Tabla de contenidos para October 2018 en Mindful

Editor-in-Chief barry@mindful.org Our must-read story this issue: In “Mind the App,” reporter Sam Littlefair takes a serious look at the good, the bad, and the ugly in the explosion of mindfulness smartphone apps. On page 58. Judges Concerned for Judges provides Pennsylvania judges with information about stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns as a way to help them deal with the strain of their job. And make no mistake, being a judge—despite, or perhaps because of, its exalted status—is a highly stressful thing to do day in, day out. Dispassionately riding above the emotional turmoil in a courtroom is hard enough, but then there’s the matter of having to make certain judgments about uncertain things. You may be deciding not only how culpable someone is but what an…

Q A junior member of staff has asked for mentoring. What does this really mean? What does a good mentor do? A Mentoring is a private relationship between a mature, trusted leader and a talented, motivated protégé. The relationship requires periodic face time, so each party needs to be willing to be available to the other. It’s best if the person being mentored can articulate up front—in writing—what they would like to learn. Mentees should take an active interest from the very start in cultivating the relationship, rather than expecting their mentor always to lead. Mentors should expect to offer guidance and encouragement on: Culture: What does the enterprise value most? What are the unspoken rules that one should be aware of? Politics: Who holds influence in the enterprise? How…

1 Write your name on the left-hand side of a piece of paper. 2 Draw three short lines to the right of your name, and continue doing that progressively, fanning the lines out to the right of the paper. 3 Write the names of the people you spend most of your time with on the lines closest to you and continue this until you write the names of the people in your life you spend the least time with. 4 Next to each person’s name, write a number on a scale of 1-10, where 1 stands for least inspiring in respect to the change you want to make and 10 stands for most inspiring in respect to the change you want to make. You may notice that many of the…

INNER WORK When you can, accept what is happening without resignation. Riding the waves of low energy or appetite, nausea, pleasure or pain, irritability or contentment, sadness or joy awakens resilience. Staying mindful of our thoughts can prevent a spiral into a catastrophic future. The body is the boss, so you have to go with the flow. Well, you don’t have to—but then you suffer more than you already are. Learn ways to nourish yourself—by drinking smoothies when your appetite’s gone or taking nausea medication. Losing your hair can be an adventure as well as a fashion statement—hats, scarves, henna, makeup, or nothing. When fatigue shows up, rest or ask for support. OUTER WORK Do your research around cancer treatment options. If you aren’t up for that, ask someone you…

In 2003 and 2004, 63 prisoners at a Seattle jail enrolled in a 10-day meditation course as part of a study by the University of Washington. For the duration of the course, the prisoners were not permitted outside contact and were only allowed to speak with instructors. Three months after each inmate was released from jail, the researchers followed up with them. Compared to their peers who hadn’t meditated, the inmates who did meditate went on to consume significantly less alcohol, marijuana, and crack cocaine. The findings of the study, published in 2006 by researcher Sarah Bowen—along with work conducted by her mentor G. Alan Marlatt—paved the way for the development of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention and is widely cited in papers on meditation and addiction. In 2012, Headspace, which is…

Gaining awareness of our patterned shortcuts and biases helps us illuminate the places where we go blind. Let’s work with that now. Recall a decision you are making or have just made, or an opinion you hold, and ask yourself: 1 As I reflect upon this decision or opinion, am I accounting for what I don’t know? 2 Is there a story I’m trying to create to make this decision or belief feel right and true? 3 If I move beyond my surface ideas and biases and through to what I most deeply know to be true, what do I realize? This third question is important because it speaks to the intuition and knowing that emerge when we see past and through our ideas and biases, and it surfaces what…

What’s your top priority with money? • “Paying off student loans.” “The ability to spend freely and not worry!”• “Living well and not outliving our money.”• “Investing to make my house sustainable.”• “I don’t have money priorities.” What’s the main thing you have saved up for in the past? 32% OF RESPONDENTS SAID "BUYING a home," while 27% saved the most for travel. Paying for their own or their children’s education was top for 22%. Another 15% saved up for things like their wedding, retirement, or studio equipment, and 4% saved for a major gift for a loved one. What’s your attitude around money? How would you rather pay: cash or card? Would you be more content in your job if you made more money? 40% SAY YES, THEY'D BE…

mindful While watching TV, a doctor noticed a woman on the show had a worrying lump on her neck. He posted his concerns on Facebook. Thanks to wide sharing, the post reached the woman in time for her thyroid cancer to be diagnosed and treated. Would you pay $200 for your kid to learn to mix some sick beats—even before all their teeth grow in? In LA, your too-cool toddler can attend Baby DJ School, for ages 2 months to 5 years. A tech entrepreneur in San Francisco bet money on his commitment to practice mindfulness for an hour every single day. For now, it seems that goal was too ambitious: He ended up losing $810. If you find Bob Ross’s voice pleasantly soporific, you’re in luck: The beloved painter’s…

Maybe more than any other fruit, peaches embody sensuality. The velvety, blushing skin, the luscious flesh—at once juicy and firm—gushing sweetness and just enough tang to keep it enticing with every bite. I could eat a dozen peaches in one sitting without a moment’s pause. (In fact I have, much to the dismay of my stomach.) However, not all peaches are made equal. When not quite ripe or in season, peaches can be mealy, dry, and lacking in flavor. A sure way to improve the flavor and texture of less-than-ideal peaches is by cooking them, which helps loosen up their juices and soften their texture. Nothing beats a perfect peach, so for something truly spectacular, try this recipe with ripe fruit. TRY THIS Pit and slice some peaches to about…

