Psychological support for athletes during Covid-19

Hello and welcome back! Last week my intention was to foreground a few formal mindfulness practices, whilst this week’s mindful gift is the introduction of a few informal mindfulness practices.

If we are at all interested in putting our hearts into training our minds as much as we do our bodies, even if for now it is just to weather the COVID-19 storm, to preserve our own personal equilibrium and find peace in this rather chaotic world, embracing mindfulness as a way of being in the world can be very beneficial.

Mindfulness is not just about the formal practice but also about letting what we have learnt in the practice spill over into our lives – it is about being fully present in connecting with ourselves, our hearts, minds and senses. Mindfulness is about being present in our connections with family, friends, peers, colleagues, nature and the world around us. Remembering that when we speak about mindfulness we are speaking about kindness, compassion, non-judgement, curiosity, acceptance, letting be, patience and non-striving.

Weaving what we have learnt in the formal practices into our lives is enhanced by engaging with informal mindfulness practices. Informal mindfulness practices help to bridge the gap between formal practices and daily life. So, what is meant by informal mindfulness practices? Firstly, let me clarify that when we are talking about practice in the mindfulness context it is not the same as the practice (rehearsal of a skill or perfecting a technique) your coach is referring to – in this context the practice means intentionally being present in this moment.

When we refer to informal practices, we are talking about being awake to our experiences, and paying attention, moment by moment to what we are doing and owning our actions.

In its simplest form we can ask ourselves: ‘am I awake to this moment’ or ‘do I know what I am doing or thinking in this moment’? When we are not awake in our moments, we find ourselves doing crazy things like driving to work or the shops instead of to the track or we arrive at a competition with the wrong gear or we forget where we left the keys. When we are awake to the moments in our lives, we are aware of what we are doing, thinking, feeling and saying, our minds are not elsewhere. By asking ‘am I awake to this moment?’ we are effectively checking in to see whether we really are present.

Informal Mindfulness practices can be little pauses we create throughout our day which allow us to refocus. The pause can be taking a ‘breathing space’ which can either be scattered at intervals during the day and/or when things are feeling a little pressured or out of control. The pause allows us to check in with our thoughts, feeling and sensations and to narrow our focus onto the breath for a few moments. The idea of the ‘breathing space’ is not to escape reality but to intentionally pause, gain clarity and respond in the wisest way possible. Try the 3 minute breathing space:

http://franticworld.com/the-three-minute-breathing-space-meditation-is-now-free-to-download/

If 3 minutes seems to long you may want to try a 1 minute meditation by Tara Brach:

https://mindfulnessexercises.com/downloads/1-minute-meditation

We can of course take these breathing spaces without the guided practice – even more convenient.

Informal Mindfulness practices can include bringing awareness to our routine activities and habits. In terms of the former, Mark Williams the founder of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) advocates bringing awareness to simple actions such as brushing one’s teeth, taking out the trash, taking a shower, washing the dishes etc. – the things we don’t even realise we are doing.

So, if we had to focus on bringing awareness to brushing our teeth it would involve, amongst others, noticing the following: the colour of the tooth brush, the bristles – texture and concentration i.e. hard, soft or medium; the toothpaste – the make, level, colour, texture and patterns; holding the toothbrush; squeezing the tube; the amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush; moisture or absence thereof on the toothbrush. We could notice the action of brushing; where we start and end; the taste of the toothpaste, the texture; the sensations of the toothpaste and water against our gums, teeth, palate, floor of the mouth; gargling and spitting etc. By bringing awareness in this way to our routine activities we get a sense of how mindlessly we go about our business, on a daily basis and how much we live our lives on autopilot.

In a similar vein, by focussing on breaking habits we learn to notice how some habits can be counterproductive. To get a sense of this we can try to mix things up a bit with some of those things we are fixated on e.g. ‘my chair’. So, if we always sit in the same chair at the dinner table, we can change where we sit – by changing the smallest thing we get a different perspective of ourselves, the surroundings and we often learn something new. Go ahead pick one of your habits and try a different approach.

Informal mindfulness can amongst others, also include the following: doing a random act of kindness; abiding by the rules of the road i.e. wait for the green light to proceed; listening and noticing when we are not listening; eating in silence and paying attention to the sensation of eating, the food, colours, textures, flavours and presentation.

The more we are in relationship with ourselves and the things we do with awareness, i.e. being awake to our moments, the more mindful we become.

Life is made up of moments, seize your moments, be awake in your moments.

Image Source: Dr Debbie Alexander