Using Mindfulness and Meditation to deal with Pain (Part 1)

One of my readers asked me to write about the mindful meditation course I'm doing so that will be my focus today.
Everybody knows what meditation is, but not everybody knows what mindfulness is so I'll start there. Mindfulness is being focussed on the task at hand and only the task at hand. I guess it is paying full attention to what you are doing, being present and not allowing your mind to move ahead or backward. That's my definition, it works for me.
Here's a Wikipedia definition:
Mindfulness is "the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment".
It is not as easy as it sounds and that is partially because we have been inundated with information in the last ten years or so. Think about how much technology has changed everyone's lives.
I was recently staying in a hotel in Toronto and decided to watch people when they were in situations when they had a minute alone to see what they did. Every single person who got on an elevator alone, or who was sitting in the beautiful lobby alone reached for their phones and put their heads down. Not much of a scientific study I realize, but it is interesting. It does show that we don't spend much time just being anymore.
While learning about mindfulness I realized how much I was still trying to multitask. It is a joke really. I read one study that said while multitasking is never a perfect solution, it is almost a recipe for disaster for those of us over forty. Couple that with pain and well you have just guaranteed to frustrate yourself and those around you.
Being forgetful or having brain fog, or pain fog as I like to call it, is a real thing with chronic pain sufferers. What I have learned is to do one thing at a time. When somebody is speaking to you stop, look at them, and listen. If you still forget then blame it on the pain, but if you don't do those things, blame it on not being present.
When you are present, your decisions are better made. More clarity and focus will actually give you a chance to say no to things you know will cause you pain. Often we are asked to do things and we are so distracted that we have the attitude of worrying about that when the time comes, and we set ourselves up for failure. So another approach is to say that you will get back to the person who has requested something of you. Take a moment, think about it, and then answer.
Being mindful takes away the harried chaos, you cannot be mindful and have that approach to life. It is a practice and it takes time to implement it into your life. I have tried several times in my life and have been successful for short periods of time. In 1986 I was trained by Brian Tracey in The Phoenix Seminar. That was my first introduction to meditation, however it was not mindful meditation. I remember reading Peace is Every Step, by Thich Nhat Hanb back in 1992. It introduced me to the concepts.
Then in about 2004 I read A Pace of Grace, after attending a workshop by the author Linda Kavelin Popov. Interesting that the Dalai Lama endorsed both of their books. There are thousands of books and courses on the topic now and lots online as well.
So this isn't my first time trying to live this way. In fact I have used mindfulness to bring me peace about the changes that have happened in my life because of pain. I does work, but it does take practice. If you think about here and now and not everything that led up to it, and your fears and thoughts for the coming days can be more peaceful because you only have the present to deal with.
As you think about being mindful there is an excellent exercise that can help you learn. Choose a meal in which you will be totally present for. If it is prepared by you, notice the colours, the smells, the textures as you prepare it. And the same as you eat it. Focus on the taste and that alone. Be present with those who are with you, listen intently. Don't judge what they are saying, just listen. Contributing to the conversation is fine, just do so without preconceived notions or judgement. See how this feels, she how others respond to you. Next go for a walk, notice everything around you. Feel the air, feel your feet on the ground, notice the colours and sounds. Don't plan, don't look back, be present. Your mind will constantly drift ahead to what you have to do or back to the day's events, just bring yourself back to the present no matter how many times you have to do it. Those are two small exercises that will give you a feel for mindfulness. They can be used at any task, or conversation at work or at home. Try it, and see how it feels for you.
Next post I will get into the meditation component to mindfulness.
Everybody knows what meditation is, but not everybody knows what mindfulness is so I'll start there. Mindfulness is being focussed on the task at hand and only the task at hand. I guess it is paying full attention to what you are doing, being present and not allowing your mind to move ahead or backward. That's my definition, it works for me.
Here's a Wikipedia definition:
Mindfulness is "the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment".
It is not as easy as it sounds and that is partially because we have been inundated with information in the last ten years or so. Think about how much technology has changed everyone's lives.
I was recently staying in a hotel in Toronto and decided to watch people when they were in situations when they had a minute alone to see what they did. Every single person who got on an elevator alone, or who was sitting in the beautiful lobby alone reached for their phones and put their heads down. Not much of a scientific study I realize, but it is interesting. It does show that we don't spend much time just being anymore.
While learning about mindfulness I realized how much I was still trying to multitask. It is a joke really. I read one study that said while multitasking is never a perfect solution, it is almost a recipe for disaster for those of us over forty. Couple that with pain and well you have just guaranteed to frustrate yourself and those around you.
Being forgetful or having brain fog, or pain fog as I like to call it, is a real thing with chronic pain sufferers. What I have learned is to do one thing at a time. When somebody is speaking to you stop, look at them, and listen. If you still forget then blame it on the pain, but if you don't do those things, blame it on not being present.
When you are present, your decisions are better made. More clarity and focus will actually give you a chance to say no to things you know will cause you pain. Often we are asked to do things and we are so distracted that we have the attitude of worrying about that when the time comes, and we set ourselves up for failure. So another approach is to say that you will get back to the person who has requested something of you. Take a moment, think about it, and then answer.
Being mindful takes away the harried chaos, you cannot be mindful and have that approach to life. It is a practice and it takes time to implement it into your life. I have tried several times in my life and have been successful for short periods of time. In 1986 I was trained by Brian Tracey in The Phoenix Seminar. That was my first introduction to meditation, however it was not mindful meditation. I remember reading Peace is Every Step, by Thich Nhat Hanb back in 1992. It introduced me to the concepts.
Then in about 2004 I read A Pace of Grace, after attending a workshop by the author Linda Kavelin Popov. Interesting that the Dalai Lama endorsed both of their books. There are thousands of books and courses on the topic now and lots online as well.
So this isn't my first time trying to live this way. In fact I have used mindfulness to bring me peace about the changes that have happened in my life because of pain. I does work, but it does take practice. If you think about here and now and not everything that led up to it, and your fears and thoughts for the coming days can be more peaceful because you only have the present to deal with.
As you think about being mindful there is an excellent exercise that can help you learn. Choose a meal in which you will be totally present for. If it is prepared by you, notice the colours, the smells, the textures as you prepare it. And the same as you eat it. Focus on the taste and that alone. Be present with those who are with you, listen intently. Don't judge what they are saying, just listen. Contributing to the conversation is fine, just do so without preconceived notions or judgement. See how this feels, she how others respond to you. Next go for a walk, notice everything around you. Feel the air, feel your feet on the ground, notice the colours and sounds. Don't plan, don't look back, be present. Your mind will constantly drift ahead to what you have to do or back to the day's events, just bring yourself back to the present no matter how many times you have to do it. Those are two small exercises that will give you a feel for mindfulness. They can be used at any task, or conversation at work or at home. Try it, and see how it feels for you.
Next post I will get into the meditation component to mindfulness.