Nursing and Stress As nurses, we're all too familiar with the physiology of stress and how it can impact our health. We may even find ourselves lecturing our patients about the importance of decreasing stress in their lives...only to go back to the nurses' station and realize that we're a bucket of nerves!
Science Proves that Meditation Works! You've probably read it before, either on this site or somewhere else, that meditation can foster compassion (there's even scientific evidence proving this!). And, we know through scientific research that meditation works to effect changes in the brain as well. So, through meditation, learning to know one's mind and know one's heart go hand-in-hand. When you come to know your mind, your heart follows and vice versa. Okay, so assuming that's the truth, how can you learn to take better care of yourself through the art of meditation? How can you learn to be more [...]
Having been a nurse for more than 30 years as well as a long-time practitioner of meditation, I’ve come to understand that the transformation of my own mind can have a “ripple effect” on the minds of my patients. When I make it my primary intention to be present, aware and compassionate at the bedside, their experience of me as caregiver (and by extension their experience within the healthcare system) is transformed.
If you want to learn how to live a life with less striving, a great place to start is in your meditation practice. Since you’re not actually “doing” anything when you meditate, taking time to practice, and watching what comes up as “striving” during your practice is a great way to familiarize yourself with the state of mind that accompanies your Sisyphean efforts.
Nursing as a Practice of Meditation While this week's post is directed towards nurses and healthcare professionals, I encourage all of my readers to have a look. Since healthcare and its practitioners can impact all of us at some point in our lives, it's important to know what nursing is doing about showing up at the bedside, mindful and compassionate. Enjoy!
Meditation can change the way a person experiences pain, according to a new study by UW–Madison neuroscientists. The researchers found that during a pain experiment, expert meditators felt the discomfort as intensely as novice meditators, but the experience wasn't as unpleasant for them. Images of brain regions linked to pain and anxiety may explain why. Compared to novice meditators, experts had less activity in the anxiety regions. Not only did the experts feel less anxiety immediately before pain stimulation, they also became accustomed to the pain more quickly after being exposed repeatedly to it.
Death is a powerful reminder to remain in the present. It summons us to be present and aware in all that we do, to be our best, to find closure with those with whom we disagree, and to practice keeping a mind that isn't distracted by the worries and preoccupations of daily life.
Right now I'm sick as a dog. I've been in bed for two days, feeling utterly lousy, with a nasty respiratory flu. That’s why I want to share with you how grateful I am to have a meditation practice to see me through this tough time.
It's time for Black Friday again. So, do you want to shop or meditate? How about both! Just don't go blank when it's time to shop, remember why you're there and don't get distracted.
Ready to commit to a meditation practice? Researchers have concluded that the expectation that a meditation technique will work can have dramatic effects on your willingness and ability to participate in a practice. So, make a commitment...