Description
Mindfulness is an evidence-based approach to prevent recurrent depression, and also has a growing evidence base for it’s usefulness in helping people with anxiety or struggling with physical health problems.
The book covers the following topics:
Introduction/overview
• Does your life seem on fast forward? –just going through the motions day by day.
• Living life to the full? Or living life too fast? Are you rushing through every day.
• The origins of mindfulness – an approach to life.
• Understanding how your mind works – change your thinking- change your brain.
• Being aware of your thoughts.
• What you are going to learn – and how you will know it helps.
Mindfulness practice (12 skills)
a). Pay attention:
• Skill 1: Ground yourself
• Skill 2: Focus on your breathing
• Skill 3: Focus on your body
b). Slow down your life
• Skill 4: Mindful eating
• Skill 5: Mindful listening
• Skill 6: Mindful walking
c). Practice being kind
• Skill 7: … to yourself
• Skill 8: … to Others (showing kindness to all)
• Skill 9: … By saying thank you
d). Three other important things
• Ask yourself what builds you up, and what pulls you down.
• Look at the world around you with fresh eyes
• Turn towards your difficulties: choose to do things that expand your life.
Finally, Hang on – Maybe you find mindfulness tricky?
Plus free online audio resources (body scan, be kind to yourself … and more at www.llttf.com/resources
What are the objectives of the resource and what does it set out to achieve?
Traditional mindfulness approaches (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, (MBCT) are delivered in classes over 8 weeks, and place high demands on attendees (e.g. asked to practice every single day). This can result in over 100 hours of attendance and practice over a course. Research in the States has confirmed that those attending mindfulness classes utilise only a small section of the skills taught after a course. These could be taught more simply in a shorter less demanding way. This, together with the practical difficulties of finding an accessible, NHS-delivered class without a significant waiting list has led to calls to create a low intensity form of mindfulness delivered in other ways. Slow down and Be is a low-cost book form of a low intensity (shortened and focused) mindfulness course, and links with free online audio mindfulness resources at the popular www.llttf.com website.
The objectives are:
- To provide a meaningful description of mindfulness and how it works that makes sense to the reader.
- To identify and teach key mindfulness skills in an efficient and fun manner.
- Using bite sized skills that encourage practice of the elements the reader finds helpful.
- To include a before/after self-test using smiley faces to work out which elements help.
- Empowering and encouraging
- Key aims are to Improve low mood and depression and reduce anxiety and stress- and face avoided activities
- Providing free linked audio and worksheet resources (www.llttf.com/resources)
Using a user friendly accessible and hopeful language characteristic of the popular Living Life to the Full approach look and feel.
Written by experts in mindfulness (Stephanie and Alistair Wilson), and CBT- Professor Chris Williams- Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow and Director of Five Areas Ltd.
Published by Five Areas Limited
ISBN: 978-1-906564-73-5 (68 pages)
