Mindfulness & Mollusks
Today at the beach, I watched my kids fascinated for hours with the mollusks - the tiny little clam shells with miniature slug looking animals inside. Now 7 & 9 year olds are not known for being quiet or still or patient, but dang if these kids weren’t little monks for hours waiting and watching for those minuscule critters to make the slightest of movements. They were focused to the point of being unaware of most anything else, all while peacefully content - the very picture of mindfulness.
If we’re getting even more into the weeds, me watching my kids watch the mollusks was the most mindful I’ve been in quite a while. My usually obnoxiously active mind was peacefully absorbed in watching my kids watch the mollusks; no chatter about the grocery list or intrusive thoughts about sharks snacking on said children. No anxiety, no depression, no rumination.
What is Mindfulness?
So what exactly is mindfulness and how do we achieve it?
The most succinct definition I’ve found is that mindfulness is “open, active attention to the present”.
And while that sounds simple enough, it’s just not how brains tend to operate. Brains tend to focus on anything that might cause us harm and then turn it over and over a million times. It’s an evolutionary advantage that helps keep us safe, but it makes being in the present moment pretty dang hard.
Data shows that mindfulness, purposefully being in the present moment, can decrease anxiety and depression, improve blood pressure and sleep, and even increase focus and cognitive function. Pair that with no serious side effects, and it can be a very useful tool in the management of daily stress and sadness as well as serious mental health conditions.
How Can Mindfulness Help Mental Health?
I often recommend “mindfulness” to patients struggling with mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and OCD. When I explain it to patients, my psychiatry PA spiel is “mindfulness is the simple, but difficult, practice of being fully on the present moment - not worried about or planning for the future and not ruminating on or reliving the past. So if you’re washing the dishes, be fully into the dishes - the soap, the water, the actual dish. Or if you’re walking the dog, be fully into walking the dog, noticing the sights, sounds and smells along your path instead of thinking about your grocery list or your schedule for the day.”
I feel like going forward, my spiel may include mollusks.
What are Some Other Ways to Practice Mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be incorporated into any activity from dishes and mollusks to breathing, nature walks, or communication. Here are a few ways to actively practice being mindful, with the hopes it’ll become more automatic with time.
Mindful breathing: Focus your attention on your breath. Notice what it feels like to inhale - the sensation in your nostrils, your throat, your chest, belly or back; the sound of the air moving; the smells you sense. Then notice what it feels like to exhale.
Mindful walking: Go for a walk without any distractions purposefully noting the sensations - the feel of the ground beneath your feet, the air moving along as your arms swing, the movement of muscles in your legs, the smell of the outside air, the sound of the birds or cars, everything.
Body scan: Starting at either the top of your head or the tips of your toes (I find top down more calming and bottom up more energizing, but to each their own!) go slowly, noticing each part of your body - any sensations, feelings of heaviness or tension, or areas of relaxation.
Awareness of thought: For a period of time, consciously notice your thoughts without judgement. We’re not trying to quiet or shift the thoughts, just let them float in and then float out.
The cool thing is that these exercises can be done anywhere without disrupting your day. They can be as long or short as you’d like. A mindful walk can be the walk from your desk to the bathroom or a nice long nature stroll! You can visit these any time.
What are Some Additional Resources for Mindfulness?
There are some amazing resources that dive deeper into mindfulness. Books, cards, even journals and coloring books. Check out a few of my favorites:
Need More Help?
If you are located in Alabama, Idaho or Florida and are looking for comprehensive psychiatric care that integrates lifestyle tools like sleep, connection, and even mindfulness with expert medication management, schedule an appointment with White Pine Mental Health & Wellness. We are experts in providing comprehensive behavioral healthcare for patients with OCD, depression, anxiety and women’s mental health.
