Connect
March 2022
Caroline Biddle
Executive Director of Human Resources cbiddle@bedford.ac.uk
Mindfulness for Wellbeing We hear a lot about mindfulness these days and how it supports wellbeing, but what does it actually incorporate? Being mindful is the practice of being aware of and accepting the present moment. The seven pillars of mindfulness were written by Jon Kabat-Zin. They bring to light the principles that you can use and practice to achieve balance in your own life. Non-judging The world isn’t simple or clear but many of us see judgments as just that. Something is either good or bad; this automatic judgment takes over and informs your choices in ways that you may not even realise. It is critical that you find awareness. Not action, but awareness. You must be able to recognise the judgments you automatically make so you can begin to work around them. Patience As the saying goes, patience is a virtue. The same point is made in the principles of mindfulness. You must understand that the events of your life will unfold in time and accept that. There is no need to rush. You should live the moment for what it is and not become too transfixed on the future. Beginner’s Mind It’s easy to lose yourself if you begin to believe that you have heard, seen and experienced everything. This principle brings forward the idea that life is ever changing. No moment is the same as another. Each one is unique in nature and contains unique possibilities. The beginner’s mind reminds us of this simplicity. The focus here is to not let your experiences become filtered by what you believe you already know.
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Trust Having trust in yourself, your beliefs and your intuition is necessary to find peace. Being your own person and letting your ideals guide you are the only way to be sure that you are on the right path. You should be open to learning and be listening, but ultimately know that the choices you make should be decided based on what you think and believe. Non-Striving Being and trusting yourself is crucial within the principles of mindfulness. Non-striving is the practice of recognising that who you are is enough and that striving to be “different” or “better” can be distracting. Embrace who you are and find comfort in that. This allows you to concentrate on the things that matter in the present moment. Acceptance Acceptance can sometimes be misconstrued. This principle is not about being complacent and choosing to be content with things you may not like. Instead, the idea is that you learn to accept the way that things really are. Don’t be clouded by your biases. Instead, you should learn to see the facts within our world and accept them as they are. Letting Go Letting go…it seems simple enough, doesn’t it? The truth is that relaxing can be difficult when naturally people become fixated on their own thoughts and ideas. It elevates stress and doesn’t allow us to really focus on what matters. To be mindful, you need to be able to free ourselves of worry and focus on the present.
March 2022
