Suzi's MBSR Course Journal.

I'm doing a MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) course which is designed to help with physical pain, mental pain and also "the pain of the human condition"...

I had the introduction and orientation 2 weeks ago and I'm currently doing the homework and revisiting the notes from that session in preparation for tomorrow. In it it's suggested that we have someone to talk things through with - and so I naturally thought of all of you! You guys are the most nonjudgmental friends I've ever had and I know that no matter how silly I feel, I know that you'll kick me when I need it - I have to do 30 - 45 mins daily practise 6 days a week to commit fully to this course.

So... Thoughts from Introduction:

1. She's a hard task master.
2. There is little discussion about how we got to where we are as that's in the past. We are to only focus on the here and now. Any discussion about the past and the future will be given a "PAUSE" because it's not helpful to mindfulness.
3. It's a big commitment.
4. Am really daunted by it. I love using mindfulness as a tool, and still use it from the IMPACT course I did last year, but this is more about using it all the time and living mindfully, not using it as a tool...
5. I'm going to give it my best shot with an open mind. I didn't think the IMPACT course would help at all, but it did so there's no reason this won't too...

So, is that a hard task master you’re actually going to listen to? ;). Tbh, if anyone could get something from a course like this, you will. You always put 150% into everything you do and this won’t any different. I’m so proud of you for going for it xx

^^^^ What she said!! (nerd)

Thanks so much! I'm so glad you've got faith in me!
To celebrate I've ordered a collapsible reusable coffee cup so I can save the environment from 8 plastic cups!

Suzi you always go the extra mile to get things done because you're awesome. Yay for collapsible coffee cups :)

MBSR Week 1

OK today was tough. It was such a horrible journey getting there and 35/36oC which just made me melt and sweat buckets (dam autonomic dysfunction). Was great as met up with C who I did the IMPACT course with. S wasn't able to make it today.

We did a warm up exercise about "arriving" to the session involving breathing deeper than you've breathed all week. Having a wriggle in the seats, and a few more breaths.
This course is different to others she's run as there are 6 health care professionals in with us, so it felt like a huge group which was quite daunting.
Again she said this isn't therapy think of this more like adult education...

We did a mindful eating exercise with a raisin which was odd. You had to look at a raisin, touch it, think about the journey that it's been on to get to you, think about what it looks like, feels like, smells like and then 3 repetitions of moving the raisin to your mouth, but not eating it. Then eat it slowly. Feel what it is like in your mouth, what does it taste like?

Then we did an introduce yourself.

Then a long body scan. That was so hard to keep focused on each bit, and actually I found it really quite sad as it showed up exactly where the pain was and how much there was and how wide spread it was.

Then it was pretty much time to go home.

We have been given a handout to read and a CD to do every day and have to try to eat more mindfully as homework.

Are you able to see the body scan as an opportunity to learn more about your body and focus on what you need to do to help healing?

Yes, and actually it was quite interesting as the things that I thought were causing me most pain weren't actually the ones screaming at me when I was totally focussed on me...
I thought it was my right knee and lower back, when in fact those were able to be pushed to one side and the bits that I couldn't dull down easily were my neck, my left foot, the middle of my back and my wrists. It actually made me feel sad that there was so much "wrong"

It was also interesting to do the comfort scale of how comfortable are you at any given moment..1 - 10.
1 = holding onto the chair to stop you from running away with anxiety/fear
10 = so chilled out that you could dance around naked in the middle of the room
I thought I was about a 6/7 but actually was more like a 4

It's definitely making me stop and be more aware of the difference with my mind and body and being more self aware.