Wellbeing and mindfulness – some thoughts on a new paper
In my work as a mindfulness teacher – and also as a CBT therapist in a university student support team – wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. Moreover, interest in wellbeing has become increasingly important in public life and a consideration in public policy agendas nationally and globally.
Ideas have been proposed by various UK political leaders about the need to ‘measure wellbeing’, as opposed to purely economic measures to track our growth as a nation. The Office for National Statistics now collects this data covering ‘Societal and personal wellbeing in the UK looking beyond what we produce, to areas such as health and relationships.’
Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand has proposed a ‘wellbeing budget’ as critical to rebuilding voters’ trust in institutions. New Zealand is one of the first countries to design its entire budget based on wellbeing priorities and to instruct its’ ministries to design policies to improve wellbeing. The focus has been to spend considerably more on mental health and reducing child poverty, for example.
“Skills that are widely accepted as important to sustaining wellbeing include emotional intelligence, mindfulness, social skills and health habits.”
‘The Mindfulness Initiative’ is a UK charity working with legislators around the world who practice mindfulness and who investigate the benefits and challenges in implementing mindfulness training in many sectors of society and public life.
Mindfulness can be defined in myriad ways but this one may be helpful – “living in mindfulness means paying regular calm attention to the present moment” (Christophe Andre). Hence mindfulness may reduce the tendency to be lost in our thoughts and being distracted and unfocused.
September saw the launch of the Mindfulness Initiative’s new document ‘Health, Wellbeing & Mindfulness.’ (Researched and written by Jenny Edwards, CBE). It documents the value of mindfulness in helping people become increasingly proactive about their health, whether with anxiety, recurrent depression or long-term conditions such as diabetes, chronic pain and it lists many more.
Why is this helpful for us all as individuals and organisations, you may be wondering?
Many people across society and many students at my university will have experienced ‘wellbeing inequalities’* and so mindfulness can offer them an opportunity to be more in tune with their mind/body needs and thus help nurture proactive approach to their health and wellbeing.
Many of our students go on to work in the public sector and ‘Mental ill health is particularly prevalent in the public sector with 72% of public sector employers reporting an increase in the last year.’* This, along with a high turnover of staff in medical, caring and teaching professions means students and those already employed in the sector could be vulnerable to stress-related problems during their placements and in their careers. The Chief Medical Officer recently cited mindfulness-based treatment as an evidence-based option to help prevent mental ill-health.
A number of studies have focused on the potential benefits of mindfulness which could be significant for both now and in increasing future resilience … increased focus and concentration, reduced anxiety in exams, interviews and in the workplace, enhanced compassion for self and others, reduced errors, eg. prescription errors within healthcare training courses
What seems to be the best way for people to access mindfulness?
I meet a lot of people who are really curious about mindfulness and can access it in myriad ways: through books, smartphone apps, workshops, drop-in sessions and 8-week group or 1-2-1 courses. I think there is a great benefit from having all these options and the flexibility for people to choose the right way for them. But often individuals struggle to prioritise their own wellbeing on a regular and consistent basis.
I have been struck by comments from those attending my courses, who state how much they benefit from the opportunity to explore mindfulness as a group compared with the ‘lonely’ experience of using an app or book. There is something wonderful about exploring and developing mindfulness together, the sharing of the experience and progress, encouraging each other through all the ups and downs.
Clearly mindfulness is not a panacea or necessarily right for everyone but I think this report encourages us to keep an open mind and continue to explore how we can make mindfulness training accessible for more and more people – and organisations – given the growing evidence base that it helps people thrive and enhances their wellbeing.
For more information and references see the full document:
https://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org/briefing-paper-on-health-wellbeing-and-mindfulness
*The Mindfulness Initiative: ‘Health, Wellbeing & Mindfulness.’ Researched and written by Jenny Edwards, CBE. September 2019