Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Mindfulness Interventions to reduce stress, burnout, anxiety, and promote feelings of wellbeing

BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS – Based on Research

Website Article below lists much of the research on the benefits in the above chart.  

https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-mindfulness/

Mindfulness Benefits for Healthcare Workers – decreased turnover and burnout

•  A., Burgess, C., Dean, S., Koutsopoulou, G. Z., & Hugh-Jones, S. (2017). How effective are mindfulness‐based interventions for reducing stress among healthcare professionals? A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 33, 3-13.

  “Workplace stress is high among healthcare professionals (HCPs) and is associated with reduced psychological health, quality of care and patient satisfaction. This systematic review and meta-analysis reviews evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for reducing stress in HCPs.” 

• Matthew J Goodman¹, John B Schorling Affiliations expand PMID: 22849035 DOI: 2190/PM.43.2.b Abstract Conclusion: A continuing education course based on mindfulness-based stress reduction was associated with significant improvements in burnout scores and mental well-being for a broad range of healthcare providers
•  A study of Australian psychologists added more support to this theory, finding a strong negative association between mindfulness and burnout.   Di Benedetto, M., & Swadling, M. (2014). Burnout in Australian psychologists: Correlations with work-setting, mindfulness, and self-care behaviours. Psychology, Health, & Medicine, 19, 705-715.

Breathing practices for relaxation

1. Yogic Breathing Practice also known as the 4/7/8 Relaxation Breath

Mary Spinoso | mary@maryspinoso.com | www.maryspinoso.com

Instructions:

Before starting the breathing pattern, adopt a comfortable sitting position and place the tip of the tongue on the tissue right behind the top front teeth.

To use the 4-7-8 technique, focus on the following breathing pattern:

• empty the lungs of air
• breathe in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds
• hold the breath for a count of 7 seconds
• exhale forcefully through the mouth, pursing the lips and making a “whoosh” sound, for 8 seconds
• repeat the cycle up to 4 times

Benefits of 4/7/8 breath practice:

• Reduce anxiety
• Help falling asleep or falling back to sleep if waking up during the night
• managing cravings
• reduce or control reactivity
• reduce heart rate and blood pressure

Cautions:

1. Only do 4 cycles at a time for the first month.  You may use this practice multiple times during the day but ONLY do 4 cycles at a time.  After a month, you may increase to 8 cycles at a time but NEVER go above 8 cycles.
2. You may feel lightheaded when you first begin to practice due to the increase in oxygen intake.   Sit or lie down while practicing this technique to prevent dizziness or falls.

2. NAVY Seal Box Breathing