THAT'S MEN:Mindfulness practice can be very effective
AS THE recession goes on – and I don’t mean the technical recession that may be over but the one that has us all scared witless about the future – stress increases.
We read of referrals to the psychiatric services of people who cannot cope with the financial catastrophes in which they find themselves. We read of increasing cases of suicide, not only here but also in countries like Greece.
At less extreme levels of loss, people seem more worried this year than before. It’s as though we are on a boat that is being tossed about at sea and we hear the timbers creaking alarmingly. We cannot be sure that we will reach dry land.
Is there anything in psychology that can help us with this? Yes and no. Psychology – and I am thinking particularly about the practice of mindfulness from Buddhist psychology – can help us change how we deal with our experience of stress. If the situation is inherently stressful, however, it won’t magic the stress away.
It’s a safe bet that through our lives each of us will feel more anxiety than we would like. That’s because we are defensive systems, continually scanning for danger. So, sorry about that, but you and I are stuck with a certain level of anxiety.
Nonetheless, changing the way we experience our stress and anxiety is worthwhile – and infinitely preferable to sinking further and further into a sea of fear.
The first and most basic point to make is that many situations have a certain inherent stress attached to them. If you are in financial trouble, that’s stressful. There are people whose brains are wired up in such a way that they couldn’t care less but for most of us, financial woes equal misery.
You can’t magic away that inherent level of stress. As they say in Recovery Inc, you can’t expect to be comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.
The aim is to avoid adding extra stress and anxiety. We generate this by very negative thinking, dreaming up all sorts of scenarios and “what ifs” or by running away into drink, drugs and other escapes, which make matters worse.
We can avoid adding extra anxiety by bringing our awareness again and again to our experience of what is going on right now: breathing, walking, driving, hearing a radio playing in the next room, the sound of traffic and so on.
To experience this awareness, we have to step out of the stories we continually tell ourselves in our heads – and we have to step out again and again because our brains generate thoughts, memories and fantasies like mad, out-of-control machines.
One way to do this is to use a mindfulness practice called Rain, which many people find very effective.
The purpose of Rain is to help us gain a little distance from strong feelings. Here’s how it works:
R is for Recognise. Just recognise that you have the emotion, that you’re very anxious for instance.
A is for Allow. Allow the anxiety to be present, accept that it’s there. No need to get into a fight with yourself over it.
I is for Investigate. Notice how the anxiety manifests itself physically, emotionally and in your thoughts. Perhaps your chest feels tight, your thoughts might be, “This is bad” or “I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this” and your emotion might be fear.
N is for Non-identify. Notice that there is more to you than these thoughts, feelings or physical experiences. You might say, for instance, “This is not all of me” or “There is more to me than this”.
This exercise doesn’t get rid of your anxiety or of whatever feeling you are using it for – it changes your relationship with the anxiety. That’s how mindfulness helps with many of life’s experiences – it alters how you relate to them so that they no longer have the same power to sweep you away.
Try it. Rain. Easy to remember in Ireland!
Padraig O'Morain (pomorain@ireland.com) is a counsellor accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. His book, Light Mind – Mindfulness for Daily Living, is published by Veritas. His monthly mindfulness newsletter is available free by e-mail