What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a key theme for Mental Health Awareness Month. Erin, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and OCD Specialist, Erin, explains the concept of mindfulness, its benefits, and provides practical exercises. The discussion highlights how mindfulness helps reduce stress, depression, improve focus, and manage OCD symptoms by being present and non-judgmental.
Come back next week to hear about depression, sadness, and pessimistic thinking in relation to OCD.
00:00 Raising Awareness: Understanding OCD Beyond Stereotypes
00:34 Welcome to Mental Health Awareness Month: Spotlight on Mindfulness
01:10 Meet Erin: OCD Therapist, Your Guide to Overcoming OCD with Mindfulness
01:34 The Power of Mindfulness: Stats and Facts
02:25 Mindfulness Explained: Being Present in the Moment
04:44 Practical Mindfulness: From Theory to Everyday Life
07:55 Mindfulness in Action: Real-Life Applications
15:22 Mindfulness and OCD: A Therapeutic Approach
18:44 Exclusive Mindfulness Resources: Announcing a Private Podcast
20:38 Next Steps: Overcoming OCD and Looking Ahead
21:33 Closing Thoughts: Seeking Professional Help and Staying Resilient
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We're partnering with NoCD to raise awareness about OCD. OCD is more than what you see on TV and in the movies. Imagine having unwanted thoughts about your relationship stuck in your head all day, no matter how hard you try to make them go away. That's Relationship OCD. It comes with unrelenting intrusive images, thoughts, and urges about your partner or loved one.
Breaking the OCD cycle takes effective treatment. Go to N O C D dot com to get evidence based treatment.
Hey, Hey. Welcome to the first episode of May for the Mental Health Awareness Month. I'm so excited to start off this month's episode with a spotlight on mindfulness. I know some of you are probably thinking, I don't care anything about that hippy dippy baloney stuff. However, Hear me out and by the end of today's episode, you're going to be walking away with understanding what mindfulness is, how it's helpful and some actionable steps you can do to start practicing mindfulness today.
Hi, I'm Erin, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and OCD Specialist. I'm also a Christian, wife, mom to three, and small business owner, helping those who are overwhelmed by stress to climb out of that valley and enjoy the view. Reheat your coffee and pop in your AirPods to learn how to boss up to OCD.
alright, so for those of you naysayers who don't like mindfulness or haven't really found mindfulness to be helpful, I want to drop in some stats for you. Mindfulness has been proven through research to reduce stress, mindfulness Reduce depression, improve focus and attention,
and it can also be effective if you're trying to
stop smoking or stepping away from an addiction. It can also help those of you who are experiencing chronic pain.
And those stats come from the American Psychological Association where they also found that there are other studies showing that mindfulness can boost your immune system, meaning that you can recover more quickly from the cold or flu. Just by doing mindfulness. Isn't that incredible?
And all of these stats that I'll be sharing with you today, I will put the link to those articles in the show notes.
Some of you may be wondering, What even is mindfulness?
Mindfulness, I'll start by saying, is different than your traditional meditations that you may be thinking of. Yes, you may have seen stuff out there about mindfulness meditation, and I'll break it down into how this works.
Mindfulness in simple terms, it's all about being in the here and now, and it's training your attention. It's training your focus to be on the present moment. And so during those times when you're, let's say you're having anxiety and you're worrying about the or you've got depression and you're ruminating on the past, mindfulness It's going to be your way of being in the here and now and not allowing those thoughts to come into,
well, not allowing those thoughts to have power over you
because so often, here's the other thing about mindfulness. You're going to not only be in the present moment, but you're not putting judgment on things. So it's all about attention and acceptance. even if we're not happy, we're happy. Or we're not thrilled about what's going on around us.
We are aware of what's happening and we're not putting judgment on it. So it's like, it truly is what it is in that moment.
And just like with anything, the more you practice, the better you become. And for mindfulness, whenever I'm introducing that to my therapy clients, I explain it like playing basketball. I can't expect you to go out onto the basketball court and shoot a three pointer today. Now, you may be able to shoot that three pointer.
if you've been practicing we have to start small. We have to learn how to dribble. We have to learn how to shoot. We have to be able to build our muscles in order to get the ball up to the hoop. And so the more you practice, the easier it becomes. And as you can see in, , our NBA basketball players or college athletes, those three point shots.
They don't come without practice. And in the mindfulness journey, the more intentional you are about practicing this, the longer lasting effects you're going to create.
Basically, you can think of it like you are doing things on purpose in the moment for the benefit of fully being in the here and now. How many times have you been caught up in la la land or worrying about what happened at work when you're at your kid's soccer game? Right? And, speaking of kids games, so many times I'm on the sidelines and I'm seeing parents on their phones or not even paying attention to their kid playing, and I find it so heartbreaking when their kid looks over to their parent and their parent doesn't even see them, like, make the goal or make the throw . I've even just in passing talked with some parents about like, Oh, do you remember like such and such play happened?
