Treating Stress And Burnout Part 2

Treating Stress & Burnout - Mindful Power

In this article I will highlight how mindfulness and meditation are related to resilience, self regulation and purpose,- three fundamental pillars to sustain resourcefulness, as well as mental,- emotional,- and spiritual wellbeing. Drawing on research as well as direct personal experience, mindfulness and meditation prove to be of great value to programmes aimed at preventing, as well as healing the effects of overwhelming stress and burnout.

"IN THE SECOND LAST PARAGRAPH OF THIS ARTICLE, YOU ARE DIRECTED TO FREE MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION RESOURCES."

Studies indicate that mindfulness practices and meditation are known to reduce stress (Davidson, 2010, Malinowski, 2008). With burnout resulting from persistent stress (Cartwright & Cooper, 1996), clearly mindfulness and meditation will be helpful in treating as well as preventing burnout. Burnout has been referred to as a 'soul sickness' (Wright, 2010, p 8.), where one reaches a point of being sick and tired of being sick and tired, but oblivious of any solution. A common aspect of burnout are dysfunctional attitudes and behaviours that are disengaged from the present moment (cited in Dierendonck, Garssen & Visser, 2005). This is similar to what (Brown Kelley, 2005; Meiklejohn "et al"., 2012; Irving, J. A., Dobkin, P. L., Cohen- Katz, Wiley, Capuano, Baker, Mackenzie, Poulin, & Seidman-Carlson, 2006). Mindfulness has also been associated with the enhancement of well-being, since it is known to enable people to disengage from unhealthy, automatic behavioural patterns (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Their view is supported by Brown & Ryan's (2003) research which indicates that higher levels of mindfulness are correlated with the lower level of stress and mood disturbance, and will therefore contribute to improving resilience.

MINDFULNESS IN RELATION TO SELF REGULATION

Bonanno's (2004) research suggests that all human beings with unhampered mental health have an innate capacity for resilience and well-being even while facing adversity (cited Kelley, T, 2005, p. 265). According to Ciarrochi, Chan, Caputi, and Roberts (2001), difficulty identifying feelings is likely to predispose an individual to poorer mental health. Various studies support the idea that an individual with a greater ability to identify their emotions will be able to regulate those emotions better (cited in Barrett, L. F., Gross, J., Christensen, T. C., & Benvenuto, M., 2001, p. 721). Inherent in mindfulness approaches is the ability to adapt and regulate one's thought's, feelings and actions according to the situation (Baliki, Ceha, Apkarian, cited in Niemiec, Rashid, Spinella, 2012). Rather than perceiving mental and emotional states as fixed, the mindful approach identifies their impermanent nature and treats them as transitory phenomena (Kabat-Zinn, 1990; Segal, Williams, Jacobs, T. L., "et al." (2011), research done by Jacobs, T. L., "et al." also indicates that meditation is known to promote a sense of meaning and purpose in life (2011). Their study suggests that meditation may facilitate an expanded assessment of one's life as meaningful, which in turn may influence one's assessment of challenging situations, resulting in improved self regulation and enhanced resilience to stress. This idea is in alignment with former research verifying that the perception of meaning is associated with better stress management (e.g., Okamoto "et al.", 2007). Additional evidence shows that when stressful situations are infused with a purposeful meaning, the result is more adaptive stress responses and better psychological coping (e.g., Bower "et al.", 2008). The link between mindfulness and purpose may offer particular value to burnout treatment programmes, since burnout is associated with a deficit in existential meaning and purpose (Frankl, 1963; L"angle, 1994). A central purpose in a person's life is suggested to influence the thoughts, emotions, and actions of that person, as well as enhance that person's resiliency in in stressful situations (cited in McKnight & Kashdan, 2009).

There are apparently similar outcomes when comparing approaches that are motivated by a strong sense of purpose and those of mindfulness in contrast to no sense of purpose or mindlessness. Comparing the research cited in McKnight common outcomes appear to be: an improved ability to understand and cope with stress, enhanced resilience, more adaptable self regulation, as well as a generally elevated psychological, physical, and social well-being. In addition to considering the complimentary factors that are associated with both purpose and mindfulness, there are attributes of both that are not shared, for example: inherent in purpose is a broader motivational component driving the achievement of goals which support that purpose (McKnight while inherent in mindfulness is nonjudgmental awareness of experiences in the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990), as well as the possibility of insight into the true nature of existence (Olendzki, 2010). These characteristic differences between purpose and mindfulness can also be viewed as complimentary resources that may be supportive in the pursuit of dealing holistically with stress issues and burnout. In their discussion on the attributes of purpose, McKnight Overdurf, 2013). Those who are familiar with the technique to facilitate "peripheral vision" report that it takes only a few minutes to learn, it can be applied in any place at any time of day, and the benefits of using it begin to take effect within a few seconds of applying the technique (reported by NLP course participants). On this basis, "peripheral vision" may be of particular use to busy people who don't have time to formally meditate, or those who are sceptical of Eastern practices, and especially those who might be at risk of being effected by stress or burnout. Furthermore, I have personally found that the establishment of "peripheral vision" serves as a useful expediency to access deeper levels of meditation, and when brought to one's tasks and interactions, it facilitates a mindful approach.

"TWO WAYS TO LEARN "PERIPHERAL VISION" FOR FREE: Watch the video where I teach "peripheral vision" at a live NLP training - HERE. Get your copy of the Cool, Calm ">.

Written by Jevon Dangeli - NLP Trainer ">.

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