Mindfulness: An Approach to Dealing With Anxiety
Mindfulness is the skill of focusing our thoughts and attention on the present. This means that we are able to determine what information is important and worth paying attention to. The inability to ignore distracting information and thoughts can lead to severe worrying, which is characteristic of General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD is a commonly occurring chronic disorder that affects many people’s well-being. Several different approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), are used to help with GAD. Although Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for GAD, a significant number of patients do not recover fully with CBT, and must continue living with anxiety.
In efforts to improve treatment outcomes, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a new approach that psychologists are exploring. In MBCT, patients engage in mindfulness training. Patients learn to bring their consciousness and awareness to the present and learn to observe this consciousness. This therapy often takes place in a group setting where patients participate in exercises that introduce techniques that can be used to help improve mindfulness. The exercises include different variations of meditation as well as learning to understand how worried thoughts develop into certain moods and behaviours. Patients also learn how to implement routine mindfulness into everyday activities, like eating and exercise, by simply drawing their attention to each moment. MBCT shows promising results. Patients that participated in an 8-week study reported reduced feelings of anxiety after treatment ended (Evans et al., 2008).
Even those without GAD can benefit from practicing mindfulness. Research shows that engaging in mindfulness behaviour helps us regulate emotions and increases life satisfaction. Everyday, people experience different emotions as they interact with others and encounter different situations. Often, people in school and at work are faced with stressful situations in which they must be able rapidly adapt to and respond. The challenge they face is to regulate these emotions, which may involve repressing negative emotions and producing fake positive emotions. This demand can lead to emotional exhaustion and can take a negative toll on overall well-being and satisfaction with life.When individuals are mindful, they are able to observe a situation objectively and non-judgementally. This alleviates the impact of negative, exaggerated, and subjective thoughts on stressful situations.
Mindfulness is the ability to distinguish significant from insignificant information that is in the present. Achieving mindfulness is shown to benefit both people with and without GAD. This skill can be exercised by anyone and can bring a positive influence to a person’s welfare. One’s mindfulness can be improved in several simple ways that are often also used in MBCT. The methods in MBCT encourage people with GAD to be more attentive to their conscious thoughts. Thus, they can begin to ignore the past, and instead, focus on the present.
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Sources:
Evans, S., Ferrando, S., Findler, M., Stowell, C., Smart, C., & Haglin, D. (2008). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of anxiety disorders, 22(4), 716–721.
Germer, C. (2004). What is mindfulness. Insight Journal, 22, 24–29.
Hülsheger, U. R., Alberts, H. J., Feinholdt, A., & Lang, J. W. (2013). Benefits of mindfulness at work: the role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology,98(2), 310.
