Blog 4 The Mindfulness Response and Self-compassion
Acceptance and Self-Compassion: Three Components
Self-compassion has three interrelated concepts that involve understanding different parts of yourself and how you relate to or connect with others. Your inner dialogue with yourself and your ability to understand your thoughts, feelings, actions, images, and sensations will change with the use of self-compassion. Using it in everyday life will change your attitudes toward others and yourself.
Self-compassion is needed to remove layers of shame and guilt that encircle the severe symptoms of mental illness. Self-compassion enabled the therapy to peel away the shame, just as a chef can peel away layers of an onion.
Self-Kindness
Common Humanity
Mindfulness
Self-compassion emphasizes learning in each of the three areas. With self-kindness, a person learns patience, is non-judgmental, and accepts their current situation.
The participants talked about being homeless and how difficult it is to get food and shelter. The group agreed that the need for stable housing and basic food supplies had to come first before mental health issues could be addressed. A person can get stuck in old habits, which can become a part of their life. They become trapped and do not know a different way of life or cannot escape a set pattern of behavior. Two examples of this can be people with addictions and people who are homeless. They may not know how to break the cycle of poverty and despair or violence.
If a person wants to get out of this cycle, they require external help from a supportive person who can remain non-judgmental and listen to their story. A supportive person who can remain non-judgmental and listen to their story, while helping them create change.
A great amount of stigma surrounds patients with recurrent mental health symptoms. The group discussed the American culture and how it emphasizes being independent, doing 110 % each day, and not stopping until you’re at the top (Hofstede, 2001). The group realized that this cultural value was not feasible for people who were experiencing significant mental health symptoms.
Self-Kindness
Self-kindness takes the blame out of this situation. Blaming someone creates complications and obstructs solutions. It creates frustration and tension and becomes a barrier to working with yourself and with others. Becoming non-judgmental and learning to be patient with yourself first and then with others is necessary. The group discussed what was judgmental and what was not.
Judgmental Statements Today is lousy. | Non-Judgmental Statements Today is windy and rainy. |
They are so stupid. | They think differently. |
All social media is evil. | Social media has different stories. |
Her dress is ugly. | Her dress is red and pink |
The lecture was dull. | The lecture described theories. |
The music sounds horrible. | The music is quiet and slow. |
Everything went wrong. | The routine was out of order. |
He should have done better. | Unusual things can happen. |
Judgmental Statements and Non-Judgmental Statements
What is my current thought about a situation? _____________________________________________________________
Is this a fact or am I making a judgment?_____________________________________________________________
How can I non-judgmentally describe the situation? (Only the facts)
_____________________________________________________________
Mindfulness
Mindfulness builds concentration and focus, which can be difficult for people who have PTSD, substance use disorders, psychosis, or mood disorders. difficulty focusing can interfere with work, college, hobbies, volunteer jobs, and family life.
Participants reported an abundance of ways to engage in mindfulness. During the group therapy practice, they were taught to do a body scan for one minute to notice where they held tension in their body. Being aware of your emotional pain and tension is important for understanding your emotions. We can gain further insight into our actions by noticing our feelings, negative thoughts, and mood changes.
The participants practiced slow deep breathing while exhaling and pushing the air out of the lungs. If they lost their focus, they were instructed to refocus on the sound of their breathing. The participants were instructed to stand, move, shift, or change positions, roll their shoulders, do neck rolls, lift their legs, and move their arms, legs, and feet to loosen up tension in their bodies.
Stories of Insight
One group member told others about a decision to wait to respond when the voices were talking and criticizing. The person said that they decided not to respond as usual because the voices were just a symptom and could go away. Ignoring them took patience and understanding that they were just symptoms and could change.
The participant talked with the other group therapy members about this change in their relationship with the voices. The participant said I felt more power over the paranoia and voices. The other members asked questions and the participant explained that it had happened at work, and they were able to ignore the voices and continue to work, rather than needing to go to the break room.
Another member talked about intrusive thoughts and said that going for walks helped to clear the mind of all the intrusive thoughts. The group discussed mindfulness and walks in nature as being outside is helpful to distract oneself from the worries of the world. The group discussed how a person slows down the breath and focuses on the body’s movements while walking. Being aware of the body and observing its surroundings helped reduce intrusive thoughts.
After being in the group and hearing others discuss symptoms, one participant told the other group members about intrusive thoughts with an authoritative voice that wouldn’t stop making comments about appearance or behaviors. The participant said they used to respond to the intrusive thoughts, and thought they had to because the voice was continuous.
Other group members discussed voices and intrusive thoughts and different ways to calm them. Eventually, the participant realized that the intrusive thoughts were not that important anymore, and it was possible to ignore them. Concentration improved when the intrusive thoughts were ignored, and anxiety levels decreased. The participant developed a new relationship to the symptoms and did not get mad at them. The participant talked with the group about the different ways to respond and did not care what they were saying.
Another group therapy participant decided to try mindfulness after living with the voices for so long and knowing they would criticize me. After practicing with the group, the choice of how to react to the voices changed. I do not feel like I have to listen and obey them like I did before, and I can choose something different to do. I ignore them and they are quieter. I don’t think of them as being so important anymore.
References
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Hofstede, G. (April 2001) Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations, Second Edition. Tilburg University, Netherlands
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