tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033201961525799752024-02-02T11:53:09.990-08:00The Mindful NurseThe Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-41831416306954006692018-10-17T11:12:00.000-07:002018-10-17T11:12:14.092-07:00Teens and mental health: a personal perspective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I have been very quiet on this page, in recent months, for a variety of reasons. Life has taken over, as it often does, with its ups and downs.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Whilst I have been doing some work as a mindfulness tutor and Connected Kids trainer, a lot of other stuff has been going on in my personal life, which has taken priority. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">One of these priorities has been this lovely young lady, in the picture. This is my</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> daughter, who has given me full permission to write about our experiences. We are going to put together some information to help both teens and parents who might be experiencing similar challenges to those we have faced as a family, in order that we might help them. So, if you or a child in your family have been experiencing some mental health issues, please continue reading.<br />First of all, I want to explain that I don't claim to have all the answers; I am not perfect (who is?); I make mistakes and I learn from them; I practice what I teach.<br />My daughter has always been what her primary school head teacher called "a real live-wire" from as young as reception age. She is a very bright, feisty girl with an abundance of energy which was - and still is - often a bit of a challenge to manage - both for her, and for me as her mum. I have been teaching her a lot of meditation and mindfulness techniques from as young as three years old. Some of these techniques have helped her, others haven't. However, it seems that as we are in the midst of hormone fog and teenage boundary-pushing, things have turned a little bit pants at times. I often remind her to take some slow deep breaths, when she is starting to show signs that she is becoming out of control with her emotions, but my gently saying, "just notice your breath, take the next one deeper" - to be met with an infuriating daughter shouting "I AM BREATHING!" followed by tuts and strops. Sometimes I can't help but laugh, which sometimes diffuses the situation, but sometimes just makes it worse.<br />This beautiful girl has been struggling in the past few years with depressive symptoms, has dabbled in self-harm, is dark and withdrawn and has episodes of panic and anxiety. Still I work with her in learning to understand these feelings, emotions and moods which overcome her like a massive wave that sinks her momentarily. Still I teach her to work with it and use her meditation skills and methods to help find the anchor within. Sometimes she can, sometimes she can't see it, sometimes she kicks back at me in rebellion.<br />We are waiting for CAMHS to see her after her initial assessment, where we are waiting to see what the plan is. She seems to have a lot of features of ADHD, but until we have been seen by the consultant, we are hanging in mid-air, waiting to see what happens next: a mindful experience in itself.<br />So I do wonder if some out there are reading this and thinking, "she teaches kids meditation but her daughter has this going on - she can't be any good at her job, can she?" - but I see it differently: I believe that my daughter's mental health would be far worse if I hadn't taught her the techniques I have, over the last 10 years - this is backed up by a comment from a professional mental health specialist nurse who said my daughter would be in a much worse place without my expertise.<br />So as things have developed over the past year or so, I've concentrated more on helping my daughter, connecting with her as much as I am able to, and tried hard to access the care she needs from other professionals.<br />But as ever, this girl continues to be one of my greatest teachers, and I will continue to learn.<br />I'd be interested to hear from you about your experiences and shared knowledge - please do contribute - but bear in mind my daughter will read this, too, so try to keep comments encouraging and helpful to all.</span>The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-64819086774840834902017-12-28T08:18:00.001-08:002017-12-28T08:18:10.507-08:00Don't give Up Hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All Is Not Lost</div>
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By taking one breath at a time</div>
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You have the courage to keep going</div>
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To put one foot in front of the other - </div>
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Although it may seem ridiculous or sublime - </div>
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On days when you're unsure you can face another</div>
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When you can't see the woods for the trees</div>
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Allow your life to gather love and meaning</div>
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Like a forest floor cradles its leaves</div>
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Because as each season changes everything</div>
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For what's lost, sometimes we grieve</div>
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And a cacophany of hormones, heart and mind reminds us that this</div>
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Can trigger such deep emotion</div>
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A nugget which has been mined</div>
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Plucked from the dark, with no trace of hope</div>
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It can feel like the soul has eloped</div>
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Away from the world, the everyday</div>
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Into blackened smog and velvety dread, so</div>
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Try to look for a twinkle somewhere each day</div>
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Even if you're not seeing it</div>
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The spark of light is there</div>
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Just because you can't see it</div>
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Don't think there aren't those around you who care</div>
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(Now read from the bottom to the top)</div>
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Nikki Harman </div>
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innerspaceproject.com</div>
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Call Samaritans (UK and ROI) on 116123 if you feel you want to take your own life</div>
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-89410694951814695502017-12-21T08:38:00.002-08:002017-12-21T08:40:03.384-08:00Letting in the light, letting in the dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today in the northern hemisphere, it's the winter solstice - the shortest day, the longest night. As I write it's just after 4pm: where I live, the sky is a milky gloom above muddy fields and a chalky blue, calm sea.</div>
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We are being enveloped in a velvety darkness which can be both of comfort and of a heaviness, resting upon the shoulders of those who feel its burden; or feeling wrapped in a blanket of peace and restfulness. Regardless of how you see it, the winter solstice offers us all the opportunity to go within ourselves and visit the shadows, to experience the darker side of ourselves. We can reflect on our year, looking at the difficulties we have faced, what we have learned from them, how we take these experiences forward in our lives. Then we can lighten those burdens by accepting those difficulties and learning to let go. Take some time to sit in silence, meditating on these, or by writing them down. When you do so, invite yourself to let go either by taking some deep, abdominal breaths to release tension in your body where you may have been holding on to stuff in your body and mind. You can either then visualise breathing out the tension and as you breathe in, taking in bright colours of light around your body; or burn your piece of paper. In both cases, sit with the intention of gratitude for the experiences you have faced and let go of the sense of difficulty.</div>
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If you've had your best year yet, and you have much to celebrate, sit in reflection and feel that pride and joy within you and around you. Share that light to cast away those shadows. You can embrace the other side of the solstice, the other half of our selves: summer solstice, for those in the southern hemisphere, who will be celebrating the longest day, tomorrow. Here in winter time, from tomorrow the days become longer, the nights become shorter. We can begin to look at what we can plant and grow in the coming months, to look forward to those vibrant days where the sunlight warms our bones and fills us with a different energy.This is a day for reflecting on the seeds sown, reaping rewards and the warmth and brilliance of the light, which helps us grow.</div>
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In either case, gratitude invites acceptance and offers happiness and satisfaction. As hard as it may be to do so, even a tiny glimmer of positivity can offer hope, not just for yourself, but to others.</div>
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Where we have hope, we can invite peace into our hearts, into our lives and can grow and share this with others. If we all do so, we have a chance to bring in Peace On Earth.</div>
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Nikki Harman is a mindfulness coach, Connected Kids™ tutor and trainer, and a registered nurse working within the NHS.</div>
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nikki@innerspaceproject.com</div>
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<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-60147955218543126132017-11-23T12:21:00.000-08:002017-11-23T12:21:32.694-08:00Mindful Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes, when I talk to people about mindfulness and meditation, they believe it to be mostly about sitting still, clearing the mind and breathing. Whilst there is a fair amount of this type of activity involved, there is a greater, far more rewarding experience to be had by learning a range of mindful and meditative techniques.<br />
Teaching kids mindfulness is great fun and incredibly rewarding, especially with younger children: they tend to be naturally brilliant at living in the present, as many a parent will tell you when they're in a hurry and their 6 year old is walking painfully slowly, taking their time and whole happy selves to experience the teeny, tiny baby snail making its way along the wall, leaving its thin slimy silvery trail as it goes; or the twenty zillion cracks in the pavement that they absolutely must NOT step on otherwise they'll marry a rat; the spectacularly beautiful stone (that, which looks to the grown-up like it might be a piece of cement that's crumbled out of a brick wall) that they must take home with them as it is so precious and magical - does this sound familiar to you? How much time do you indulge in your child to experience this, even if you're in a hurry? How often do you tell your child to walk sensibly - instead of allowing them to tip-toe along the pavement, to prevent their prophesy of impending marital doom? Think of it another way - by doing so, it could be that they're saving you the heartache of waving them off to the wedded-stress of marrying someone with rodent behavioural tendencies...<br />
I've been teaching mindfulness to children for 4 or 5 years now, and have found many different activities which promote the important neuroplasticity and cognitive changes over a period of time. Young children often benefit from physical activities as a way of burning off excess energy, to release stress and anxieties, and can often make some space in their present moment for focusing on their thoughts, feelings and physical sensations, using a range of child-friendly techniques. One of my preferred ways of helping my own children is through cooking, because it is great for mindfully considering food provenance, how the food is metabolised by their body, marvelling at the wonder of how their body does this without them even noticing; it also fosters the all-important connection with my children, as we have fun together, learn together, help each other, and give space for them to share their feelings, worries, concerns. It's also really good for developing collaborative working, sharing responsibility, growth mindset, and more. Making pasta, as shown in the photo above, was experimental, funny, annoying and tasty, but more than this they fully experienced their senses, mindfully working through the process. A very mindful process, we even synched our breath with the turning of the handle to press the pasta through to see if we could make our breath as long as our pasta - which got longer each time! Of course it was almost impossible to do, but it was a way of allowing the children to be aware of their breath and how they could change the length of the breath in and out.<br />
So if you're keen to teach your child meditation, try different ways in which you can experiment with the activities you choose. Remember to practise meditation yourself, so that you can feel the benefits, too.<br />
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Nikki Harman is a Connected Kids™ mindfulness tutor and trainer; and also teaches adults mindfulness. Nikki is a member of the International Meditation Teacher Association (IMTA) as an approved trainer provider; and is also a registered nurse working within the NHS.<br />
www.innerspaceproject.com<br />
<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-15449404275409200842017-10-04T15:13:00.001-07:002017-10-04T15:53:30.586-07:00Choose Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favourite running T shirts - because people smile at me and talk to me when I wear this! As part of the <a href="https://helprefugees.org.uk/" target="_blank">help for refugees</a> campaign, designed by Katharine Hamnett.</div>