Being a stand-up comic was one of my life’s fantasies. So when the owner of a chain of comedy clubs saw my one-woman show and invited me to perform at his venue, I was pretty excited. But as the date drew closer I became increasingly restless. “Why?” I screamed into my pillow. “Why did I decide to put myself out there?!” Whether you are posting a profile on eHarmony, joining a local ping-pong club, or asking for a raise, moving into new territory takes bravery. This is especially true since there’s no certainty that your courageous act will bring you the approval of others or anything at all that you think you might want. So what’s the appeal? Putting yourself out there can be the depth charge that breaks you…

“WE ALL CAN USE MORE TOOLS TO GET BETTER AT WHAT WE DO. MINDFULNESS IS ANOTHER RESOURCE TO MAKE YOU EVEN MORE BADASS THAN YOU ALREADY ARE.” Jannell MacAulay knows a thing or two about the hard-driving life. A combat veteran and former commander with over 3,000 flying hours, MacAulay served in the US Air Force for 20 years before retiring in June 2018. But her hard work and ambition eventually led to burnout. 14 years into her career, she began doctoral studies on human performance and encountered self-care practices like yoga and mindfulness. What began as academic research soon became a personal practice and, ultimately, a professional crusade: She brought mindfulness to her squadron and then to some 2,500 members of the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air…

1 Most apps use a subscription model. “We’ve created a meditation culture where people perceive that mindfulness costs $10 a month to do,” says Gunatillake. Subscription models rely on user dependence—reinforcing, rather than breaking, habits. 2 Apps encourage the idea that meditation is a solo practice, whereas in the past it was often learned in group settings. 3 It’s always guided—something you do alone or with headphones in. With prerecorded meditations, users can’t ask questions or get personalized instruction. This might be fine most of the time, but in some cases a meditation instructor can help to make sure you’re doing it safely and correctly. One journalist, for example, reported having anxiety attacks while using a meditation app. In moments like that, it can be helpful to have a human…

MEDITATION IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK Mindfulness and Why It Is So Important Jon Kabat-Zinn • Hachette In 2005, Jon Kabat-Zinn published his magnum opus, Coming to Our Senses. At 650 pages and years in the making, it was a monumental achievement. It allowed the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to put his life’s work in a larger context. Mindfulness is not a mental trick, an adjunct to regular life. It’s a basic human inheritance that is essential to life. We need to be optimally aware of who we are, where we are, how we are, if we are to survive individually and as communities, and even as a species in Kabat-Zinn’s view. The book amounted to a bold call for us all to quite literally “come to our senses,”…

Making meaningful changes to create a life more aligned with who you want to be isn’t that hard: To be more fit, you can exercise; to be a better writer, you can write more; to be more mindful, you can practice mindfulness. We know making these kinds of changes is good for us and even feels good. But making them stick? Well, that’s another story. To make lasting change, we need more than desire and willpower. It requires an understanding that our brains are wired to create obstacles that hinder us from making healthy changes, and that, thanks to technology, it’s harder than ever to maintain focus. Maybe most importantly, we need to understand that we are not islands, and that our social and physical environments can make the difference…

INSTEAD OF ASKING, “WHY ME?” WHEN DIFFICULTIES ARRIVE, WE CAN SAY, “WHY NOT ME?” Catastrophic illnesses like cancer terrify us. You could argue, given their frequency, they should—although I have never found anxiety or worry to be particularly helpful in solving anything. Every year, 250,000 women in the US learn they have breast cancer, and 1 in 9 women will be diagnosed in her lifetime. Each year, a staggering 12.7 million people worldwide receive a cancer diagnosis. Everyone will be affected by cancer at some point, either themselves or through caring for a loved one. So it wasn’t really a shock when the yellow crusting on my nipple turned out to be a malignancy that had taken up residency in my breast. Even so, initially I was devastated. My life…

Q I heard meditating while looking into someone else’s eyes can be good for developing empathy. Do you think that’s true? A I first experienced this “interpersonal meditation” exercise when I brought my then-fiancée to a Jack Kornfield talk in Santa Monica, about eight years ago. We paired up, and it wasn’t long before she was overcome by emotion and tears were streaming down her face as we two lovebirds gazed into each other’s eyes. She says she fell in love with me all over again during that exercise. These practices are often introduced to give people a direct, felt sense of loving-kindness, compassion, and empathy. They can be very powerful and often quite emotional (as my now-wife can attest!). What’s less clear is if engaging in such practices develops…

When you drink, drink more slowly A lot of beverages cross our lips during the day. Perhaps when we first take a sip, we notice how refreshing it is, but before long we’re drinking on autopilot and our mind is elsewhere entirely. No need for a big radical shift; just tweak your attention slightly so you still experience heat or coolness, thickness or thinness, and the taste of the drink. You can still pay attention to what else is going on—even something weighing on your mind—but the very act of placing a little more attention on the liquid passing through your mouth can ground you and exhilarate you. When you open a door, feel the handle It’s easy to barge into a room without taking much notice of the shifting…