While a pandemic, quarantine, and physical distancing can and will make an impression on the psychology of human beings, the mind is also a tool with the capacity to cultivate resilience, presence, optimism, and solutions to problems. This module delves into the psychology behind advice and practices for utilizing the mind as a tool during hard times. In this module you will:
What does mindfulness - an incredibly popular and frequently used term - mean in practice? While the practice and meaning of mindfulness has many layers, because this is a mere introduction, we'll utilize Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's definition to frame our practice. Dr. Kabat-Zinn expresses mindfulness as the awareness that arises when one....
Jon Kabat-Zinn: Citation
Bear in mind that mindfulness meditation is a mind-training, so you need not worry if you notice that your mind wanders quite frequently. In fact, if you notice the habit of the mind to wander, you've discovered the first insight of mindfulness: the mind wanders! Without harsh judgment or self-criticism, kindly, bring your attention back to the instructions anytime this happens. This is the moment that the mind-training actually occurs! Use the links below to explore several mindfulness techniques. Try to practice either relaxation or mindfulness for about 10 minutes, once per day this week, and then collect personal data from your "mindfulness experiments."