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I'm sure you have noticed that there is some particularly difficult stuff going on around the planet, at the moment. I don't know about you, but over the past few weeks I've been feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the negativity that's been present in the news, online, and in general. There seems to be a strong presence of...well, to be perfectly blunt: shit - hitting some enormous fan and<span style="font-family: inherit;"> spreading it outwards, to the point where no place is left clear of the stuff. It's almost impossible to read, hear or w</span>atch news coverage without feeling a sense of enormity of some kind of emotion, whether it's anger, sadness, loss, bewilderment, frustration, stress, fear...hate? </div>
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And doesn't it all seem to be familiar? Are we living in some sort of twisted loop of <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">déjà vu? Why is it that we are hearing the same thing, over and over? War-famine-disease-natural disaster-massacre-world leader losing grip on reality. The same merry-go-round of awfulness which just keeps cycling over and over. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">People all have an opinion about what is "right" and what "should" be done. People who think they are right and have the answers. In one personal example recently, a post from someone in Australia appeared on my Facebook newsfeed, which she had shared from someone who had decided that Australia should be given back to the original Australians - the ones that arrived a couple of hundred years ago - and that everyone else should disappear back to whichever country they came from. Have these Australians forgotten that there is a whole </span><span style="color: #222222;">indigenous population, a nation </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">who had been happily living there for thousands of years before the "Australians" turned up?! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Have members of UKIP ever looked at their ancestry? Have any of the Brits whom are so convinced they are so very British ever looked back beyond a few generations in their family? Because I am fairly sure that British doesn't truly exist in the "purest" forms these folk imagine. I know in my own family I have ancestors from St. Lucia. I also have ancestors from various parts of Eastern Europe, as well as Ireland (I burn in the sun, rather than tan, so I guess I know which genes are dominant!). Again, in Australia, they have been voting in the same-sex marriage referendum. I find it hard to believe that it is still an issue, and yet here we are, a world which is beginning to choose love over hate, a world which is collectively beginning to rise up against the fear, the hate, the anger; nations of people who are standing up for the rights to be heard, for equality, for basic human rights; individuals who are questioning the status quo more than ever before. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">So what can you do in these times? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">How are you faring? Are you OK? Are you anxious? Are you worried? Are you living in fear? Or are you riding along in the moment? Are you being proactive or reactive? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">As someone who practises meditation daily, I am finding these to be bumpy times. Personally, I'm quite sensitive to the news. I can only listen in short bursts. I can only look at social media in small doses. I actively seek out silliness to avoid the horrors. I work in a high-pressure environment in my nursing world, so I tend to minimise watching programmes that are terribly sad, harrowing or scary. I watch comedy more than anything else, because frankly, I need to laugh every day. I also run a lot, because it gets me out of the house and into rural green and coastal areas where I often mingle only with sheep, cows, view the occasional pods of dolphins and a lot of seagulls, as well as the occasional walker, whom I startle with my earphone karaoke. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">But when things are really getting me down, I do two things. 1) I clean my kitchen. It looks gleaming on the gloomiest news days. A sad reflection of current affairs. 2) I sit in the stillness of my mind, my heart and my observation of life from a peaceful standpoint. And when I ask a question of "why" to each atrocity I hear about; when I ask "how" to heal the troubles we are facing; when I ask "what" can I do as an individual to make a difference, what whispers quietly to me? What slowly reaches my ears, in deference to these questions I ask? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Choose Love.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I have been explaining this to clients and friends for a number of years. I have been telling myself and trying to heed to this mantra for even more. It is hard. It is difficult to understand how to choose love over anger when there is so much hate being displayed in the world, right now. But there has always been hate, and this hate, in its many forms, has been fought with hate and anger and produced only more hate and anguish. Love is the seedling which grows slowly yet persistently and will gradually transform the fields of fear and hatred - but it has to be nurtured, it has to be heard, it has to be whispered and shouted and sung and played; it has to be praised like a child learning to speak and listened to with open ears; it has to be heard over and over. Choose Love. Anger is not working. Love takes on many forms, it doesn't have to be a passive role. Love is precipitated by passion - so stand up for what you believe in, but come from your heart, open your heart to the truth of what we all crave, which is to be loved. Nobody is born to hate. We are taught to hate, but we can be taught to love, to share, to nurture the goodness in life. Note that I am not asking you to ignore the horrible stuff going on in the world. I am not asking you to pretend bad things aren't happening. I am asking you to invite a different perspective into your world, if you are not doing this already - if you want to make changes in the world, start with yourself and then gradually move outwards. If this sense of love allows you to spend time raising money for refugees, for example, let this guide you and see where it takes you. You may not be able to stop terrible things from happening in the world, but you can influence your own life and those around you in positive ways.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I ask you to sit quietly once a day, just for a few minutes, and take yourself to a place in your heart which holds love. When you arrive there, be still there for a while, then imagine that sense of love growing within you and spreading outwards. Practice it each day, and notice how it makes you feel, as well as if it influences those around you. I'm not offering this as a hippy, dewy-eyed view of life, nor as a holier-than-thou answer to the world's problems - this is just a perspective I am offering you, the reader, to consider.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Choose Love.</span></span></div>
The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-61311089095487959172017-09-24T10:23:00.000-07:002017-09-24T10:23:17.231-07:00Reiki: Stuff and nonsense?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I know that some of my NHS colleagues regard me as "weird" because I practice reiki. To some, it's seen as a sham therapy, it's nonsense, it <a href="https://nccih.nih.gov/health/reiki/introduction.htm" target="_blank">probably doesn't work</a>, it has no scientific basis and it's a waste of money. </div>
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As a nurse, I work on evidence-based care. I use facts and data to support my work, I analyse information to help gain a clinical picture. </div>
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So I sometimes find it annoying that I practice reiki. I know that sounds weird, too; but the thing is, I often find myself sitting on the fence in contentious issues, because I can see both sides. I often wish I could be more certain, more definite. </div>
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Here's where I am on the reiki fence: One leg either side of it. </div>
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On one side, I see reiki as an unproven modality with little rigorously-tested research to prove that it <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24582620" target="_blank">does</a> (or does not) work. As a critical thinker, I could say that as there is little conclusive evidence, I shouldn't practice it any more.</div>
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On the other side of the fence, I have tested it anecdotally and found that reiki has made a difference. An example of me seeing it work in practice is based on a situation where I was asked to give reiki to a patient many years ago, when I worked in an intensive care unit. The patient had suffered a catastrophic head injury. Brain scans revealed that his brain had been irreversibly damaged. Tests on his brain stem, the part of the brain that controls breathing, heart rate, blood pressure - all the basics for survival - had been irreversibly damaged. Tragically, there was no hope for this man. The family, who were devastated, were reaching out for any sign that their loved one could survive, as well as accepting that his life had come to an abrupt end. They were worried that he was in pain. They were told by one of my colleagues that I practised reiki, so asked me to give him some. I was initially reluctant to do so, but they really wanted to give him some comfort, knowing that he was unconscious, on life supporting machines and medicines to keep him alive. I asked the family if it would be acceptable for me to check his observations at the beginning and at the end of the therapy, to see if there were any changes, to which they agreed.</div>
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I asked a colleague to do a full set of observations, which included:</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"> blood pressure (which was being continuously measured through an invasive line in his artery, and visible on a monitor next to the patient's bed);</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">heart rate </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">oxygen levels.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The patient's breathing was being controlled entirely by a machine called a ventilator, which was artificially inflating his lungs to deliver oxygen into his body. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">My colleague also checked his neurological status, which included: </li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>pupil reaction to light (his eyes did not react), </li>
<li>movement (he was unconscious and not making purposeful movement)</li>
<li>response to painful stimuli (he had an abnormal response to pain, showing grossly abnormal brain function). </li>
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She wrote everything down and completed the patient's ICU chart, which had been recording all of these vital signs hourly for the past 2 days. Without looking at her results, I repeated a full set of observations and then began giving the reiki therapy for half an hour (free of charge of course, and with permission from the nurse in charge at the time).<br />
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At the end of the session I asked the same colleague to repeat the full set of observations and I did the same. What we discovered was that the heart rate, although still abnormally high, had reduced; the blood pressure had also reduced, despite remaining high; oxygen saturations had improved by 1%; and although the neurological observations were still abnormal, the overall score had improved by 1 point. All of these observations marked a noticeable difference in the data we had in that time-frame. The family were comforted by this, although we knew that the patient was not going to survive.</div>
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For me it raised a whole number of questions about how it worked (or was a coincidental finding); how to repeat the test again, whether it would be possible to do further research, and also blew the placebo theory out of the water, because the patient was unconscious and apparently unaware of the fact that he had just received half an hour of therapeutic touch. Although the data was measured and the findings could have implied that something had affected the measurements, there was still no hard evidence to support the theory that reiki therapy had made a difference to the patient.</div>
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To this day, I question that situation. For the most part, I believe that the patient benefited from the therapy. I would be interested in conducting further research. Reiki is being offered to cancer patients around the UK, with projects such as the <a href="http://www.cancertherapies.org.uk/nhsprojects" target="_blank">Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust</a> working within the NHS. </div>
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The other interesting thing to note is that recently I was asked by a friend to give some reiki to him. I did so, and picked up a very specific medical side-effect of some treatment he'd been having. I'd had no idea at all from him that this side-effect had occurred, but I had discovered it during the session. I don't do guess-work, and I don't do cold-readings. But I was spot-on about what I'd picked up. How? I dunno!</div>
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Whenever I treat a client, I take a full history, using assessments akin to my nursing work, I write notes and keep them confidentially locked away. I take confidentiality very seriously, adhering to ethics and respect at all times. I never claim to be able to cure anyone of anything. If you ever visit a reiki therapist who makes these kind of claims, walk away from them immediately.</div>
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Finally, and importantly, is the subject of money. I don't always charge people. I am often asked by friends and family to give reiki - if I do it's free or at a greatly reduced rate for close friends. For clients I often under-charge, not because I don't value my work, but because I feel inclined to do so if I know they cannot afford to pay me. For others I combine my work as a mindfulness coach with the session to help the client in a broader sense, encouraging them to take on an interactive role in their own healing. After all, it's their body, they know how they feel. I facilitate the process of being able to tune in to themselves mindfully and work on self-care.</div>
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So does reiki work? Not, it would seem, for everyone - some of those I have treated have reported no effects whatsoever. Others have felt amazing results from the treatments. All I can say, is that although I am on the fence, I am leaning more to one side than the other, with the label of weirdness a factor in my leanings. But then again, what's wrong about being weird?!</div>
