Stressed? Be Mindful!

From Hallmark Abstract Service, New York.

Mindfulness and what it can mean for you!

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience. (Source)

We are living in stressful times my friends which makes possessing the ability to overcome, or at the very least manage well, our daily angst coupled with concern about issues both both near and in the distant future an imperative!

This is true whether you are working as an attorney, a doctor, a student, a Realtor, a caregiver or in any other capacity!

For the purposes of this discussion, however, the focus is going to be on the law.

For anyone reading this who is not working in law simply substitute the word that describes your day-to-day activity for law or lawyer.

From Lawyerist.com comes this great description of the problem of stress along with ways to ‘practice’ mindfulness!

How to Increase Focus and Productivity with Mindfulness

Let’s start by understanding the human physiological response to stress. Suppose you are in a heated conversation with your least favorite opposing counsel. Your brain — specifically the amygdala — sends distress signals to the hypothalamus. This triggers a chain of events in your body as it prepares for battle.

Your heart rate increases, and blood pressure goes up. Your breath gets shallow, and you start to breathe more rapidly. The extra oxygen increases alertness, sharpening your senses, such as sight and hearing. Your body also starts releasing stress hormones. Your blood moves from the core of your body to your extremities, stopping digestion. The body also releases sugar and fats from temporary storage. Your blood gets thicker, readying itself for rapid clotting in case of blood loss. All of this happens automatically and almost instantly. This is the fight-or-flight response.

The part of the brain that is involved in the fight-or-flight response is the hypothalamus, the oldest part of the brain from an evolutionary perspective. This automatic response has allowed the human species to survive for as long as it has. This reaction is great, and necessary if you are being attacked by a tiger, but it is not very useful when you are trying to resolve an issue with opposing counsel.

The problem with the fight-or-flight response is that it makes it difficult if not impossible to fully utilize the frontal cortex — the part of your brain responsible for executive functions and making good decisions as a lawyer. (As the name suggests, the frontal cortex is in the front of your head, behind the forehead.)

The frontal cortex is the part of the brain that should be in the driver’s seat when we are trying to resolve a dispute with opposing counsel. It is the part of the brain responsible for planning complex cognitive behavior, making decisions, and moderating social behavior. From an evolutionary perspective, the frontal cortex is the new kid on the block. It is what sets us apart from other mammals. Unfortunately, when you are in fight-or-flight state, your frontal cortex takes a backseat to the hypothalamus.

Research indicates that there are specific tools you can use to halt the stress response, lower levels of the stress hormone, and recover more quickly from stress so you can access higher brain functions. This technique is known as mindfulness.

The practice of mindfulness is basically training for the brain (and mind). It is a tool we can use to calm the hypothalamus and allow the higher brain function to take place. All of us intuitively know that we function better when we are not stressed and in a panicked state. However, we may not have the tools to be able to calm ourselves in the moment.

Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment. In my example above, when you are interacting with the opposing counsel, mindfulness allows you to respond thoughtfully instead of just reacting. When you are mindful, you are able to notice your emotional state in that moment. So instead of lashing out at opposing counsel in anger, you can pause (even if for a second) and simply acknowledge that you are angry. This ability to see your feelings and thoughts without getting carried away by them is the cornerstone of mindfulness practice.

Once you are able to see your own anger in the situation, you have the opportunity to choose your response. Maybe the best course of action is not to match opposing counsel’s anger and yell back. Maybe you can take a few deep breaths, give your nervous system a chance to recover, and then respond by saying “I can see we’re both very angry. I’d like to continue this conversation tomorrow.”

The ability to soothe yourself in the moment and avoid a knee-jerk reaction sounds great in theory, but it is incredibly hard to do. This is why mindfulness must be practiced and cultivated.

Numerous studies suggests that mindfulness decreases stress and anxiety. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs are being taught all across the country, from elementary schools to hospitals — even to law schools. What the data indicates is that meditation can actually rewire your brain, creating new neural pathways and increasing brain density and grey matter.

Studies also indicate that you do not have to be a zen master or go on a year-long retreat to gain these benefits. It is possible to make these shifts in as little as 8 weeks. Consider the impact on your life if you could have a different response to a stressful situation. By rewiring your brain, you can tap into all of your internal resources and increase resilience.

The way you react to a particular situation is based on how your brain is wired. Your brain may already be wired to react negatively, with anger and hostility, to opposing counsel because of something he said or did years ago. Each time you interact with him, the same buttons are triggered. If you could rewire your brain, you could lessen the impact of those feelings.

There are two primary ways to practice mindfulness: formal and informal practice...

Read the rest of the article at the Hallmark Abstract Service blog here.

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