The 8 week Mindfulness Class
The 8-week Mindfulness Training Program was established in the mid-1970s as a means of preventing recurrent episodes of depression and panic disorder. Over the years, it has proven effective in reducing stress in everyday life, and today it is considered prevention and a way to establish good mental health and mechanisms for coping with life’s challenges.
We already know how important is our diet, our physical activities, the quality of our sleep, etc. to be healthy and in good shape, but we still often miss the fact that in order to feel good we need to regularly and consciously take care of our interactions with our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Our state of mind, our mental health is equally important and we need to learn skills about how to keep it well.
In the same way that we handle a first aid kit in our homes or bags, we need a first aid kit for the emotional and mental challenges in everyday life.
For me that is exactly the role of mindfulness. Learning mindfulness gives us the ultimate first aid kit for mental health and its regular practice equals a prevention of mental health issues. Nonetheless brings it more resilience in challenging situations, clarity about own priorities and new ways to improve and develop relationships.
As any other skill, learning and mastering mindfulness requires regular practice over time.