goals.  SMART goals are designed to be more specific and manageable, making them easier to achieve and leading to a better likelihood of success. The SMART acronym provides the five keys to creating better goals:

Specific. Goals should be targeted and specific. While it is great to want to “be healthier” in the upcoming year, what does that mean in specific terms? Does it mean reducing sodium intake? Cooking more meals at home? Losing 10 pounds? Implementing a walking routine? By setting specific goals, it will be easier to track progress.

Measurable. If there is no way to measure progress, then a goal is not very useful. Along with being specific, good goals need to be able to be tracked. Implementing a walking routine is one thing, but being able to set a distance or time goal will help make it more meaningful. If the goal is to walk 30 minutes a day five days a week, that is easily measured.

Achievable. The biggest key to any goal is not setting the bar too high. Too often, we want to set pie in the sky goals because we want to get to where we want to be right now. The problem with that, however, is that when we are not seeing the results we want, we get discouraged and give up. Setting smaller, more manageable goals will make them more achievable.

Relevant. We sometimes set goals for ourselves that get in the way of other, more important things. When setting goals, determine whether it is something that will really make a positive impact. Will working towards this goal prevent us from doing something else that requires our attention? If the goal will not ultimately work towards our overall endpoint, perhaps it is not worth pursuing.

Timed. Nebulous, open-ended goals are often ineffective because they leave too much time to achieve them. Consider this:  If my goal is to lose 10 pounds, but I do not give myself a deadline by which to lose the weight, I am not holding myself accountable since I can just keep giving myself more and more time to reach my goal. However, if I set my goal to lose 10 pounds in 3 months, I am more likely to continue working towards my goal. Setting time limits can help increase the odds of success.

New Year’s goal setting is not a new concept. Neither is not achieving our New Year’s resolutions. However, by creating SMART goals for ourselves, we can help beat the odds and achieve our goals in 2019.

For more information, please call Samantha Kennedy at the UF/IFAS Wakulla County Extension office at (850) 926-3931.

Extension classes are open to everyone regardless of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.