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<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-86858868640950050602017-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:002017-06-29T09:51:05.619-07:00#foodforthought<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HIcez5v19TlMaHWI_237fmWGIh-wU6gIfIRZlUNvHkjiwzpRVwkZLhdkepq0SU1c5Mo8Vh4bNSPekIBLoC3jvz2QmwkKCHKdIc71z76vJqM9e90h_vDOJHlHUWezmPK7RPH0j72RvWg/s1600/foodbank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HIcez5v19TlMaHWI_237fmWGIh-wU6gIfIRZlUNvHkjiwzpRVwkZLhdkepq0SU1c5Mo8Vh4bNSPekIBLoC3jvz2QmwkKCHKdIc71z76vJqM9e90h_vDOJHlHUWezmPK7RPH0j72RvWg/s320/foodbank.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Food bank use is on the <a href="https://www.trusselltrust.org/2017/04/25/uk-foodbank-use-continues-rise/" target="_blank">increase</a>. The 2016-17 report from The Trussell Trust, a charity which run projects in communities which aim to reduce poverty, gave out 1,182,954 three-day emergency food parcels last year, a rise of 6% on 2015-16, and of which 436,938 went to children. The Trust's data shows that low income, changes to benefits and delays are cited as the <a href="https://www.trusselltrust.org/2017/04/25/uk-foodbank-use-continues-rise/" target="_blank">main reasons </a>for referrals to a foodbank. Other reasons include homelessness, debt, school holiday meals and domestic abuse. Go <a href="https://www.trusselltrust.org/2017/04/25/uk-foodbank-use-continues-rise/" target="_blank">here</a> for the key findings of the report.<br />
In my local town of Swanage, Dorset, a quaint little Victorian town, the local foodbank is run by the <a href="http://www.swanagechurches.org/" target="_blank">Churches Together</a>. I contacted the organisation today and spoke to Katrina, one of the volunteers. She spoke about how they help people from all walks of life; that they tend to use once, are very grateful for the food that is distributed; some needlessly feel a sense of shame about needing to use a foodbank.<br />
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As the school summer holidays approach, I am mindful that there are going to be children who will be going hungry, because they won't be receiving their free school meals entitlement. So I am launching #foodforthought - a campaign around food donations to local foodbanks around the United Kingdom.<br />
<br />#foodforthought asks that you add a tin or dried food item to your supermarket foodbank collection each week, or get in touch with your local foodbank to donate, in the next few weeks leading up to the start of the school summer holidays. In Scotland, some of the schools have already started their holidays. Donating something extra to your foodbank whilst you do your regular shop will help to manage the increasing need for access to support.<br />
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I've spoken in the past about how I experienced <a href="http://innerorange.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/maradona-broken-home-sugar-puffs-and.html" target="_blank">homelessness as a child</a>; my birthday was at the end of April, so I asked for friends, family and people who follow my pages on twitter and facebook to consider putting some food into their local foodbank as a present for me. I'm pleased that a fair number of people did do this! One of my memories of homelessness was how hungry I was during school holidays when I didn't have access to food during the day, and where living in a seaside town, surrounded by cafes, ice-cream parlours, and fish and chip shops made me notice just how hungry I was.<br />
Please help wherever you can, and share the #foodforthought idea to reach as many as possible, to help as many foodbank users as possible.<br />
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Thank you.<br />
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<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-79166757570222573892016-11-13T02:14:00.002-08:002016-11-13T02:14:40.112-08:00teach mindfulness meditation in hospitals!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqb8CjaP8IoHrLRAJafN0NLN0dvIwUjiTkBpSPwHolXhfDaEPuMDdReiHWM9t8N-O8vc0pGNMfclDE4SLV1KmvddRVYJg7Q_OEyBviOwLnhC5yYeHZhFSZHmL_-khHG-R-pDxdrd-k5AI/s1600/IMG_5002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqb8CjaP8IoHrLRAJafN0NLN0dvIwUjiTkBpSPwHolXhfDaEPuMDdReiHWM9t8N-O8vc0pGNMfclDE4SLV1KmvddRVYJg7Q_OEyBviOwLnhC5yYeHZhFSZHmL_-khHG-R-pDxdrd-k5AI/s320/IMG_5002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I believe that we are in the midst of a changing culture within the NHS. At work, I see burnt-out staff, stress levels as high as ever and clinicians struggling at times to deliver the care they really want to give to their patients. At the same time I see a high demand of patients who are urgently in need of care, but are also sometimes not prepared to take ownership of their health. Some see that it is up to the NHS to "fix" them. This belief contributes to the pressures th</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">e NHS faces and so it sometimes appears to resemble a tug-of-war between staff and patients set within the political arena, stoked up by the media and fanned by disillusionment, thereby increasing frustration and stress within the workforce and fear and unrealistic expectations from patients. This has to change in order for the NHS to survive into the future. Notice I am not going to get into the politics, here - that's for another post! <span class="_47e3" title="smile emoticon"><img alt="" aria-hidden="1" class="img" height="16" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v5/fa5/1.5/16/1f642.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">:)</span></span><br />For me, as a nurse and as a mindfulness coach, I want to help facilitate positive change within the clinical environment. I passionately believe that teaching staff to connect with themselves through mindfulness meditation will benefit not only the individual, but their colleagues and the patients, too. Teaching mindfulness meditation to patients to help them with anxiety, pain, phobias or other emotions in a clinical environment could have far-reaching benefits for them and create a different atmosphere at ward level, which will have a positive effect on others.<br />I have written a one-day course as part of my Connected Kids™ training for healthcare workers who work with children in the clinical setting (ward, outpatients, theatres). This course will teach staff about mindfulness, meditation, how to apply to their practice as a tool for implementing care and will teach them how to write and deliver their own scripts to their patients.<br />If you are interested, please get in touch with me at innerspaceproject1@gmail.com.<br />Please do share with your NHS friends, family and colleagues!</span>The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-32133330180012497752016-10-29T05:36:00.004-07:002016-10-29T05:36:58.823-07:00Eggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7haskDAWUV9l3faodPijZ1PX3_dw4gPt2hdCVWfXqW2I5Pbq3sq5YGQbBKLyj8zAOYPxEjBS-lVY_NBqbO_dnHIjsjV0qKX3_AXC7f7yuUW8ifDobYkH8m-QlRVIuQss4prVUk4CY0WU/s1600/eggs1th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7haskDAWUV9l3faodPijZ1PX3_dw4gPt2hdCVWfXqW2I5Pbq3sq5YGQbBKLyj8zAOYPxEjBS-lVY_NBqbO_dnHIjsjV0qKX3_AXC7f7yuUW8ifDobYkH8m-QlRVIuQss4prVUk4CY0WU/s320/eggs1th.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Intention-setting is a powerful way to bring what you want to create into your life and live it as authentically as you can. Intentions are individual ideas and dreams that are meaningful and important to each person. To have an intention, however, is different to setting an intention. So someone could say, for example, that they intend to find that new job they want because they're unhappy where they are at that time. But in order for that to happen, they need to set the intention and make it happen by taking steps to create it into reality.<br />
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So here is an exercise for you to try if you would like to combine some mindful intention-setting with exploring your creativity.<br />
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<li>Buy a box of 6 eggs - the best quality you can afford, because that enables you to be investing in yourself. You'd ideally want to be enjoying organic, free-range healthy hens eggs because they were free to live according to their means, rather than eggs from hens who were restricted in their lives in some form or another. </li>
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<li>For the next six days, you are going to use one of the eggs each day. You could choose to <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/eggs/how-to-boil-an-egg" target="_blank">boil</a>, <a href="http://www.incredibleegg.org/cooking-school/egg-cookery/fry-eggs" target="_blank">fry</a>, <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/eggs-recipes/poached-eggs/" target="_blank">poach</a>, <a href="http://www.incredibleegg.org/cooking-school/egg-cookery/stovetop-scramble-eggs/" target="_blank">scramble</a>, make an <a href="https://www.eggrecipes.co.uk/recipes/how-make-omelette" target="_blank">omelette</a> or a <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/articles/how-to-make-perfect-pancakes.html" target="_blank">pancake</a> or add to other recipes. </li>
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<li>For each day, set an intention. To start with, get a piece of paper and write down a few that you'd like to see become a reality - one that you feel inspired by, something that fires you up inside. Think big! This is meant to be a fun, creative exercise</li>
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<li>Before you start, make sure you are clear on what your intention is for the recipe you are going to make. Keep things as simple as you like, or as detailed as you feel - spend a few minutes sitting quietly, listening to thoughts and emotions that come up for you, breathe into your abdomen and relax into the moment.</li>
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<li>Begin to make your egg dish for the day. As you do so, focus on your intention, creating it into the recipe as you go. Then take your awareness to the cooking process itself: use your senses to connect with the egg's changing form as it cooks. Notice any thoughts and emotions that come up for you at the time. It's helpful to write these down as you go or after you finish eating, for you to look at again, later.</li>
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<li>Enjoy your egg as fully as you can - taste each mouthful mindfully and slowly. As you do so, reflect on how the egg has changed its form through your intention-setting (cooking it) and that you have created that change within the egg (your life) and you are consuming it (becoming the intention).</li>
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<li>After you have finished the box of eggs, spend some time reading the thoughts and emotions that have come up for you as you have written them down. Observe any patterns that have come up for you as you go, and consider the relevance of these in your everyday life.</li>
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<li>If the egg doesn't turn out as you expect it to each day, don't worry about it - allow any feelings to come up, then let go of them - sometimes things don't always work out the way you intend them to, but you can still put your energy into trying, as you have nothing to lose by doing so!</li>
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<br />Nikki Harman is a Connected Kids™ mindfulness tutor, adult mindfulness coach and reiki therapist.<br />
Go to innerspaceproject.com to find out more<br />
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<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-3139867488962343662016-10-20T06:45:00.000-07:002016-10-20T06:45:34.249-07:00Music and mindfulness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcAFZ2o8H4GUTc7q3OnPnDMv2KIvmv7FokWSuCNjg-UbrkmM2vLcTTfOyEb8kV98EE998MZAHhpun0YrSflociLhdJ-S02sPp3OHSq2jSTsOX8tHOvTVxPUKxpc_yrOtagvj2q_nSFK0/s1600/violinmind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcAFZ2o8H4GUTc7q3OnPnDMv2KIvmv7FokWSuCNjg-UbrkmM2vLcTTfOyEb8kV98EE998MZAHhpun0YrSflociLhdJ-S02sPp3OHSq2jSTsOX8tHOvTVxPUKxpc_yrOtagvj2q_nSFK0/s320/violinmind.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Anyone who plays a musical instrument will know that it can be a totally absorbing experience. This activity involves the musician's total focus, concentration, listening, motor co-ordination, muscle memory; and the ability to play at a certain rhythm, decode the information and turn it into the sounds of something quite beautiful for they and their audience to enjoy. This <a href="http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins#watch" target="_blank">TED-ED</a> talk explains the fascinating neuroscience of playing an instrument. It is a shame our government still isn't fully recognising the essential value that learning to play an instrument brings to the overall learning, because I believe that academic performance would improve if music had a greater influence in the curriculum taught across the key stages - as well as having happier, more creative children!</div>
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So as a <a href="http://www.innerspaceproject.com/connected-kids-tm-for-nhs" target="_blank">Connected Kids™ </a>mindfulness tutor, I am keen to teach my young clients ways in which to engage in activities mindfully and have a great time whilst they do so. After all, we don't have to sit quietly and still in order to meditate: children really benefit from using their energy creatively. </div>
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If your child plays an instrument, give them the opportunity to experiment with it as well as to practice their learned pieces. Connecting with their instrument in other ways, such as giving it a fun name, putting stickers over it (if it belongs to them!) or other ways of personalising it allow the child to make a greater bond with their instrument, which can make them look after it more carefully, be protective of it, or be proud of it. These feelings create a sense of belonging and care within the child. Learning to play an instrument is as much about having creative fun as it is about becoming proficient at playing it, developing concentration skills and learning.</div>
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If your child doesn't play an instrument, playing anything rhythmic like the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmSbXsFE3l8" target="_blank">cup song</a>, banging sticks on a railing or gate, clapping, shaking lentils in a plastic bottle; or blowing into the tops of bottles filled with different levels of liquids can help to develop these musical skills, but is a fun, expressive and mindful activity.</div>
