Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Mindful

Editor-in-Chief barry@mindful.org Our must-read story this issue: “A New Way to Work,” reporter Alan Green’s story on how the WELL Building Standard can change people’s lives just by upgrading their surroundings—including making space for quiet time, movement, and rest. On page 64. Ah, clickbait. It draws you in but so often disappoints. All hat, no cattle, as the Texas saying goes. To wit: A recent New York Times headline blared, “Hey Boss, You Don’t Want Your Employees to Meditate.” The piece is by two business school behavioral scientists, Kathleen Vohs and Andrew Hafenbrack, who conducted research to test, among other things, whether “the mindfulness condition would reduce task motivation.” In other words, because mindfulness practice asks you to bring your attention to the “current moment” and “accept things as they…

In an often bleak and depressing social media world, someone (@bookoisseur) asked people to share their experiences of kindness from strangers. The responses were heartwarming: “I was flying home bc my dad was dying. The woman next to me asked if I was ok (I clearly wasn’t) and I wound up spilling my guts. She held my hand the entire flight, then hugged me and kissed my forehead when we landed.”–@kym_possible23 “I was homeless. It was in a suburb of Chicago in the winter, well below freezing. I’d not eaten or really slept in days. A Pakistani family who owned a Dunkin’ Donuts invited me in, fed me hot soup and donuts. They very literally saved my life.”–@lynlandon “Once I was feeling like I could vanish and it wouldn’t matter…

A modern symbol of decadence and love, chocolate was first consumed thousands of years ago in Mesoamerica, where cacao beans were roasted and combined with water, spices, and other ingredients to make a flavorful beverage. Mayan and Aztec societies considered cacao a gift from the gods and used it as currency and in religious ceremonies. Millennia later, we’ve come to associate fine chocolate with European nations like Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain. But perhaps the best way to enjoy chocolate is to take inspiration from its origins as a delicious drink. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire Ciel Zimmerman is a Senior Editor, and Eater-in-Chief, at Mindful.…

IT MIGHT NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE, BUT STAYING CLOSE TO YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE IS PART OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT. We all like to be right, right? Whether it’s confirming we’ve found the fastest route through the city, knowing the best yoga class, or standing up for what we are sure is the right side of an important principle, being right is an enticing bonbon that can make us feel deliciously certain—for a while. But if your goal is to navigate your life more skillfully and perhaps even develop some wisdom, you may find it helpful to admit that sometimes you’re uncertain, sometimes you don’t know the answer, and sometimes you’re just plain wrong. WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEING WRONG? Years ago, I worked for a professional choir. The conductor told everyone that, during…

An explosion of research into self-compassion over the last decade has shown its benefits for well-being. Individuals who are more self-compassionate tend to have greater happiness, life satisfaction and motivation, better relationships and physical health, and less anxiety and depression. They also have the resilience needed to cope with stressful life events such as divorce, health crises, and academic failure, and even combat trauma. The reason I (Kristin) really know self-compassion works, however, is because I’ve seen the benefits of it in my personal life. My son, Rowan, was diagnosed with autism in 2007, and it was the most challenging experience I had ever faced. I don’t know how I would have gotten through it if it weren’t for my self-compassion practice. Because of the intense sensory issues experienced by…

95% of mindful RESPONDENTS say that they HAVE a sense of PURPOSE in their lives What actions or habits feel deeply meaningful to you? “Being in nature, walking, cycling, and running.” “Simply listening, to engage in my world and to be fully present in my own life.” “Drinking tea with a loved one.” “Going back to bed in the middle of the day if I need it.” “Daily writing. Sharing my voice connects with my inner wisdom in a way that surprises me.” “Meditating and practicing qigong.” 75% of people's jobs matched their VALUES and DREAMS Has your purpose remained consistent throughout your life? What is the biggest personal benefit of having purpose in your life? What’s the bravest thing that following your dreams has led you to do? “I…

Can Coca-Cola brag about its bilingualism? Not yet. In New Zealand, the company’s attempts to combine Māori and English backfired badly: The slogan they slapped on vending machines (intended to say “Hello, mate”) translates to “Hello, Death.” One English man, finding out cigarettes are the most common litter found worldwide, began a mission to pick up 1 million cigarette butts and raise awareness of this toxic problem—and to remind smokers that it’s important to find a trash can. In the US, 12,500 people suffer spinal cord injuries (SCI) every year. For their partners, becoming caregivers can be formidable and isolating—so two women in Vancouver with quadriplegic husbands started a group for “wives and girlfriends of SCI” to share understanding and support. High-end retailer Nordstrom’s latest footwear aspires to a new…

Chocolate has flavor notes akin to a glass of wine—it can be earthy, floral, fruity, and everything in between. Dark chocolate is bitter but also the most complex. Milk chocolate is creamy and sweet, its bitterness offset by dairy and sugar. White chocolate contains cocoa butter but no cocoa solids and is very sweet and mild. Choose your chocolate first, then have a little fun.…

Whenever you find yourself using self-compassion to try to make the pain go away or to become a “better person,” try shifting your focus away from this subtle form of resistance and practice compassion simply because we’re all imperfect human beings, living imperfect lives. And life is hard. In other words, practice being a “compassionate mess.” tip By simply asking the question “What do I need now?” you allow yourself a moment of self-compassion, even if you can’t find an answer or don’t have the ability to meet your needs at the time.…

Her baby is colicky. That’s how it begins. The only way Manoush Zomorodi’s infant son can be soothed is when she walks him in his stroller through the streets of Brooklyn. She walks for hours. Any noise sets him off, so even talking on her flip phone is off limits. She grows bored. She finds herself spacing out, her mind wandering in a way she hasn’t experienced since childhood. Years later, she has a new job as a radio reporter. She’s given the chance to host her own show. It’s called Note to Self, about how technology is shaping our lives. She sits down to brainstorm. You know, as many ideas as you can dream up. No idea is a bad idea! There’s only one problem. She has no ideas.…