They're like, no, honestly, I was checking my phone. It's like, wow, really? And so for situations like that, if you are that parent and you're looking for ways to do something about it, mindfulness will be super helpful because you're going to be bringing awareness to what you're thinking, what you're feeling, and you're, You're going to intentionally and purposefully bring yourself to what is happening in that very moment.
Okay, you're sitting on the sidelines, you're watching your kids, baseball game, soccer game, football game, whatever. You notice the urge to talk. The urge to check your phone, you're going to sit with that and mindfully focus on your kid playing. Even if they're sitting on the bench, your kid loves to have your full attention.
There's no argument with that, right? And so the way, some ways you can do that, some ways that you can bring your full attention to your kid is by noticing things that are pleasant, noticing things that are interesting. Okay.
Bringing your attention to those five senses. And those five senses, as are the sight, sound, taste, smell, touch.
So even if you're sitting in the bleachers or you're sitting in that baseball chair, you could bring your attention to like, how do my feet feel on the floor? What does the air feel like on my face?
And so by doing these things, by bringing your attention to the present and to the here and now without judgment, and just noticing those things in a different light, You are changing your brain structure. Absolutely incredible, right? And so those parts of your brain are the attention and emotion regulation.
And with those, you're able to pay attention to things easier and you're also going to be able to keep your emotions more even, more regular, more stable. And therefore, through time, you are able to react to negative thoughts in a more helpful way, or you're not going to give in to those unhelpful emotional reactions whenever you're stressed out.
We've all been there where something catches us by surprise. And have you noticed how people react during those situations? Some people can handle it better than others,
I encourage you to see what happens whenever you're trying to mindfully just be. Be there, process the information, and not react to that rollercoaster of emotions. Don't give in to those knee jerk reactions. So for example,
let's say your kid is on a baseball team
and the baseball season is not going very well.
It can be very easy for some to blame a losing game on the coach,
so whenever you're sitting in disappointment, I want you to take a moment and acknowledge that. the disappointment that you feel or maybe that frustration that's coming up for you.
Because whenever you are experiencing a loss of any kind, difficult emotions will happen.
And so in those moments you are acknowledging, yes, I am upset, yes, I am disappointed, yes, this feels uncomfortable, yet I can still move through my day with ease, or without Rehearsing the negative thoughts over and over.
Another example that comes to mind is thinking about a job interview. Of course, you're going to be nervous. And so whenever you step into that job interview, I want you to notice the anxiety that is coming up. Acknowledge it and recognize that your brain is trying to keep you safe. Your body is trying to respond to the environment in a way that helps you survive.
And so you can mindfully recognize that all of these things are happening and it's a false alarm.
And in further acknowledging that it's a false alarm, you can bring your attention to Maybe the sound of the air conditioning that's running in the background, or noticing any plants that look pleasant to you, or seeing if there's a particular smell in the office. Maybe there's a candle that's lit that you wouldn't have normally noticed was there prior to being mindfully aware.
And so you'll notice that through mindfulness, it's not that we're running from the emotions. We're acknowledging them with acceptance
and centering ourselves into the present moment, acknowledging where we are without judgment.
Another benefit to mindfulness in the research done by JAMA Psychiatry, again another research article that I'll drop in the show notes, it shows that participants who use mindfulness
had lower anxiety levels than those who only took medicine.
And so through this research article, it's saying that mindfulness can be a first line treatment. So instead of going or instead of relying solely on an anti anxiety medicine or antidepressant, mindfulness could be your first line treatment. And it's beautiful because it's an organic way to lower your anxiety level.
Overall, anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental health conditions where anxiety currently affects an estimated 301 million people globally.
Alright, and mindfulness doesn't have to take up a lot of your time. What it is, it's shifting your focus to the more helpful, pleasant, interesting, and non judgmental aspects of the present moment.
And so you're not necessarily sitting with your legs crossed. Fingers up or your or your fingers touching each other as if you're going
as if you're some in some type of prayer state of mind. So no mindfulness is more about being intentional with your awareness and being intentional with your actions.
We're partnering with NoCD to raise awareness about OCD. OCD is more than what you see on TV and in the movies. Imagine having unwanted thoughts about your relationship stuck in your head all day, no matter how hard you try to make them go away. That's Relationship OCD. It comes with unrelenting, intrusive images, thoughts, and urges about your partner or loved one.
If you think you may be struggling with Relationship OCD, there's hope. NoCD offers effective, affordable, and convenient OCD therapy. NoCD therapists are trained in Exposure Response Prevention Therapy, the gold standard treatment for OCD. With NoCD, you can do virtual Live face to face video sessions with one of their licensed specialty trained therapists.