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-27693280156319355272016-09-08T05:34:00.001-07:002016-09-08T05:49:25.196-07:00Broken Bone, mending minds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My daughter, (above), was happily bouncing on a trampoline a couple of weeks ago, when she landed awkwardly after landing a little half-bounce...not even a big jump; no fall onto the ground - just a little jump. She heard a loud "click" and then had lots of pain. I didn't know about the big click she heard until she mentioned it in the emergency department, but until then, I had assumed it was a soft tissue injury, as I couldn't see any obvious signs of a broken limb, and the swelling went down with some ice packs, rest and pain relief. She even managed to hobble a bit.<br />
This has been haunting me ever since. I had assumed that it was a soft tissue injury and as I know my daughter very well, I also assumed that as she has a low pain threshold, that she was feeling panicky about being in pain. So although I was sympathetic to her pain and helped her, I also asked her to try to relax and enjoy the rest of the day, as we were at a party.<br />
As the hours passed, she settled down but then awoke in more pain, so I did take her to the emergency department where her leg was x-rayed, and yup...there it was, plain as day: a nasty fracture. For my daughter, the moment where the surprised staff told us the findings - surprised, as they initially thought the same as I did - validated everything she had already feared and all that I had not been prepared to consider. It hurt her that I hadn't believed her.<br />
So the last week or so has been spent getting to grips with what's happened, what is going on, and wondering about the future. We have all cried, laughed, hugged and supported each other to accept what is going on. We have no idea how the leg will heal, as it is a nasty break, so we are preparing to consider how things might look for my daughter in the future. It feels like grief in a way. We are facing a different view to the one we were looking at before the accident, but we are also living a different life now, too. A wheelchair is her best friend. She has started at secondary school, coming in on day one with a bright blue plaster, in a wheelchair, on crutches and having to learn about a new building, new classrooms, new teachers, students, friends, rules, and all the while in a vulnerable position, sat down in her chair with her leg stuck out in front of her! The school have been fantastic at supporting her, and her friends have been keen to help her get to classes and at break times.<br />
I am so proud of her achievements, because of the extra pressure she has been faced with. She has dealt with it so well. She has been strong and determined. I have been doing lots of mindful work with her, as well as with myself. In the end, what it comes down to is this: learning to adapt to a new situation brings positives out of negatives. The pain, the frustration, the inconvenience, the fear over what might be. My guilt, my willing her to get better and to mend fast, my love for her which dissolves any fear for her. My sadness for her, which comes in waves, and which I allow to come up, feel it completely, then let it go, is healing in some ways. Her anger, her cries of "it's not fair" when she can't pick something up from the floor, or get through a door, or when her leg is hurting, or when she wants to just get up and run around with her friends, she sees as a motivation for getting better, rather than to pity herself. She has a strong, bright spirit that is teaching her resilience, patience, determination, and strength. My mindfulness work with her is helping her to tap into these positive qualities, those of which she did not know were there and are so strong, and which are helping her to cope with these big changes at the moment; and she is able to talk about her frustrations, fears, worries and the negatives, which we are paying attention to but are not allowing to consume her. We are looking forward to drawing inspiration from watching the paralympics, too. For me, I am learning resilience, determination, patience and that my love for her goes far deeper than I ever knew. I am learning from her that the more she is held back, the further she will fly when she is free to leap...just as long as it's not on a trampoline...<br />
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Nikki is a Connected Kids™ tutor and apprentice trainer. Contact Nikki at innerspaceproject1@gmail.comThe Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-58957571893508709672016-05-10T06:07:00.001-07:002016-05-10T15:08:46.504-07:00Pastures New<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLmzZjTB-EUxGq-R5zZrtlIngc5TqzBkmzfpmVQaRk6zvgsE9WfATB7nY1JbwxywKwBYmXGqVwEqZSj8Wau1amB277sB9SWW5ygw4WrD4FiOo-kQl1ARfd9ZjMsICHguo_3LvtszoDLw/s1600/cowslips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLmzZjTB-EUxGq-R5zZrtlIngc5TqzBkmzfpmVQaRk6zvgsE9WfATB7nY1JbwxywKwBYmXGqVwEqZSj8Wau1amB277sB9SWW5ygw4WrD4FiOo-kQl1ARfd9ZjMsICHguo_3LvtszoDLw/s320/cowslips.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last Autumn I made a pact with this ailing meadow: that by the following Spring, we would both be in bloom. In the cold, grey light of October, as I absorbed the detail of the dying grasses giving way to muddy, rain-sodden footfall, I asked the meadow to bloom stronger than before, the following year. The meadow replied with a forceful sea-breeze, cruelly blowing hard raindrops into my cold, red cheeks. Initially put out, I then took the rain to hold the emotion of my side of the pact - that which I needed to open up to in order to grow; and the wind to strengthen me each day, to blow away the cobwebs, the dead grasses, and to carry the seeds of change and renewal into beautiful growth. </div>
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Six months ago I was coming through a long period of uncertainty, at a time when every day seemed to bring me some great challenge to overcome. There were days I felt a nervous anticipation as I left the calm peaceful sanctuary of my bedroom, albeit with a reluctance to face the day, to face other people, to deal with the storm I was travelling through. The days when it would have been easier to sit in my meditations, to enjoy the peace within, to be surrounded by my own familiarity. I knew then, as I know now, that being a practitioner of mindfulness and meditation means bringing it into the everyday, not just to enjoy, contemplate or experience the moment I choose to be aware of, but to approach negative situations in the same way. To be empowered by the moment itself.</div>
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Therefore, the subdued, flowerless meadow reflected a deep part of me that I was only too aware of. In one sense, this meadow looked as though it was dying; however the beautiful reality was that it - as always - is teeming with life through the insects, birds, hedgerows and other wildlife which is reciprocally nurtured by her. Underneath the dull-looking landscape, growth and repair was busy at work, new life was coming into being. The Autumn may have robbed the meadow of her old life, but the Spring would bring renewal, change, growth and beauty. </div>
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I have heard some of my clients or friends ask me how difficult it is for me to be positive, all the time. There is an interesting assumption that, in order to be mindful, we have to see only the good things, to ignore the negative stuff.If we were all to do that, then not only would we be resisting the change, but we would be stifling the beauty which arises from going within to the baron meadow. To explore the mud, the dead grasses, to clear them and plant the new seeds to enjoy the growth, to allow change and beauty to shine through. To learn to accept the hard times, deal with them, then let go.</div>
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I'm not always positive. I have days when the world seems muted, when I feel as though I am in a void of negativity. Instead of succumbing to it, though, I plough my way through, examining, weeding, digging deeper to find the growth. All negative experience can teach us so much about our relationships with ourselves, as well as others, and of the experience itself. Sometimes it may seem not so much a meadow, but more of a swamp: a soupy, gloopy mess of stuff to sort through. But even swamps have life and growth. </div>
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Yesterday I visited the meadow for the first time in a while. She was proudly resplendent in cowslips and emerging clover. Showing off her beauty, the cowslips gently waved to me in the Spring breeze, like a crowd cheering on their team. Incessant chattering from the birds in the hedgerows, coupled with the quiet buzz of curious insect life existing happily amongst the floral landscape, non-judgementally shared the moment with me. For a while I lay on my tummy as I photographed this cowslip. The ground felt warm and comforting. I felt invited and welcomed. I felt life around me, within me. The meadow seemed to be smiling with me, affirming with me that I too had grown since Autumn, that I too was teeming with opportunity for further growth, change, and that I am starting to bloom. </div>
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As the saying goes, <i>"change is the only constant in life"</i>. </div>
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Nikki Harman is a mindfulness tutor to adults and children. Contact her at innerspaceproject1@gmail.com or visit www.innerspaceproject.com</div>
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<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-82935907036727953582016-04-19T08:08:00.002-07:002016-04-19T08:09:03.259-07:00Mindful School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq7Zjy0us2bi4uwn5Hm77HqUK3VonmNJjEn3qWTncZA57u4ggIEgkXNK1gWYBsd-61QuCzAqs0ul32ghis_3wFtuJGmQe8ocbM793eSK33J8MpbOcun5UFtzBCa9ePH8rLFhMheuE-5Y/s1600/TSS+assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq7Zjy0us2bi4uwn5Hm77HqUK3VonmNJjEn3qWTncZA57u4ggIEgkXNK1gWYBsd-61QuCzAqs0ul32ghis_3wFtuJGmQe8ocbM793eSK33J8MpbOcun5UFtzBCa9ePH8rLFhMheuE-5Y/s320/TSS+assembly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Me, speaking about mindfulness and getting students involved in mindful activities at the school</span></div>
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I've been teaching mindfulness to the year 11's in my local school, in preparation for their exams. Starting in February just before half term, I've been going in once a week to offer optional mindfulness sessions, given scripts and information to key staff for use during the week, and have been seeing students individually. I have also started lunchtime mindfulness to the teaching staff.<br />
I have been auditing the sessions, which have shown improvements in the students. I am looking forward to going through the questionnaires the students and staff regularly fill in, but already there are significant improvements, particularly in anxiety levels - across both groups.<br />
I am very happy to work in primary and secondary schools/colleges. Please get in touch to find out more!<br />
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Nikki Harman<br />
innerspaceproject1@gmail.com<br />
www.innerspaceproject.com<br />
<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-25193001814538769412016-04-18T10:14:00.001-07:002016-04-18T12:58:01.989-07:00The Mindful Handshake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Mindful Handshake is intended as a greeting to ourselves: it is though we are are shaking our hand to make contact with how we are feeling in a given moment. It can be used at any time, but particularly if fears or anxiety are becoming out of control.<br />
To carry this out, please trace one hand with the index finger of the other, starting with the thumb, moving slowly and mindfully to each digit on the hand, using the following as your guide (remembering that the guide is within):<br />
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If you're unable to work through each digit, just pick one to focus on<br />
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<b>Thumb: </b>Think, "Am I becoming under the thumb (negative thoughts are beginning to take control of this moment)? Am I starting to become controlled by doubts, worries or fears?"<br />
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<b>Index Finger:</b> Point out the facts of the moment. What is true right now? Look for the good points as well (Look for the positives as well as seeing the negatives)<br />
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<b>Middle Finger:</b> Sit on the fence: observe what is happening to you, within you and around you<br />
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<b>Ring Finger:</b> Listen out for alarm bells - fears, doubts worries creeping in - see them, feel them, thank them, then "ringfence" them. Let these go<br />
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<b>Little Finger:</b> One little step at a time. Moment by moment<br />
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<b>Palm:</b> Palms up - what we give out, we receive. In other words, if we perceive everything in a negative light, then we are more likely to respond negatively to what's happening in any given moment.<br />
Avoid "crystal-ball gazing" to predict an outcome, which we can do in times when we are anxious or worried about something. It can be easy to let the negative thoughts take control of our perceptions of an event. Be aware of this, so that you can check in with yourself and ask yourself what is happening right in the moment.<br />
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<b>Fingerprints: </b>What is in our nature? What are the habits we have learned? What can or cannot be changed?<br />
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<b><i>Important: This is intended as a guide only. If you are experiencing anxiety or fears which feel like they are happening more often than you would normally experience; or if you are feeling that you cannot control these emotions, or yourself, friends or family are becoming concerned about your emotional well-being, please make an appointment with your GP. </i></b>The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-49387812743478980762016-04-13T06:42:00.001-07:002016-04-15T04:20:12.458-07:00Enough Is Enough: knowing when to stop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Look at the photo above. Isn't it a beautiful view? I took it last week, during a walk with my two children. We were planning to go to Old Harry, on the Jurassic coast, then head into Studland to catch the bus back home.<br />
