Mindfulness may not take away their symptoms, but it can help make them more manageable.įor example, the eCALM trial, a therapy program for cancer patients, found that mindfulness can reduce symptoms of stress, enhance spirituality and non-reactivity to experience, facilitate post-traumatic growth, and enhance vigor while relieving fatigue (Zernicke, Campbell, Speca, ruff, Tamagawa, & Carlson, 2016).Īnother cancer-specific mindfulness program decreased rumination and worry and increased observing and nonjudging in cancer patients (Labelle, Campbell, Faris, & Carlson, 2015).Īn exploration of MBSR for those suffering from chronic low back pain found that mindfulness improved patients’ ability to function independently and resulted in less back pain than treatment as usual (Cherkin, Sherman, Balderson, Cook, Anderson, Hawkes, Hansen, & Turner, 2016). Perhaps one of the most studied groups in terms of the impacts of mindfulness is cancer patients and others who are suffering from a chronic or potentially terminal illness. This is a practice that is so easy, anyone can do it! 2. Gaining these benefits can be as simple as closing your eyes and being silent for a few minutes a day. Experience of being calm and internally still.Increased clarity in thinking and perception.When you induce a state of relaxation, which can be achieved through mindfulness, another kind of meditation, or other activities, you can reap the benefits, including: Clenching your jaw muscles and grinding your teeth at night.Often self-critical and/or critical of others.Low levels of energy, often waking up feeling tired.Argumentative and defensive with friends and family.Feeling irritable, agitated and easily annoyed.Constantly feeling anxious and worried.Howden and Medibank first list the symptoms of stress, including:
I’ll leave it to them to dive into the nitty-gritty, but I’ll describe their explanation of the relaxation response. Police officers (Bergman, Christopher, & Bowen, 2016).įor an excellent dive into how mindfulness affects the experience of stress, check out the Little Book of Mindfulness by Rebecca Howden and Medibank.Veterans with depression and/or PTSD (Felleman, Stewart, Simpson, & Heppner, 2016).Healthcare professionals (Burton, Burgess, Dean, Koutsopoulou, & Hugh-Jones, 2017).Parents (Gouveia, Carona, Canavarro, & Moreira, 2016).Those who suffer from restless legs syndrome (Bablas, Yap, Cunnington, Swieca, & Greenwood, 2016).The impact of mindfulness on stress can also be seen in several specific groups, including: Mindfulness can also help alleviate stress by improving emotion regulation, leading to a better mood and better ability to handle stress (Remmers, Topolinski, & Koole, 2016). Another study by Donald and Atkins (2016) found evidence that mindfulness produced less avoidance and more approach coping as a response to stress than relaxation or self-affirmation controls. One study on present-moment awareness found that it facilitates an adaptive response to daily stressors (Donald, Atkins, Parker, Christie, & Ryan, 2016). In addition to the outcomes of MBSR, there have been numerous studies supporting the idea that mindfulness reduces stress. If you read our piece on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), you know that mindfulness is considered a key element to fighting stress.Īn entire stress reduction program, with decades of experience and tens of thousands of practitioners, is an excellent indication that mindfulness works. We’ll start with some of the benefits you probably already expect from mindfulness, like enhancing your ability to deal with everyday struggles. The 5 Most Common Benefits of Mindfulness
Health Benefits of Mindfulness for Kids and Students.The 5 Most Common Benefits of Mindfulness.
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