JOHN QUINN Artist in Residence
HEALTHY EMOTIONAL LIVES PROGRAM
JOHN QUINN Artist in Residence
HEALTHY EMOTIONAL LIVES PROGRAM
Self Awareness and Self Regulation
Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment, which one can develop through the practice of meditation and through other training. Mindfulness practice has been used to reduce symptoms of depression and to reduce stress and anxiety.
We spend a lot of our time thinking about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future and don’t pay that much attention to what’s going on right now. Our attention wanders like a ship sailing without a captain to steer it. The aim of these exercises is to practice keeping our attention on one thing and when it wanders, gently steering it back on track.
Stress and Anxiety: It’s normal to feel anxious and stress can be helpful if we handle it right. If we can notice stress building up we can manage it so it doesn’t become distress. The key to this is increasing our self awareness and building a robust stress management system so we can regulate our anxiety and stress.
We have to commit to trying these exercises whole heartedly. If we hold back they won’t work as effectively as they might.
Brain change: To build a robust stress management system and develop healthy emotional lives takes repetition. The brain actually changes it’s architecture, new neuronal pathways are established and this determines what we think, how we feel and how we’ll behave. It’s not mindless repetition which is boring and counter productive. It’s alive, playful whole hearted repetition where each time you do it you find something new and exciting. This takes effort and commitment. It’s also fun.