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We packed a picnic, lots of water (but as it turned out, not enough), a camera, and our sense of adventure. Seemingly intact, we left home and made our way along the beach.<br />
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We hadn't even made it to the bottom of the road before my 11 year-old daughter began to complain. Actually, we had had a morning of everything being not quite right in my daughter's world. I had tried to enter into her space, to try to help lift her out of her sense of irritation and negativity. She didn't want to invite me in, though, so she remained where she was, and I hovered around the outside, hoping for a free pass, or at least the offer of connection.<br />
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I kept things upbeat: "what a beautiful day it is!" (it is the SATs season: both children are sitting them this term and so I can almost confidently assume I have learned to use the recently-controversial SpAG exclamation mark correctly) I repeated, smiling, nudging and hugging both children. "We are so lucky to live here. Let's enjoy the day". My remarks were met with "I'm hungry and thirsty. When can we stop to eat?" We had only just left home, being fully watered before we set foot out of the door.<br />
We decided to stop after we had walked for half an hour. In that time, we made one toilet stop, a water bottle refill, a rucksack adjustment and two shoe-lace re-ties, scattered with cries of "I'm hungry!", "My feet hurt" (what, already?), "When can we stop?" and "My eyes hurt". I confess that I uttered at least two of these statements. My 7-year-old was buying into the sense of adventure, but my 11 year-old was still in her own space, to which we were neither invited to join nor a party to, but rather the sounding boards for her irritation.<br />
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We enjoyed our lunch whilst admiring the view overlooking Swanage bay, on a bench which seemed to have jumped forward a few feet since we had last visited it; actually it was due to cliff erosion which had reduced the distance between the bench and the cliff edge. We had a lovely lunch, the mood lifted and we joked about being "hangry".<br />
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After a while we continued on the path up towards the top of the hills. Things were going well until my daughter felt she couldn't continue up the steep steps. I patiently encouraged her to carry on, one step at a time, but after another 10 minutes of complaining, bickering with her brother and getting cross with the steps, I felt it was time to stop. I tried to explain that it was OK to find it difficult...that not everything is easy nor intended to be, that the pain and difficulty we can experience can often end up giving us a completely new view and experience. After another round of sibling conflict I decided that enough was enough, so we turned round and walked back down the hill.<br />
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The lessons for me?<br />
I have learnt that sometimes, it's easier to quit whilst I'm ahead. I learnt that the view we had on the midway point of the big scary hill will still be there to re-visit another day. Some days are meant for just climbing half-way up the hill, which is the successful point - that getting to the top of the hill isn't always the indicator of success.<br />
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I have learnt that my daughter was able to articulate her feelings because she felt safe and listened to, and because she is strong-willed in her own ways, which I am honour-bound as a parent and as a woman to listen to and respect. She is strong, fit, healthy and persistent: so the fact that she was telling me she couldn't do this walk to the top of the hill and beyond was an indicator of her own strength in admitting to herself and to the world outside her own space that "enough is enough".<br />
I have learnt that my own projection of failure to meet my goal for the day (to get to Old Harry, walk into Studland and catch the bus home) to my children is not helpful for them or for anyone; and I have also learnt that I too felt that "enough is enough" when I caught myself spiralling into negative self-talk and buying into the cortisol-adrenalin mix that was swirling around me in the past week or so prior to this walk.<br />
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The view: oh what a beautiful view! The ability to see with clarity, to understand and gain an alternative vista had lifted me out of my head and into a beautiful possibility to turn things around from a negative into a positive.<br />
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To know is to understand, but to feel is to reach within the depths of empathy, compassion and sample the richness of experience from a higher perspective.<br />
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If we can accept that there is not always a right answer, a right way to do something, that things can go wrong; if we give ourselves permission to make the mistakes, then we can learn something beautiful from them.The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-10717299662722071502016-03-13T07:33:00.000-07:002016-03-13T07:40:20.736-07:00Litter Picker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVZEiWCfG9LIwLDy0YPNFFZUWcidUX2tJ_26p0COyZG8tA6QTBbHealMXRNp_c1lY4eAyBfv8VvvE5Eg7s5qIGe38Krgqfa6yOybv3LFwBQ5UuabHqyb-okvkrAVVvbVsh46Q5wVM2dE/s1600/IMG_5128+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVZEiWCfG9LIwLDy0YPNFFZUWcidUX2tJ_26p0COyZG8tA6QTBbHealMXRNp_c1lY4eAyBfv8VvvE5Eg7s5qIGe38Krgqfa6yOybv3LFwBQ5UuabHqyb-okvkrAVVvbVsh46Q5wVM2dE/s320/IMG_5128+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I was driving up the road in Swanage today, I came across a huge pile of what looked like sugar lumps, but was actually polystyrene. I was in a bit of a hurry, as this weekend is a bit busy. I hesitated: should I stop to pick it up, or should I carry on?<br />
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I decided to stop to pick it up. The cubes of polystyrene were strewn across the road, being blown about by the sea-breeze, less than 200 metres away. I knew that collecting the rubbish was the right thing to do. After all, around <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html" target="_blank">44 percent</a> of sea-birds eat plastic, and polystyrene absorbs water so that it sinks to the bottom of the sea, meaning these and other <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html" target="_blank">plastic-derived pollutants</a> are prevalent in our oceans. Well done, clever humanity, for polluting our oceans and aquatic life...<br />
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What does this mean to humans? Well, the fish eat the plastics, as well as swim around in plastic-polluted water. People eat fish, who are consuming plastic derivatives. Hmmm. I don't really eat much fish, partly for this reason.<br />
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What did surprise me (but perhaps shouldn't have), was that nobody offered to stop to help me pick up the hundreds of polystyrene cubes that someone had left in a nearby car park, presumably for the council to collect (if the wind hadn't dropped it all in the sea, that is). Unfortunately someone had partly driven over the box. forcing it to break up into tiny pieces.<br />
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One person did stop to watch me begin picking up the pieces, saying, "Oh dear, that is going to take you a long while, isn't it?!" before he continued his walk into town. It wasn't my rubbish! I was just doing my bit to look after my lovely little spot in the world, which I would like to keep safe for wildlife and for the residents and visitors who enjoy the sights, the sea, the food...the fish...the plastic...?<br />
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So, if you want to consume non-plastic items, if you want your local and greater environment to stay beautiful (or even to begin to do so), please pick up your litter. What's to stop you picking up a <a href="http://www.litterheroes.co.uk/" target="_blank">piece of someone else's</a>, too? We can also reduce the amount of plastic-wrapped items we buy; manufacturers need to reduce this too.<br />
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Practice being mindfully in the moment, as you consider how you are helping others, as well as yourself. Be the change you want to see in the world. Don't leave it up to someone else. We all have that responsibility. We all have the opportunity to help each other and the planet.<br />
Thank you!The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-31647342994509155162016-03-05T08:39:00.001-08:002016-03-05T08:46:38.622-08:00"Mindfulness sessions to keep doctors and nurses healthy"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">An article in today's <a href="http://dailym.ai/1p74O7S" target="_blank">Mail Online</a> today reports that <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/03/improve-staff-health/" target="_blank">NHS England</a> are to offer financial incentives to NHS trusts in order to improve health and well-being of staff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The focus on improving <a href="http://innerorange.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/mindful-nhs.html" target="_blank">staff sickness</a> includes targeting mental health, muscular-skeletal problems and obesity by offering a range of programmes, including mindfulness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As an NHS nurse I am pleased to see that the well-being of staff is being taken seriously. The NHS is going through a tough period whereby healthcare professionals are feeling the pressure from many different areas. It is taking its toll on all staff who work within clinical and non-clinical roles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a tutor of <a href="http://www.innerspaceproject.com/#!courses/x74j4" target="_blank">mindfulness</a>, I am positive that introducing this practice to NHS staff could have a great impact on the mental health of staff. I have drafted a mindfulness programme specifically for clinical staff, which combines my knowledge, qualifications and practice as a mindfulness and meditation practitioner, and from my experience and observations as a nurse with 23 years of clinical experience. I am keen to roll it out to NHS trusts to see how it could impact staff well-being, and how it can benefit patients, both indirectly and through teaching mindfulness techniques to patients, as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nikki Harman is a mindfulness tutor to adults, a Connected Kids<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.2px;">™ children's mindfulness tutor; and a registered nurse, working within an NHS trust. visit www.innerspaceproject.com, or contact Nikki at innerspaceproject1@gmail.com</span></span></span><br />
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-12558274584896684542016-02-25T02:25:00.002-08:002016-02-25T02:25:33.389-08:00Mindful NHS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A relaxing mindfulness session I led for NHS staff </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week a<a href="http://bit.ly/1WIIoEj" target="_blank"> report</a> presented at The Mindful Nation launch revealed that if Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was practised by those suffering with chronic pain and depression, there could be a saving in the NHS of £15 for every £1 spent. The Mindfulness All Party Parliamentary Group (MAPPG) recommend mindfulness as a treatment for patients. This surely must be welcomed into a National Health Service at a time when so much change and disagreement is taking place? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The thing is, that each time I read about the benefits of teaching mindfulness to patients I get a little frustrated (so I mindfully work through this, of course). To be honest, the crux of my frustration can be pin-pointed to these things:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. I want to make people feel better. That's my job. That's my nature. I have seen the benefits of what I teach first hand, to adults and children. It seems that I am having trouble convincing the powers that be that I can have a positive influence on patient care and the well-being of staff. This is something I need to continue to work through in my own space. The whole process is teaching me more about who I am and how I react in my inner and outer worlds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. I want to be given the opportunity to develop a programme for staff to learn for themselves and then to teach with patients. I have it. I can do it. At the moment, nobody can hear me! I'm reaching out but the offers aren't forthcoming. What's going on? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I feel that the NHS needs to change its culture in order to work forwards and make progress. In 2014-15, <a href="http://bit.ly/1UmAn9k" target="_blank">39% of NHS staff </a>had time off because of work-related stress. That's nearly 1 in 4 members of staff. I believe that before we can begin to teach patients mindfulness, we need to focus on staff well-being. I'm here. I have drafted a whole programme for NHS clinical staff to teach them mindfulness techniques. Hello!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a nurse who qualified in 1997, I have seen many changes, and yet so much has stayed the same. It's time to look after ourselves, to give ourselves compassion, to listen to our inner fears and stressors, to learn how to adapt these into positives and reflect this in our professional relationships and in our delivery of care. I know what stress feels like, I work in demanding clinical areas, I've been in more senior roles in the past, so I get it. I now see things from an all-round perspective, so I do really understand the problems staff face. But I can also see ways to change the way the problems are perceived. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I believe it begins with <span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1S368nq" target="_blank">connection</a>, what I call the</span> seventh <a href="http://bit.ly/1KN0QuR" target="_blank">C</a> of compassion in practice.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.9px;">The connection of human spirit within the nurse and patient relationship is what weaves the sometimes achingly beautiful compassion, care, courage and commitment into the art of nursing. Connection is the thread that holds everything else together. Without connection, the most basic, yet most complex circumstance is flawed. Mindfulness involves making that connection with ourselves, as well as with others. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.9px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How many reports and recommendations will there be, in order to influence change? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.9px;">Nikki Harman, RGN, is a nurse working in an NHS trust. She is also a Connected Kids</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.2px;">™ tutor and a mindfulness tutor to adults. Nikki is writing a book about mindfulness and teaching her new course, The Gem In The Dust. Contact Nikki at innerspaceproject1@gmail.com</span></span></div>
