Starting Mindfulness

Quite honestly, I have been enjoying reading Kabat-Zinn. It does feel like a little break from schoolwork because it is much more of a relaxed type of reading than, say, pathophysiology or health policy. Although, with that said, I can’t really say it has affected my anxieties towards writing, clinical practice, school or nursing. So, I guess that means that I haven’t really been grasping the concepts entirely yet. I hope that I can get there, because I would love to have less anxiety regarding writing, school, and my nursing practice. It’s almost like an on/off switch for me. When I am reading this book, all my other worries and anxieties are gone, but the second I put it down they flood back in.

I really enjoy the idea of mindfulness and want to be able to incorporate it into my daily life. My mom practices meditation and has brought me to many meditation services when I was young. Even then I remember being told to “focus on my breath” and the only thing I could think about was how I was supposed to focus on my breath rather than just doing it. I would become frustrated with myself when I became distracted. I have the same sort of experiences in yoga. Although, I know that once I make a habit out of this it becomes second nature and flows into every area of my life. I would like to strive to make mindfulness a habit for me.