On Mindfulness: One Writer’s Perspective
I was shocked to read in the news recently (although little shocks me these days) that several groups are suing to prevent mindfulness from being taught in schools. My first thought was, with epidemic levels of anxiety among young people today, why in God’s name would anyone object to schools using a technique that’s been proven effective in addressing anxiety? Then I read on and discovered that it is in God’s name that these groups are raising objections. According to a Washington Post article, “The American Center for Law and Justice — led by Trump attorney Jay Sekulow — is challenging public-school mindfulness programs for endorsing Buddhism.”
That’s like saying teaching children compassion is endorsing Christianity. While mindfulness is a central tenet of Buddhism, it is not exclusive to Buddhism, nor does teaching it promote any religious beliefs. Joaquin Selva notes in “History of Mindfulness: From East to West and Religion to Science” that “the history of mindfulness should not be reduced to Buddhism and Hinduism, as mindfulness also has roots in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Trousselard et al., 2014). And Tessa Watt points out in her book, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide, “you don’t have to be religious, become a Buddhist, or believe anything particular to practice mindfulness.”
Since the 1970s, mindfulness has been used secularly in the West to treat mental health issues. And although “research about the effect of mindfulness practices on children in school settings is still in its early stages . . . there have been promising signs of social and emotional benefits, and a few studies have pointed to academic improvement,” said Tamar Mendelson, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. Sadly, those who oppose the use of mindfulness in schools appear to be doing so for political reasons (because it seems like a “liberal” thing) or else they’re completely ignorant of what mindfulness is and how effective it can be, not just for children with anxiety but for anyone who feels stressed by the hectic, break-neck pace of life today.
I, too, used to know little about mindfulness and associated it with new age fads—until my child was diagnosed with severe anxiety. The type of therapy that has been most helpful for her, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), includes mindfulness as one of its essential components. As part of my child’s treatment process, I have begun to practice mindfulness and have realized just how misguided my dismissal of it was.
“Mindfulness is ‘the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment,’ according to Jon Kabat-Zinn [who pioneered the use of mindfulness for those with chronic illness]. It’s not a spiritual or religious thing (unless you want it to be) or some mysterious state of being. It’s just focusing on what you’re doing and experiencing without thinking about anything else,” writes Simple Writing blogger Leah McClellan in Mindfulness for Writers: Breathe, Focus, Write
The essence of mindfulness is to slow down, be in the present moment, and observe without any judgement. In addition to helping people cope with chronic pain and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, studies have linked mindfulness with greater self-awareness, greater acceptance of [one’s] emotions, and increased empathy for other people. (Imagine God objecting to that!)
Little did I know that the painful process of shepherding my child through treatment would lead me to a strategy so useful to my writing process. But what could be better for a writer than training your mind to fend off distracting thoughts, becoming more observant, and developing greater empathy for others. I am fairly new at it, but I’ve found that practicing mindfulness before I begin writing helps me focus and block out the distracting thoughts that tend to slow me down and prevent my creative juices from flowing. It also helps me break free from a rigid adherence to plot and focus more on the emotion I want to strike in a chapter or short story.
There’s a wealth of advice online from writers with experience practicing mindfulness:
• Wellness coach and author Susan Browne offers a description of her own mindfulness practice in Mindfulness for Writers.
• Writer Dave Ursillo offers these 7 Writing Prompts for Mindfulness
• Simple Writing blogger Leah McClellan provides tips in Mindfulness for Writers: Breathe, Focus, Write
• In Can mindfulness make you a better writer? skeptic Anita Chaudhuri describes how she became a convert and provides tips for using mindfulness to enhance one’s writing process.
If you’ve never given mindfulness much thought, or dismissed it as a fad, it’s worth taking another look. While it isn’t easy and requires practice to get the hang of it, it is simple and accessible to all, with no need to convert to Buddhism or buy any products. (Which may be the real reason why conservatives whose true devotion seems to be to capitalism and profits are so threatened by it.)
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