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-58799866649611063092016-02-02T07:06:00.000-08:002016-02-02T07:06:45.123-08:00"Me" Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">January has been a hard month. Cancer has affected many of us in different ways. It is almost impossible to not hear this word being spoken, sworn at, whispered, cried over, mourned over, or feared. January, it seems, has been the month that has proclaimed the word over and again; the bitter wind bringing the disease sailing into the conciousness of millions, not just in the public domain, but for those who have lost friends or relatives, too, for those who have been diagnosed, for those who care for others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you have cancer, as a nurse, I can help you with your pain. I can help you feel comfortable. I can listen to you, advise you, find further sources of help for you. I can hold your hand, I can make you laugh. I can let you cry and shed your tears. I don't judge you. I hear you, I'm here for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From my experience as a nurse, friend, or relative of someone with cancer, I feel that it is a deeply intense, personal experience to those who are going through it. To me, it seems that life for them has taken on a new meaning. Time seems to change, either slowing down or speeding up. It seems that suddenly, life doesn't "fit" in the way it did, before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So as a mindfulness tutor with adults and children, I find that life takes on a new meaning for those who begin to practise mindfulness in their day. Each person takes on a new, deeper, or perhaps even lighter view of the everyday. For anyone going through the stages of dealing with cancer, I perceive it to be this way, too, although with a more tangible, emotionally-attached experience. Everybody has their own way of handling their diagnosis and treatments, as it's whatever feels right for them that is important. Sometimes people don't always know what to feel or do; they see how people change towards them when they tell others about their diagnosis;some they lose as friends, others rally round and gather close. Some just want to be living as normally and fully as possible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you have cancer, the following is for you. Please note that this is a general mindfulness and meditation, and certainly not designed to "fix" you, but for you to give yourself the love and attention you deserve. Be gentle with yourself, and feel the strength in your life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you would like a session with me either 1:1 or over Skype, it will be much more specific and tailored to you. Please also consider writing a journal after you do these activities, as it can help you work things through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the next
week, when you wake up, lie quietly in your bed for a few minutes, and try the
following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Focus
on your physical sensation – how do you feel? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->What
are your first thoughts?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->What
do you see around you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->What
emotions are you feeling?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When you have
considered these, then take a few moments to practice being in the present:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Acknowledge
any physical sensations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Accept
your first thoughts, thank your mind for showing them, and then focus your mind
on the very moment you are in (i.e. I am lying in bed, I am warm, I am getting
ready to sit up and get out of bed)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->What
can you hear? Try focussing on one sound, preferably one that doesn’t invoke
feelings of anxiety or stress!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next,
sit on the edge of the bed: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Place
your feet firmly on the floor, giving you a sense of feeling grounded, or connected
to the moment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Sit
with the spine straight, but not rigidly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Take
a slow, deep breath in. Breathe into your abdomen. Breathe out slowly through
your mouth. Take several slow, deep breaths (but don’t make yourself dizzy!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rub
your hands together, place them over your eyes, feel the warmth from your
hands, the tingling on your palms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rub
and pat your arms, feeling the tingling sensations. Repeat with your legs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Feel
the sensations of being “in the moment”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally, when
you have completed the exercise, say to yourself <i>“I am grateful for being in this present moment, I am calm, I am
grounded, and I have connected with myself”</i>. Then, as you stand up,
stretch, smile, and start your day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here is an
exercise to try either during or after treatment:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Begin by sitting
or lying comfortably. You may wish to close your eyes, or you can keep them
open, focusing on an object or image in front of you, or gaze out of the
window. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As you take your
next breath in, have a curiosity about how the breath travels into your lungs,
and leaves again. Be aware of your breath, taking it slowly and slightly deeper
into your lungs, all the way down into your abdomen. Be aware of your
shoulders, allow them to relax, lengthening the distance between them and your
ears. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a few
breaths, take your awareness to your feet, and as you breathe in, scrunch your
toes tight, and relax them as you breathe out. As you take your next breath in,
tense your calf muscles, relaxing them as you breathe out. As you move up your
body with your breath, be aware of how each part of your body is feeling. If
there is pain or tension, breathe into it, hold the breath for a few moments,
and then blow or "huff" the breath out, either slowly or quickly,
depending on what you would prefer. Move up the body as you feel able, until
you reach your forehead. Frown on your breath in, and relax as you breathe out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now spend a few
moments breathing normally, feeling the chair, floor or bed supporting the
weight of your body as you relax into it. Is there anywhere that feels
uncomfortable or painful? If there is, try to focus on the area. Be aware of
the sensation and feel of the area. Try not to tense up, but remain as relaxed
as you can, whilst accepting the sensations. Imagine a colour - it could be any
colour you like - see it as a fine, gentle mist, slowly coming into the area
you are focusing on, and absorbing into your body. Perhaps it feels warm, or
cool, bubbly or fizzy - let it happen without thinking about it. As it moves
into your body, see the mist as engulfing the pain or sensation, and gently
dissolving it, melting it, or consuming it, somehow. The mist becomes denser.
like a fog, then lifts itself out of your body, and drifts away. Notice if you
feel any different, now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next, imagine
the warm sun is shining on you. You can feel the rays on your body. See these
rays as coming into your body, lighting up every cell in your body with golden
sunshine. Imagine each cell has a smiley face, so that you are filled up with
happy faces and a warm glow! Enjoy the peace of this moment, for a while.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When you are
ready, take a few deeper breaths into your abdomen. Feel the chair, floor or
bed beneath you, and wriggle your toes and fingers. When you feel ready, rub
your hands briskly together to generate heat and warmth, and place over your
eyes. Blink into the warmth, and then, when you feel ready, open your eyes and
feel yourself back in your room. Bring your feet to the floor and feel the
connection between your feet and the earth.</span><span style="font-family: "andalus" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Namaste,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nikki Harman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">innerspaceproject.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">innerspaceproject1@gmail.com</span></div>
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-70053651039577876282016-01-30T08:58:00.000-08:002016-01-31T03:51:17.064-08:00The Mindful Nurse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztKks7Rs8T5D96grD3RkuC9BF5G6EklixBufuEvPSAlIbFCFqvf1vGY5vKLZ3xA-0Aask0tsOsgRIYPgqWXeilEI1SgFFj_JT6Di_Y57HDQMVtLOAw3jFkhbrJNerb_O8ig6RAi3PS5c/s1600/nurse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztKks7Rs8T5D96grD3RkuC9BF5G6EklixBufuEvPSAlIbFCFqvf1vGY5vKLZ3xA-0Aask0tsOsgRIYPgqWXeilEI1SgFFj_JT6Di_Y57HDQMVtLOAw3jFkhbrJNerb_O8ig6RAi3PS5c/s320/nurse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It is 5.30pm on the last Friday in January. I am driving through heavy rain, the velvety darkness looming ever closer as I edge my way through rush-hour traffic to get to work, 26 miles from home. Storm Gertrude is fully embracing the thrill of the moment, her blustery vengeance rocking my car along the bypass. As I arrive at work and walk to the entrance, I am peppered with hard rain, so that by the time I get into the hospital corridor, my face and head are wet; the contrast of the dry, warm air is like standing in front of a recently-used, warm oven, devoid of a freshly-baked cake that was there before: slightly comforting yet tinged with melancholy, as I remember it's a Friday night and I am at work instead of spending time with my children.<br />
As a bank nurse, I am employed by the NHS trust I work for, but don't have a permanent contract. I choose to work on the bank because it suits my life as a single parent. There is only so much help I can comfortably ask for, and I feel that I should be present in my children's lives as much as I can be. It also slots into my commitments to running my business as a mindfulness tutor. But I do miss being a part of a team, and I miss being given the responsibilities I used to have. <br />
Tonight, I am assigned to work in the Emergency Department (ED), where I work regularly, and somewhere I enjoy. It is the busiest, most intense place to be at times; very fast-paced, with anything and everything coming through the doors at all times of the day.<br />
I scamper to the canteen to grab a sandwich, eating it quickly on my way back to the ED, as I have only 5 minutes before I start work. At 6 pm I walk into the department and see the queue of patients on trolleys, waiting to be handed from paramedic to the hospital. There are no beds to assign them to at the moment, as the wards are waiting to discharge patients or wait for clinical decisions to be made. The nursing and medical staff are busy; very few have had time for a break. I am asked to go to help out in "minors", where people who self-refer come to be seen, and where the GP referrals come in to be assessed or assigned speciality beds.<br />
This area has been short-staffed all day, so there is only one nurse triaging and handling the GP referrals. I am given a list of patients to get to ward beds as soon as possible, in order to free up cubicles for the other patients coming in through the doors.<br />
I spend an hour or so transferring patients to wards, handing over to a wide stress-spectrum of staff. All of them are tired, busy, hungry, some are finding it more difficult to hide than others. I then return to the ED to help with triage.<br />
A couple of hours later I am asked to perform a procedure I have been trained to do but haven't done for a year or so. I feel slightly under-confident but fairly sure I can remember how to do it. I begin well, and then I feel the doubts creeping in. My stomach tightens and my confidence wavers. Having already talked it through with a senior colleague, I then ask her to come to supervise me. She takes over, doing the procedure exactly as I would have done it. I feel stupid. Why didn't I believe in myself? I try to explain this, but it's too busy, and the colleague is also due to finish her shift. My feelings of stupidity continue to niggle away at me for the rest of the shift.<br />
4 and a half hours later, I head to the staff room for a 20 minute break. I sit alone, half-aware of some rubbish on the TV that someone had forgotten to switch off before leaving. I hear the rain and the howling wind outside, I check the time and I feel tinges of emotions coming up. I reflect and ponder on the events of the shift so far, then head back out to carry on. More patients coming in, more to take to wards, more to triage. I try to work as effectively as I can. Stock hasn't been replaced during the shifts due to business, so it means going off to re-stock whilst seeing patients. This slows everything down - especially when I don't know where something is kept, and can't find a member of staff to ask.<br />
My shift is supposed to finish at midnight. At 11.55pm I realise this is unlikely. There is still a fair amount of things that need doing on the patients I have been preparing for the wards and have been clerked by the doctors. They are important things like giving intravenous antibiotics, administering analgesia, performing procedures. My colleague has taken over triaging, and she is busy. It would make things more difficult for her and the patients if I left. I decide to offer to stay for another hour, to try to tie up as many loose ends as I can. My offer is taken up. I spend the next hour getting things as organised as I can, before leaving at 1am. This was a good shift.<br />
