‘You can’t always spend your time loving others’
Psychology instructor Nguyen Hai Uyen, Vice Head of the Training Department at JobWay the Applied Psychology & Career Science 4.0 Company, advises people to love themselves more.
Every year, 40,000 Vietnamese commit suicide because depression, according to statistics from the Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital. The number of people suffering from depression is increasing, not only in Vietnam, but also in many developed countries. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why Vietnamese are struggling to seek mental health treatment. One of those treatments is “mindfulness.”
When young people change thanks to mindfulness
Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa is a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities and shared a story of how she has changed thanks to mindfulness.
Hoa said: “About a year ago, I suffered from unprecedented work pressure and encountered some family problems, causing me to feel constantly tired. I hadn’t paid much attention to mental health, so I did not know how to overcome this. I fell into sleep deprivation, apathy and negative thoughts for weeks. I had always been a person of productivity, but at that time, I withdrew from my daily activities.”
“I heard of ‘mindfulness’ from a friend. I did more research on it and I found the topic interesting. I started from clenching my fists, feeling the movement of my feet while walking, feeling the taste of the water I was drinking. I started to keep my eye on every simple action I always took for granted. Then I noticed significant changes,” Phuong Hoa said.
“First, I realized I was living. It seems obvious but when I slowly feel every movement of the body or keep track of my breath, it makes me realize fully that I am alive, and I started to appreciate that. It was such a surprising change for me because just a few days before, I still felt empty and unresponsive to everything,” Hoa added.
Previously, every time she heard bad words from someone, she would immediately think about why people treat her like that when she had never treated anyone badly. But after practicing mindfulness, she realized that she was thinking negatively and stopped. Thanks to mindfulness, she can now control her mind more easily, thereby adjusting her reaction in order to avoid getting increasingly negative.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is when humans focus only on the present moment. Mindfulness is translated from the word “Sati” in ancient Indian. Sati means “awareness,” “attention” and “remembering.” The word “mindfulness” in Japanese is a combination of two words: mind and heart. Therefore, in Japanese, mindfulness is not only consciousness but consciousness from the heart.
Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, who was the first to develop mindfulness in the context of therapy, wrote: “Mindfulness is the awareness that appears through the intentional attention process in the present moment, in a non-judgmental way.”
According to Headspace, mindfulness does not necessarily eliminate our stress or other difficulties we are experiencing. Instead, by being aware of the unpleasant thoughts and feelings that arise, we allow ourselves to choose how to handle them.
An important contribution of mindfulness is to help people realize the cause of their mental difficulties. Consciousness is an important step in the process of overcoming psychological difficulties.
In a study that will appear in the Nov. 1 print issue of Biological Psychiatry, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report that mindfulness can also be the key to overcoming our deepest fears and obsessions.
Spread the spirit of positive life
Mrs. Nguyen Hai Uyen, Vice Head of Training Department at JobWay in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in the past, people tended to live for others rather than themselves. Therefore, when facing too much pressure, people were easily depressed due to improper physical and mental health.
Nguyen Thi Hong Nhu, a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, said: “Every day, I take time to be mindful and reflect on myself. I think more positively and pay less attention to negative things. Previously, I did not have good breath. Since practicing mindfulness and breathing steadily, I feel very refreshed and less stressed. ”
Tran Le Thuy Truc, a teacher at a junior high school in District 10, said: “I am very interested in how to breathe well. Honestly, I was so caught up with my job that sometimes I forget to breathe properly. It sounds paradoxical as how can we live without breathing? But it was not until I practiced breathing that I realized how careless to myself I was and how much I mistreated my body. When I concentrate on breathing, I naturally concentrate quite well on everything. Everything goes slowly but surely. I learn that If my body is not healthy and my mind is not safe, I won’t be clear and determined. ”
“I think there should be mindfulness classes for students. It is very helpful if they are aware of themselves and place themselves in a connection with people and the universe. Maybe children do not fully understand the value of the word enlightenment through the mindfulness method, but slowly, this method will get them more and more enlightened through the long journey of life, ” Truc said.
Vietnamese can learn about mindfulness everywhere
According to TuoiTre News, in the past, psychological issues such as depression were not really openly discussed topics at home or in school in Vietnam. When teaching life skills, teachers are also cautious about the topics of depression and suicide. Therefore, there are few lessons to teach students about how to protect themselves from the pressures of life.
According to Master of Psychology Nguyen Thi Ngoc Giau, a lecturer at Hoa Sen University in Ho Chi Minh City: “Currently in Vietnam, in Social and Emotional Learning, we have started using mindfulness as the main practice method. I am currently implementing an Emotional Education program using mindfulness for the first-year communication students in Hutech University, Vietseeds Foundation and in emotional education for teachers.”
In addition, Ms. Giau added that other units such as Tomato Kindergarten are also teaching children about mindfulness. And many other individuals and organizations are using mindfulness as a method of practice for leaders like Pace with the Search Inside Yourself program. In the field of therapy, the “Tam ly hon Viet,” an application stock company is using dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT) in which mindfulness is one of the four important pillars of this therapy.
Moreover, mindfulness exercises are divided into two types: formal practices, such as Mindful Breathing, Body Scan, Loving Kindness Meditation; and informal practices, such as eating, drinking, brushing teeth, washing faces, driving.
With informal practices, people will bring the spirit of mindfulness into their daily lives. Therefore, even without studying in schools or organizations, people can still learn information on the Internet and practice in their daily activities.
