The technique can be very powerful, for example, through a process called "reperceiving". Indeed, the fascinating thing about mindfulness is how multi-purpose it is, said Prof Reb. "It brings about awareness and caring into our daily life and everything we do," he said, adding that the practice has also been found to be beneficial in parenting and education. "We may fall into chronic stress cycles, which can lead to serious health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and depression, in the long run."ĭr Ong Seh Hong, a senior consultant at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's department of psychological medicine, said there are studies which show that mindfulness can make people happier. "No matter how sick or healthy we are, we all get stressed at times about inevitable things, big and small, that happen in life," said Ms Sheryl Bathman, director, counsellor and psychotherapist at Lifesteps, which started the MBSR course here in 2010. It also improves concentration and reduces anxiety, said Professor Kua Ee Heok, a senior consultant at the department of psychological medicine at National University Hospital (NUH), where mindfulness is used in psychological therapy for patients with anxiety or depression. Studies have shown that the practice can help people to manage stress better and to become more self-aware. Mindfulness is a useful skill to help us quieten the mind, slow down and take charge of our lives, say practitioners. In mindfulness meditation, which is a big part of mindfulness, you focus your attention on something - such as your breathing or a movement - to raise your awareness of the present moment. "One perspective is to view mindfulness as a way to train our attention, to increase our awareness of the present moment and to anchor ourselves when we are in an emotional storm." Some people may be wary of its religious roots, but mindfulness used in Western therapy has been tailored to be independent of religious beliefs, said Mr Wong Chin Meng, a clinical psychologist at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), where mindfulness is used to treat mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression as well as addictions. He developed an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course that is now being offered by many practitioners worldwide. In the 1970s, Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, a molecular biologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Hospital, introduced mindfulness as a clinical intervention. It is a secular practice that has roots in ancient Buddhist meditation. Mindfulness teaches us to focus on the present and to look at ourselves with some detachment. Such workshops are also being held for new mothers and the elderly here, while a group wants to introduce it in schools. Mindfulness is not just for working adults. It is not surprising, considering that similar courses have been held at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. More executives are shelling out money to attend mindfulness workshops to learn how to improve their lives. Last August, Mindfulness was included in a core module in the Master of Business Administration curriculum at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Companies here, such as Google and American Express, have offered their employees mindfulness training. It is not just a personal issue any more, but a personnel one as well. We are in a different world and we can perform better," said Ms Jane Grafton, a mindfulness coach and trainer with Potential Project Singapore. "When we are in the moment, we calm down. You cannot control everything that happens to you, but you can control your reaction to it. Such an overload is why mindfulness is gaining traction in the West and, more gradually, here as well. And it seems that many people are dissatisfied with their current strategies of handling stress, such as multitasking," said Singapore Management University's Associate Professor Jochen Reb, who is studying the role of mindfulness in the workplace and in leadership here. "There is a lot of (work) stress in people's lives now, caused substantially by overload in terms of information, projects and tasks. You forget things, even what you ate for lunch. The routine repeats itself and you go into autopilot mode. To de-stress, you hit the bar and unintentionally drink too much, such that you have to nurse a hangover the next morning. You attend countless meetings and reply a never-ending stream of e-mail or text messages while trying to meet deadlines. You yell at the kids to hurry up, gobble down a hasty breakfast while scanning the newspapers and drive the children to school before going to work. The mad rush of the day begins once the alarm clock rings.
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