My drive home is even more perilous than the journey in, not least because I am feeling tired. I am feeling frustrated, too. I mull over the events of the shift, conversations, reflect on what I could have/should have done, I try to see events from the perspective of the other parties, and conclude that we, as an NHS body, are stressed. We, as an NHS workforce, are at capacity and beyond. We, as people, are not valuing ourselves enough, we are not giving our own self-care, we lack self-compassion, not just individually but as a whole. I know this to be true of me, because my inner monologue on the way home was twenty-five miles of negative self-talk, and one mile of self-appreciation. An unusual ratio for me, as I was holding on to feeling stupid about the failed attempt at the procedure I was asked to do.<br />
We spend so much of our working lives engaged in processes, care, standards and unrealistic, target-driven restraint enforced by madmen in suits, who sit in the upper echelons of political power, exercising what seems to me to be some form of delusional magnanimity whilst bankrupt of integrity. These are the people who are slowly but surely dismantling health care workers like a six year-old plays with Lego characters. Metaphorically speaking, bits fall off, bits get re-attached, torsos and heads are changed about, some are thrown back into the bucket, others are trodden on. Some are super heroes and carry on, intact, others are strong and many are simply doing their job as best they can, coping with whatever comes their way. These nurses I worked with tonight are heroes in their own way, as they are doing their job as best as they can. They are feeling the pressure. I felt sympathy for them; there is so much more good stuff to them. If only they could see that within themselves, too. I try to have sympathy with government and ministers, but I find it difficult.<br />
So as I mindfully work my way through shifts, I remind myself of the importance of making sure I feel a connection with everybody I work with; but I feel such a need to reach out to the staff I work with, teach them mindfulness as a form of self-resilience and in care delivery. I understand. I get it, because I know the anger, the stress, the fatigue, the food and drink-deprived headaches and full bladders and achy legs and backs.<br />
I love being a nurse, not for the pitfalls - for the privilege - and there are so many. It's just not always easy to see.<br />
<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-74871469114903555542016-01-29T04:22:00.001-08:002016-01-29T04:29:56.731-08:00Five Mindful Tips For Running<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9UapNFXICncHnx4-okhiLV6iwziK-vz4mt7W2_NdfxolwxHR1i8NUz5BZ8ZVP_NDCNLTHBYVFhEhlErCGSt70OcN853AYUTlYsEXt-bwkCxe8l1TCHYKsI55z_EhS3mdOlna7iN8n84/s1600/1316_10154011023336844_5408274107309665274_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9UapNFXICncHnx4-okhiLV6iwziK-vz4mt7W2_NdfxolwxHR1i8NUz5BZ8ZVP_NDCNLTHBYVFhEhlErCGSt70OcN853AYUTlYsEXt-bwkCxe8l1TCHYKsI55z_EhS3mdOlna7iN8n84/s320/1316_10154011023336844_5408274107309665274_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Admittedly, here in Dorset I have rich-pickings as far as scenic running routes are concerned, which turns a mostly enjoyable experience into a heart-warming thrill (although it should be noted that I am easily pleased). If I take my running shoes away somewhere urban, I find it much harder to enjoy pounding the pavements and inhaling fumes, than I do to slip-slide through mud or sand and inhale fresh, clean coastal air.<br />
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That said, I find it immensely difficult on some days to go for a run, especially when it is pouring with rain, blowing a gale, or when I'm tired or feeling a bit below par - not ill, particularly - but that kind of "meh" I get when I can't quite generate enough enthusiasm to get into my gear and venture into a field full of cowpats and mud.<br />
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Or, when I do get out, This Happens:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRqU4W8aPnz9q9PcqNxGhfHCXR6Xy6Iqtn4w4qHouSvscAlKqPy9xUlNUWTwVZJcu29d4IBTNLNbnyTuRIXqSTgC_PuKMJK0wJ4kl690k825IroTPo1ix_-BPJWeoJLmzxhOZ3kcgB0c/s1600/46038_10152322903861844_1623163032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRqU4W8aPnz9q9PcqNxGhfHCXR6Xy6Iqtn4w4qHouSvscAlKqPy9xUlNUWTwVZJcu29d4IBTNLNbnyTuRIXqSTgC_PuKMJK0wJ4kl690k825IroTPo1ix_-BPJWeoJLmzxhOZ3kcgB0c/s320/46038_10152322903861844_1623163032_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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But then, isn't life like this? There are those days when it is sunny, dry and the pace of life is just right; then there are the days when some sort of challenge appears and it has to get dealt with, even if things get messy.<br />
At times, when I'm training for an event, I'd rather be tucked up at home in the warm, dry cosiness - instead of jogging through howling wind, the rain lashing like piercing rods. So I run mindfully. I let the frustration, the begrudging feelings surface, and I "run it out". I use the energy to power me further, I buy into the pain of the moment and then leave it a few steps behind me as the feelings pass.<br />
So if you're training for any kind of running event, whether it is your first 5k or a marathon, here are some of my mindful tips to add to your training regime, whilst staying safe and listening to your body.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hL9Chh5dwddEURtK9vbtTFPhA3KvXjmXC03Cp5tvOR2K9cCTgGP2-Qy8DEj1RHpqtQbQVjm_UeQ-m3yDRA6_kv264I1RbOy5uf4arXfe3bPoVjiR4nrfVSEbAhI6lHvoA-aOa5PkmJw/s1600/durlston.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hL9Chh5dwddEURtK9vbtTFPhA3KvXjmXC03Cp5tvOR2K9cCTgGP2-Qy8DEj1RHpqtQbQVjm_UeQ-m3yDRA6_kv264I1RbOy5uf4arXfe3bPoVjiR4nrfVSEbAhI6lHvoA-aOa5PkmJw/s320/durlston.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>1. Enjoy the view.</b> Whether your vista is a ragged coastline, emerald pastures or cracked pavements through housing estates or busy cities, take everything in. Soak up your environment. </div>
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If you're looking down at the ground, you may not see the birds collecting twigs for nesting, the dolphins in the bay, the changing colours of the leaves; the neighbour's cat that has been missing for days five miles from home, the broken swing in the park, the elderly man on his daily walk to the newsagent for his paper, the latest Banksy masterpiece, or the lamp-post you're just about to run into. LOOK UP! It's worth saying at this point, that whilst you're running, always pay attention to your body. If it is hurting, listen to it. Learn to distinguish between pain that is your body adjusting to new strength; and pain that is damaging you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0GkT3wH35AZdGEi5vX5JHLXDVYgQj9ZXJv7B-cRG6zJn7NWjaSHV0aM_-eSPNabR7vni0SSDQ8jBR1tbubd-AVHDv3UzSzx8AKjj9db0XQo9kUnF1awXxexuU0rUTsrzDgm2jqb2m44/s1600/IMG_4984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0GkT3wH35AZdGEi5vX5JHLXDVYgQj9ZXJv7B-cRG6zJn7NWjaSHV0aM_-eSPNabR7vni0SSDQ8jBR1tbubd-AVHDv3UzSzx8AKjj9db0XQo9kUnF1awXxexuU0rUTsrzDgm2jqb2m44/s320/IMG_4984.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>2. Set a challenge.</b> If you're training for something, add in a little curve-ball to each of your runs, even early on in the regime. It could be to vary your route to include running up the hill that you are trying to avoid, for example. In this case, as you're running/walking up, your legs and your lungs might feel like giving up, so pay attention to what your body is telling you - slow down, hear and feel everything, but continue until you get to the top. Then turn around and look down, to see your progress. Even if you didn't get the whole way up without stopping or walking, you made it - you set a challenge, and you rose to it. Remember this next time you come across a problem you need to solve, and apply the same principles. And keep going: if you keep on keeping on, the next time you run the same hill, you will probably find you go a little further.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPH0X4o2tg3w5bs_UmZWIAziasUXbirgKiQqIJTZpOUmiUknb-sqjWgHj-oPzFuwWNPNF9SYCdHA2ZmdPpz8Ry3ZAYPIdRsxwvl7JD68aPrIZqIwlDl29pcQoMR4Wol8hR-3fMDCtJs-s/s1600/IMG_4987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPH0X4o2tg3w5bs_UmZWIAziasUXbirgKiQqIJTZpOUmiUknb-sqjWgHj-oPzFuwWNPNF9SYCdHA2ZmdPpz8Ry3ZAYPIdRsxwvl7JD68aPrIZqIwlDl29pcQoMR4Wol8hR-3fMDCtJs-s/s320/IMG_4987.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>3. Acknowledge your freedom of choice.</b> You could have stayed in bed, gone to the pub, or watched TV. But you made the decision, whether you really wanted to or not, to get out and run. Congratulate yourself on this, and accept that your choice has given you the freedom to experience your self. This might sound a bit hippy, but think of it another way: you get to do something healthy and good for your body and your mind, and you get to spend some time alone, out and about. As you're running, even if you are disliking the experience so much that you wish you were lying in bed under warm covers, relish the fact that you chose to be your own best mate, for a while. You will thank yourself later as your endorphins kick in, or you lose a few pounds as a result.</div>
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<b>4. Work through a problem in your mind.</b> One of my favourite running techniques when tackling a big hill, is to pick out something that's been bugging me for a while, to pick it apart and problem-solve as I run up the hill. I start at the bottom, whilst considering the whole problem. Then, as I move upwards, and as the gentle burn in my legs begins to heat up, I confront the problem. I allow the frustration, anger or other emotions to power me up the hill; before I know it, I'm at the top, over the worst of it, and ready to take on the challenge in my mind. It works for me every time. Try it! </div>
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<b>5. Give yourself a little treat at the end of the run. </b>For me, knowing that I can get into a hot shower and have a cuppa is enough to get me through anything. One weekday morning I found myself on a 10-mile run with a friend. It was a cold winter's day on a route into high ground, which took us into thick fog and icy cold rain. It was a rural village where everything was closed; even the sheep looked cold. A farmer, passing in his tractor, looked at us as though we were mad as we ran along the road, heading further into the fog, waving at him to thank him for slowing down for us. We realised at this point that we were probably far more eccentric than we'd previously thought, but carried on regardless. There was no alternative! </div>
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What got me through that run was the thought of getting home into a warm shower, a cup of tea and feeling all pleased with myself for getting through a tough 10 miles. Nothing beats that feeling!</div>
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So, whatever your running style, make some space for mindfulness during your run, keep it in the moment (don't wish the miles away), focus on one step at a time.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 18.9px;">I run my own mindfulness courses throughout the year. Contact me at innerspaceproject1@gmail.com to book a place. innerspaceproject.com</span></div>
The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-38277193220084230132016-01-23T02:59:00.003-08:002016-01-23T03:08:52.157-08:00Are you feeling SAD?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XowZO-fCnS4TKD_7ogjGmdsr0KOSFOJ5SSeE1dXcP9Ksxilu5BFOzIToAVamRi6QcJwG1laVhIY55JwaPTCMFm5esY7OUfBpg_lI7K8LTzCgAkl8Oe3llBhprK1qe6-6OaLIaTAcN3Q/s1600/bear+hunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XowZO-fCnS4TKD_7ogjGmdsr0KOSFOJ5SSeE1dXcP9Ksxilu5BFOzIToAVamRi6QcJwG1laVhIY55JwaPTCMFm5esY7OUfBpg_lI7K8LTzCgAkl8Oe3llBhprK1qe6-6OaLIaTAcN3Q/s320/bear+hunt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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*Now we are in the midst of the winter months, the nights are drawing
in earlier; warm, light summer evenings are a faded memory. Those
evenings spent outside enjoying the warm sunshine have been replaced with dark
nights in, huddled under blankets and thick jumpers, the lights being switched
on at 3pm, and the heating being our source of warmth. Most of us would agree
that the summer months make us feel happier, but for some, the Autumn months
herald the onset of Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD). SAD, sometimes known as Winter Depression, has symptoms which
include lethargy, low mood and changes in patterns of sleep, behaviour and
energy. These symptoms of depression start off mildly in the autumn months and
worsen as the winter progresses. </div>
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SAD is thought to be caused by the lack of sunlight during
the shorter days in the year which affect the production of certain hormones in
the brain which help to regulate mood, sleep and energy levels. To help treat
this, light therapy can be used, where the user sits in front of a special lamp
which emits a bright light. This light is thought to work on the part of the
brain which regulates our mood, appetite and sleep patterns. SAD can also be
treated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or anti-depressants. </div>
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Mindfulness has also been shown to help with depression and anxiety,
by helping to reduce the activity of the part of the brain which causes
symptoms of stress, fear and anxiety. It is so effective, that the National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend it as a form of
treatment, available in the NHS. By learning to focus on each moment without
placing any judgement on thoughts or feelings as they arise, the individual can
reduce the chances of those feelings "snowballing" into bigger
feelings or emotions. </div>
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<b>So as the darker winter months progress,
getting help by going to see your GP is vital if you have symptoms of SAD.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Personally, as a
non-SAD sufferer, I work on the basis of living mindfully. By adjusting my perception of my
experiences I change the way I feel about them. So I enjoy being cosy in my
warm blanket in the evenings; I enjoy the feeling of the crisp, cold morning on
my face as I walk to school with my children; I love to curl up with a hot chocolate and a
good book on a dull, rainy Saturday, or watch a film with my children on
"duvet days" when it is cold outside. Equally, I love getting muddy
and cold during a run, to then enjoy a hot shower and a cup of tea. I spend
time thinking about how the highs and
the lows of the previous months have made me feel; and make plans and lists of
what I want to do in the months ahead. </div>
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I run my own mindfulness courses throughout the year.