FEELING GOOD IN YOUR OWN SKIN Do mindful people feel better about their bodies? Researchers asked 115 female college students about their level of mindfulness, body responsiveness, body shame, and overall health. Women who reported greater awareness and who tended to be nonjudgmental and nonreactive—key mindfulness skills—had less body shame, were more attuned to their bodies, and were healthier overall. The researchers say it’s not yet clear whether mindfulness increases body satisfaction, or vice versa. BUILDING YOUR MEDITATION MUSCLE In a comparison of adults who listened to either a guided meditation or a podcast daily for 13 minutes, researchers found that meditators reaped more benefits. For instance, after eight weeks meditators felt less anxiety and reported fewer negative mood states. And their performance on a set of computerized tests showed…

HOWEVER YOU FEEL ABOUT GROWING OLDER, IT’S POSSIBLE TO EXPERIENCE IT WITH A GREATER SENSE OF EASE. Aging happens. We all know it, and sometimes we enjoy the fruits and freedoms it brings. But it’s also humbling to experience our bodies changing, forgetting names or facts, or realizing that the world is moving ever more swiftly around us—and we’re not necessarily driving the car! But resisting what we can’t control only adds to discomfort and unhappiness—and lamenting the inevitable shifts of time doesn’t change their reality. Mindfulness helps us embrace change through accepting its inevitability while also actively pushing back where we can. Aging is here, and happening in every moment. This life experience accumulates whether we want it to or not. How we use it is up to us.…

The dominant framework for classifying personality emerged in the 1980s. Even as psychologists recognized that thousands of attributes combine to make someone’s personality unique, they couldn’t agree on what those were. According to one personality scale, only two measures—ego resilience and ego control—accounted for every personality type. Another used 20, including the capacity for well-being, self-control, tolerance, and independence. Eventually researchers coalesced around the “Big Five” model. The name refers to how broad each of the five personality traits is. The strength of each trait—and how the strength of each trait compares to the others—makes up an individual’s personality profile. The Big Five are: Openness to experience Intellectually curious, taking joy in learning Conscientiousness Responsible, dependable, orderly, delaying gratification Extroversion Sociable, talkative, assertive Agreeableness Trustful, cooperative, generous Neuroticism Easily upset,…

Can You Be Too Self-Compassionate? Many people fear self-compassion is really just a form of self-pity. In fact, self-compassion is an antidote to self-pity. While self-pity says “poor me,” self-compassion recognizes that life is hard for everyone. Research shows that self-compassionate people are more likely to engage in perspective taking, rather than focusing on their own distress. They are also less likely to ruminate on how bad things are, which is one of the reasons self-compassionate people have better mental health. Mindfulness or Self-Compassion? Actually, Both Given that mindfulness is a core component of self-compassion, it’s worth asking, “How do mindfulness and self-compassion relate to one another?” • Mindfulness focuses primarily on acceptance of experience itself. Self-compassion focuses more on caring for the experiencer.• Mindfulness asks, “What am I experiencing…

Here’s a chance to take a week to see whether you’re injecting enough space into your life. DAY ONE Observe Yourself First you’ll check your digital habits—and most likely be shocked by what you discover. The important thing is to accurately report on how often you check your phone. What are you checking—email, social media, missed phone calls, the weather? Do you read on your phone? What do you read—those long emails from your mom, The New York Times, or hashtags on Instagram? When do you pull it out most? Or is it always in your hand? Are you alone, or do you use it when you’re in a meeting or with another person socially? Do you take it to the bathroom with you? DAY TWO Keep Your Devices Out…

DAILY Money Practice TIME 5-10 minutes WHAT Save and track your expenses. HOW Find a way to track your spending that feels good to you. Simply pausing and saying, “Yes, I’d like a receipt” at the register can bring a small breath of mindfulness to your money relationship. If keeping paper receipts feels too outdated for you, make it a regular practice to check your online balances. Then, every day or so, create a peaceful environment for yourself and sync your bank with your bookkeeping system or download your current transactions. Please be on the lookout for any opportunity to congratulate yourself for money work, large or small. Gift yourself a sweet Huzzah! each time you complete a round of entering your receipts or remember to do a body check-in.…

THE LITTLE BOOK OF BEING Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness Diana Winston • Sounds True It’s no small thing to take on the responsibility of teaching others how to work with their minds, no less teaching teachers to do that. (It’s not like teaching, say, tennis; it’s the mind, after all. Nothing is subtler or more elusive). A meditator since she was a teenager, a meditation teacher for decades, and a teacher of teachers for quite a while, Diana Winston—director of mindfulness education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center—writes from direct experience. She works with her own mind, while also encountering the challenge of new meditation students and those who aspire to teach others how to practice meditation and incorporate it into their lives. What she has…

THE EZRA KLEIN SHOW Episode: Your attention is being hijacked. Chris Bailey can help. Productivity, for many, means trying to wring every last drop of work out of ourselves, day after day. And this desperate need to “keep busy” can also prevent us from mindfully directing our attention. But that’s precisely Chris Bailey’s mission: The author of Hyperfocus is on a mission to shift productivity culture toward, instead, “doing the right things…deliberately and with intention.” Bailey argues that taking a more mindful approach to work is how we can sustain our focus and creative juice long-term. MODERN LOVE Episode: How to Break Up with a 2-Year-Old Parting ways from a short lived romance is supposed to be heartbreaking (says every drama, ever). This autobiographical story, however, looks at such a…

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