A talk on

Mindfulness

(An introduction)

Wednesday 14^th October 2009

To be delivered by: Dr Anya Murphy, Clinical Psychologist

Venue: Tallaght Library

From 1.15pm to 2.00pm

Including time for Questions & Answers

Admission is Free Please come early as places are limited

All Are Welcome

For more information please call: 086 2873526

Tallaght Mental Health Association

Supporting positive mental health

? Have you ever found yourself going upstairs and forgetting what you went up for?

? Have you ever found yourself taking the road to work on a day off?

? Do you ever find yourself doing more than one task at a time?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions you may spend a lot of your time on automatic pilot.

MINDFULNESS IS THE OPPOSITE OF AUTOMATIC PILOT

What is Mindfulness about?

Mindfulness is the practice of living in the present moment and experiencing things without judgment. Mindfulness has both a mental and a physical component and emphasizes a mind-body connection. In addition to its spiritual associations, mindfulness can be a worthwhile practice for those who wish to reduce stress, reduce depression, manage pain, or cultivate personal awareness.

How do I do Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the focus of much meditation practice, during which a person may sit still or engage in specific activities such as yoga or walking. Quietness and focus on the breath are commonly used to aid in meditation. A person cultivates mindfulness during meditation by quieting thoughts about the past or future and noticing what is going on in the body. The mind naturally wanders, but a person cultivating mindfulness takes note of this wandering and then brings the mind back to the present.

How often could I use Mindfulness?

Mindfulness can be practiced in everyday life during nearly any activity. One can work towards being non-judgmental by noticing prejudices or associations in one's own thinking and making an effort to strip them away. Negative or positive feelings about external things can be recognized as coming from oneself, rather than having any inherent connection to the external thing in question. Over time, mindfulness can help a person develop the ability to be calm at will.

Taking even a few minutes out of each day to practice mindfulness can be a great stress reducer. Any time one is forced to be still in the course of the daily routine can be an opportunity to reflect on one's thoughts and to take note of one's body and of the sounds, smells, and so on in the external world.

How can Mindfulness help me?

Practitioners of mindfulness believe that, over time, such thinking will become second nature, freeing the person from the confinement of judgmental thought patterns he or she may have built up over the years.