Contact me at innerspaceproject1@gmail.com to book a place. innerspaceproject.com</div>
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*This blog was originally submitted as an article for <a href="http://purbeckjournal.co.uk/" target="_blank">Purbeck! Journal </a>, which has been published in the Autumn 2015 edition<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDxyd738tSgEPdP3_NtVviGfbOSJzOm3FPa4mjXtj59Y3e42yD9ndcdgOIFvyro2OAYuTheiCJOK9lSXGSw_9o5zaFGwCF5ebr5AfUdGG8-K3hIUz-1ghXycbeqs-t4_WCQcHrtDbXvU/s1600/purbeck+journal+autumn+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDxyd738tSgEPdP3_NtVviGfbOSJzOm3FPa4mjXtj59Y3e42yD9ndcdgOIFvyro2OAYuTheiCJOK9lSXGSw_9o5zaFGwCF5ebr5AfUdGG8-K3hIUz-1ghXycbeqs-t4_WCQcHrtDbXvU/s320/purbeck+journal+autumn+2015.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-39923720979709134002016-01-22T05:02:00.000-08:002016-01-22T05:07:59.232-08:00Variety Is The Spice Of Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOfcu1uHEgjmHiLahtr9GSW1B3Q0gQksqdwA8BM-Wd3P9MN17TY2V8o6F9PoRhss5pxLSBZrqTIise54dSEFIECFYlRP-LA1V-nfAMt1u44iYekgnhrw37xxmy7a7YV8_e4fHc9XBvlc/s1600/spice+tin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOfcu1uHEgjmHiLahtr9GSW1B3Q0gQksqdwA8BM-Wd3P9MN17TY2V8o6F9PoRhss5pxLSBZrqTIise54dSEFIECFYlRP-LA1V-nfAMt1u44iYekgnhrw37xxmy7a7YV8_e4fHc9XBvlc/s320/spice+tin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Your beliefs become your thoughts, </i></div>
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<i>Your thoughts become your words, </i></div>
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<i>Your words become your actions, </i></div>
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<i>Your actions become your habits, </i></div>
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<i>Your habits become your values, </i></div>
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<i>Your values become your destiny. </i></div>
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<i>Mahatma Ghandi</i></div>
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I bought a spice tin, recently. I filled it with my favourite spices, enjoying the sights and aromas of each, as my kitchen began to smell like an Indian restaurant, with rich, heavenly scents wafting (albeit piercing through my heavy cold) as I spooned each spice into the container. I felt uplifted by the golds and reds as the stainless steel tin reflected the colours. </div>
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It honestly doesn't take much to make me happy, and although I may be considered a little bit eccentric, I am happy to have a spice tin, because every time I use it the colours will make me smile, the aromas will fill me with anticipation for the meal I'm about to successfully make (I hope); and because it reminds me of the well-known phrase,</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><i>"Variety is the spice of life"</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">. </span></div>
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To me, the spice tin represents the alchemy, magic, the excitement of what I am <i>choosing </i>to make in my life. It's been a rough couple of years for me. I've had to get right out of my comfort zone and make difficult choices and decisions. The simplest thing would have been to carry on as I was, to continue to think the same way I had been:</div>
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<i> "I can't", </i></div>
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<i>"It's too hard",</i></div>
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<i> "I'm no good at this",</i></div>
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<i> "I will fail"</i></div>
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<i>etc.</i></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Instead, I chose (well, really I was left with no choice but to do something about the situation I was in) to change. Instead of thinking the same thoughts every day, I became motivated by change, by discomfort, by fear. Yes, fear changed my thoughts, because for a long time the fear was in control of these thoughts and about my reluctance to change. But when I mindfully worked through these fears, I realised that I was able to put that fear to good use. I once read somewhere (apologies to whoever it was, but I have forgotten who said it) that "fear is our own potential pushing back at us" - in other words, what holds us back is our own self-limiting beliefs (thoughts) that stop us from moving forwards. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I used to live each day with this negative monologue in my mind. I never want to go back there! This is so much better:</span></div>
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<i>"I believe in myself"</i></div>
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<i>"I have the power to change"</i></div>
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<i>"I trust in myself and my abilities"</i></div>
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<i>"I have the ability to make things right and good in my life"</i></div>
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<i>"I love life and life loves me"</i></div>
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<i>etc.</i></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Each time I come across an obstacle, I allow the negative self-talk to come up, because it is still a part of me that exists - but instead of buying into it, I acknowledge it, then answer it positively. This is the part of me which exists to reach my potential, and reach my goals, which include believing that we are all intrinsically good, kind people, but there are those who act out of fear, and those who choose to act out of love. We each have a choice every day about which aspects we are going to pay more attention to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Variety is the spice of life. Why not get out of your comfort zone and find out where you can go?</span></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>I am writing a book about finding our own potential through mindfulness and meditation activities; and have started teaching a course alongside it, too. If you're interested, get in touch: innerspaceproject1@gmail.com</i></span></div>
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-66564790968522958082016-01-08T09:17:00.000-08:002016-04-17T06:45:23.259-07:00The Nurse's Minute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.innerspaceproject.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb575OnBeJ-7PdyXocNvwmtjUFShUY1zQ-cQ4XNh7hJzhnbaKxOEBExZwpqW2mkbtPnCdbI4pFJBmay3cfhWCFu4aKnskymCWGs0U2ZmZWrrlnix3HHu7SM8xjxwUVkJ7mNfqhNf7oUI/s640/the+nurse%2527s+minute.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://www.innerspaceproject.com/" target="_blank">www.innerspaceproject.com</a></div>
<br />
The winter months increases the number of admissions to hospitals, leading to staff being put under huge pressures to see, treat and care for patients. During a busy shift, staff will often miss rest-breaks, opportunities to have something to eat and drink; and not even get time to go to the toilet. They may encounter a range of emergencies, challenges, emotionally-charged situations, verbal abuse, conflict and have to use many skills to deal with whatever they are faced with.<br />
These shifts can last 12 hours or beyond, and be at unsociable hours when fatigue and tiredness can impact on the endurance of those in the middle of everything. Sometimes things can get overwhelming, resulting in not being able to do tasks effectively. I, like nearly every member of staff I've worked with over the years, get to a point where they're hungry, thirsty, tired, aching, have a full bladder, and yet are in the thick of stressful or busy situations with no sign of a let-up in proceedings to grab some time to refresh themselves.<br />
<br />
Whilst the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Well-being Economics<a href="http://themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk/images/reports/Mindfulness-APPG-Report_Mindful-Nation-UK_Oct2015.pdf" target="_blank"> recommend Mindfulness</a> as a treatment for patients, there is less focus on helping NHS staff using mindfulness. I am keen to utilise mindfulness techniques for staff to help overcome some of the problems faced each day. I believe it could have a significant positive impact on staff and on patients, too.<br />
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At a time when you feel relaxed, ask yourself what your stress symptoms are, even run a scenario at work where you felt overwhelmed and take note of what you feel in your body as you do. Then, during the course of your work, be aware of these symptoms being triggered, and give yourself one minute or so to just step away from the phone/bedside/bay or the area you are working (as long as it is safe), to run through the Red, Amber Green stress-relief points I have written. Remember that by slowing down and deepening the breath, you are helping to reduce your heart rate, which will impact on your blood pressure. When we are stressed, our heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate increase, reinforcing the stress response. Breaking the cycle can help to regulate your levels again, and allow you to feel calmer and more relaxed.<br />
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So, if you are an NHS worker, I invite you to print my Nurse's Minute (without altering it in any way; please retain my website details) to use whilst you're on shift.<br />
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I'd love to hear how you get on with this!<br />
<br />
Nikki Harman, RGN, is a nurse working in an acute NHS hospital trust. Nikki is also a mindfulness tutor to adults and is a Connected Kids<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2px;">™ </span>children's mindfulness tutor. Nikki is keen to work with NHS staff teaching mindfulness. Please contact The Inner Space Project: innerspaceproject1@gmail.com<br />
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<br />The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403320196152579975.post-82762273134268118282015-12-28T05:34:00.000-08:002015-12-28T05:38:50.454-08:00Eat, Enjoy, Live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How often do you hear your children asking for a mobile phone/tablet/new trainers or other highly-desired items? </div>
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How do you respond? Do you ever ask them to consider why they feel they "need" it, or to consider the difference between a want<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"> and a need? It could stem from a need to fit in with their peers, to be liked, and to be accepted by others, which are all vital to our sense of self. So if you are feeling the pressure but feel that they are too young or not yet able to take responsibility for these status symbols, how do you teach them to understand?</span></div>
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Each time I feel that my children are asking for something they don't need but want, in order to fulfil their sense of self, I remind them of an analogy I developed with them: <i><b>see your life as being like a big, best quality chocolate bar, wrapped in shiny paper. </b></i></div>
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You carefully take off the layer and look at the beautiful, complete bar of chocolate. Then you decide how you would like to eat it. </div>
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Which would be better: to pick up the chocolate, bite into it and eat the whole lot, and then feel full, sick, and sad that it is all gone? </div>
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Or enjoy a small square at a time, savouring each mouthful, experiencing it piece by piece and happily admiring the taste, smell, feel and sight? </div>
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So do you want everything right now - to consume what you have - and then get to a point where you are left wanting more? </div>
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Or would you like to enjoy your life piece by piece, moment by moment, taking in the scenery, sights, emotions, experiences and the beauty of life, savouring each moment and evolving into the person you are?<br />
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Live in the moment, and enjoy each and every day!</div>
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Photo:Nikki Harman - Chocolate from Chococo, Swanage</div>
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The Mindful Nursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04432935562568696841noreply@blogger.com0