Dec 26, 2018
Barb Green, Parish Nurse
Milton, WI
Mindfulness can be described as being more fully aware of your experience in the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. Mindfulness includes waking up to a sense of awareness in your surroundings, taking time to sit and listen rather than doing, and opening things up so that, in God’s time and in God’s way, you might be healed or restored.
Those who practice mindfulness may be able to stand back from the chaos in their lives and not react to it. When the brain is practicing mindfulness, thought and feeling patterns result in neural activities in the brain. Repeating this neural activity creates stronger connections between neurons and leads to greater blood flow and activation in particular regions of the brain. Dwelling on negative thought patterns can also affect the brain. It may not be what you think but what you do with such thoughts that actually change or strengthen neural connections in the brain, for better or for worse. The way you think and react can change your brain.
Mindfulness includes stepping back from shoulds, oughts, and other judgments. Many people who suffer from anxiety and depression are flooded by shoulds and oughts and their self-talk does not seem to come from the Lord but from their own opinions. When thoughts race through the brain, the mindful person chooses not to follow them but instead to drink in the creation of beauty around them. This form of discipline must be practiced in distressed times so that it will be available in a crisis. Such is the work of taking every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). It is not an emptying of the mind but an observing of the world from God’s perspective.
Mindfulness has clear positive health benefits by reducing our stress responses. It is well known that small amounts of stress activate the body and larger amounts make you sick. Chronic stress causes release of cortisol and other hormones which cause inflammation that can affect the whole body—increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancers, autoimmune disorders, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and digestive problems. Chronic pain and illness can improve with continued mindfulness practice. It does not remove the biological cause, but acts on the brain in a way that helps change the perception and experiences of pain, making quality of life better. Mindfulness also has a positive effect on all kinds of addictions. It has a calming effect on the part of the brain that affects distraction, self-centeredness and craving.
One way to practice mindfulness is with mindful walking. This means being fully present to what your body is doing. Be mindful of your breath, of how your body responds to the environment, of how your thoughts take form. Start with a brief devotional time settling on a word or phrase from Scripture. Make this your focal point as you walk. Pray and invite God’s presence into your walk, asking Him to clear your mind and spirit. Feel and notice the small experiences around you. When you find your mind wandering, bring it back to the focal point you chose from the devotional time. At the end of your walk, reflect on what you noticed that calmed you, brought you joy, or connected you to God as you walked. Give thanks to God for the healing moments of your walk in a brief prayer or song before moving on to your day’s responsibilities. This technique can be helpful for anything you do from your daily commute, to caring for a loved one, to cleaning your house. The key is to be fully present in the moment noticing the beauty around you and being thankful. Clearly there are physical, mental, and spiritual benefits to practicing mindfulness.
—Adapted from Church Health Reader, Summer 2018