Managing Overwhelm with Mindfulness

By Karen Mitchell, Mindfulness Jedi + Founder of Omm Office LLC

Forgetfulness. Anxiety. Insomnia. Anger. Difficulty concentrating. Depression. Difficulty with time management. Sorrow. Fear.

These phrases may describe experiences individuals are having right now. Events around the globe and within our communities present numerous challenges. Furthermore, due to the ongoing pandemic, the quality of day-to-day life for many has shifted or fundamentally changed.

Managing change skillfully is a tool that can be learned. Cultivating the bandwidth to co-exist with change in a way that is emotionally and physically non-harming to self and non-harming to others is also a skill that may be learned through a mindfulness meditation practice. Mindfulness meditation is described as a practice because it is routinely performed every day or most days of the week.

Mindfulness is defined as non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, according to mindfulness expert Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. With mindfulness, we can be with the present moment without engaging in avoidant behaviors. We can also learn to skillfully be with challenging events or difficult emotional experiences. Some of the goals of a mindfulness meditation practice are to be with these experiences in a way that is thoughtful, careful, skillful, wise, and non-harming.

Practicing mindfulness can increase our bandwidth, build emotional resilience, increase our ability to self-care, or increase our ability to notice the need for self-care. Dr. Jack Kornfield, a mindfulness meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society states, “mindfulness can increase our window of tolerance.”

Being compassionate is an important part of a mindfulness meditation practice. Exercising compassion may allow one to increase awareness about our experiences as well as increase awareness about the experiences of those around us. When I’m practicing mindfulness, I can choose to adopt an internal kindness toward myself and others. I can also choose to adopt an external kindness toward others. Acts of mindful self-compassion can increase the bandwidth we have to persevere through emotional and physical hardship and to persevere through unexpected changes. We don’t deny ourselves the pain or difficult emotions that may come with our experiences, but we attempt to process these emotions in the most skillful ways possible. A mindfulness practice can help build those skills.

How we respond to change is the bit that mindfulness practice attempts to help us work with skillfully. Remembering to tap into mindfulness can happen seamlessly when we have established a meditation routine. With practice, we can cultivate a go-to-response in our bodies and mindsets to choose mindfulness when challenges arise. We can use a mindfulness practice to build skills to manage day-to-day life fluidly, consciously, and with kindness.

Karen Mitchell (she/her) is the Mindfulness Jedi. She is the Founder of Omm Office LLC. Karen may be found in the following places:

campsite.bio/mindfulnessjedi

To work with Karen and for inquiries, email mindfulnessjedi@protonmail.com

Photo Credits:

Closeup of Window at Home — Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels, Instagram @freestocks

Tibetan marble busts of Buddha on beige background — Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels, Instagram @kaboompics

Pink Gerbera Flower in Closeup Photography — Photo by Jess Bailey Designs from Pexels, Instagram @jessbailey.com.au