Mindfulness & Compassion Blog | The Moment is Now

The logic behind practising mindfulness to reduce pain

Mindfulness for pain reduction

Living with long-term pain can seem intolerable. On top of the pain your body is constantly – and loudly – telling you about, your mind can be swamped by fears and uncertainties about the future. What if the pain gets worse? Will I have to live with this pain for the rest of my life? What will it be like living with this pain?

This double layer of physical pain and mental distress can seem overwhelming, but you can take back control of a significant part of what you experience by using mindfulness techniques and practices.

Let gratitude lift you

There’s a very strong link between mindfulness and gratitude. Choosing to be deeply mindful of the good things in our lives – both small and large – brings a positive focus into our lives.

Gratitude 2 The mental health benefits of practising gratitude are outlined in an article published by Harvard Health Publications, at the Harvard Medical School:

In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

Mindfulness – no big mystery…

… simply a practical way of coping with life’s challenges…

… and with scientific evidence for its benefits.

no-big-mystery2

Think about what you’ve heard so far about ‘mindfulness.’ What images come to mind? A serene, crazily-flexible person sitting cross-legged on a rock with their eyes closed, perhaps? Do you imagine mindfulness as a purely religious practice or believe that it takes years of practice to gain any benefits?

You may or may not be surprised to hear that these are all misconceptions but, even if you already know something about what mindfulness is really about, you might still be surprised at the depth of scientific evidence for the benefits of practising mindfulness. In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to the practical nature of mindfulness and to some of its scientifically-researched health benefits.

Mindfulness and exercise

What are your fitness goals for the coming year?

… and how will you stick to your training plans in the coming months? Find out how bringing mindfulness into your exercise or training sessions could help…

Sticking to your training plan

One of the most reliable indicators of whether you’ll stick to an exercise plan or training schedule is whether or not you find your exercise enjoyable. It sounds so obvious, doesn’t it? If you enjoy the exercise you’re taking, you’ll probably keep it up. But what if you’re not enjoying your exercise?

How practising mindfulness during exercise can help

Even if your chosen form of exercise or sport is something you really enjoy, there will still be times when you have a tough or disappointing run, swim, cycle, gym session or class, making it difficult to stay motivated. So, what’s the answer to making sure you enjoy your training?

MPs practising mindfulness

All-party parliamentary group recommends mindfulness – for health, businesses, schools and the justice system

…and MPs have been practising mindfulness at work for themselves!

A report launched on 20^th October 2015 by an all-party parliamentary group strongly recommended extending mindfulness training programmes and conducting further research into the benefits of mindfulness practices.

The Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group was set up to review the scientific evidence for the benefits of mindfulness training and to develop policy recommendations for government. The Mindful Nation UK report is the result of a 12-month inquiry by the group and outlines how mindfulness could be applied in four policy areas:

In health, especially in preventing the reoccurrence of depression
In education, including improving children’s mental health and promoting child development and well-being
In the workplace, to combat stress and improve organisational effectiveness
In the criminal justice system, where the group is recommending pilot projects and further research into the techniques’ possibilities for reducing re-offending rates.