It's affordable and they accept most major insurance plans. Breaking the relationship OCD cycle takes effective treatment. To get started with NoCD, go to nocd. com slash savage.
And here are some examples of mindfulness exercises. I've already talked about paying attention to the present moment and bringing in all of your senses. The other one is living in the moment, where you're doing your best to find what you're joy in those simple things in life.
You're also focusing on your breathing. We are breathing all the time and whenever we're anxious, we tend to have more shallow breathing.
Or even if we're in a moment of distress or discomfort, we can shift our focus to our breathing as a way to get re centered. And so by doing that, whenever you're doing, Any breathing exercises, like with intention, I encourage you to do slow, deep belly breathing because by doing some slow, deep belly breathing, you are putting pressure on the vagus nerve and the vagus nerve signals to the mind that it's time to calm down.
Other things you could do if you're in a state of discomfort is just noticing where you're holding tension in your body. So we call that a body scan meditation. And. You can be anywhere, anytime, anyplace. But you're just noticing if there's tightness in your muscles or if you need to purposefully relax anything.
It seems like it's very common, like for people who have like TMJ problems for example, like to purposefully relax your jaw.
What I love to recommend to my patients, especially when they're struggling to have a routine or feeling accomplished or they have some self esteem concerns. I love to recommend to my patients and to my clients that when you wake up in the morning, set one intention for the day. What do you want to accomplish today?
What is going to bring you fulfillment? What is going to bring you joy or gratitude?
And before we wrap up, I'll give you another example of mindfulness. Have you ever been to that Thanksgiving meal and there's just so much happening, so many people, so much food? Yeah, I've been there and I distinctly remember one of those times when I first like really felt a mindful moment. And that was when We were having that Thanksgiving meal, a lot is going on, a lot is happening, and I turned my attention out the window and noticed a birdhouse.
The birdhouse was so beautiful, and it was so tranquil, so chill. it was something that I would not notice before had I not intentionally been mindfully aware.
And so if you're someone that struggles with being in crowds or feeling stressed out when there's a lot going on, give yourself permission to have a mindful moment and see what happens.
Okay, now that we've learned about what mindfulness is, let's talk about how mindfulness can be used when you're dealing with OCD.
Alright, so just like in referencing a game time situation where you've experienced a loss or you're going to that job interview where things feel very anxiety provoking. Your OCD is creating those intrusive thoughts. Again, the intrusive thoughts are those thoughts that come in that you're not trying to think about.
So they're involuntary. And not only are they involuntary, but they also create stress. And that stress can range anywhere from One to ten. Okay, because we all experience intrusive thoughts, and most of us don't reach a level above a five of distress, or if you're struggling with OCD, you're probably living in an anxiety level of above a five, if you haven't gotten treatment.
And so, when these intrusive thoughts enter, you can mindfully acknowledge, oh. Here we go again. This is my OCD talking. This is only an intrusive thought. And so you're able to create that separation. You can take a step back and you're no longer feeling subjected to the power of the intrusive thought and it's almost like You can feel your, your freedom.
You can feel the freedom and acknowledging that these are only intrusive thoughts and that your thoughts do not define you. Because again, we're not putting judgment on the thoughts, right? We're just sitting there acknowledging, okay, here's the intrusive thought. I am going to move through this and possibly you're going to move through that by
and possibly you're going to move through that by
bringing your attention to the here and now. You're going to focus on what's pleasant, what's interesting, what's actually happening. And so OCD wants you to believe that a catastrophe is right around the corner. OCD wants you to believe that you need to do something in order to stop this bad thing from happening, or that you are a bad person because you thought these thoughts.
When mindfulness is taking that counter approach of We're good. We're okay. We are here.
And the facts of the situation are that bad thing is not happening. And we're going to be very present focused. So focused on the present that
it almost feels surreal. Like whenever you are truly in a mindful moment. And all the other pieces of the past or the future wash away. Imagine that feeling. I want you to really take a second and
imagine what that would be like for you when you are no longer. Worried, when you are no longer in fear about something bad happening.
And also being in that place where it's like
truly feeling that separation that you are not your thoughts. And just because you think these things, it doesn't mean the thoughts are true.
If you're looking to learn more about mindfulness and how to have a mindful practice for your lifestyle. I have that private podcast coming out this summer on mindfulness and my practical mindfulness exercises, because again, mindfulness is not intended to be complicated or complex in a way that It's unusable or impractical.
I definitely love efficiency and doing things in a simple, practical way. So I've got my private podcast on sale right now for those early birds out there that are ready to shop and have that private podcast
to have that private podcast in your back pocket. So the pre sale is only going to last for Before the podcast is officially launched. Once that private podcast is officially launched, I'm going to increase the price and in the mindfulness private podcast, you can expect 17 to 20 episodes of ways that, again, it's like working up those basketball skills where you're going to be learning how to use mindfulness in everyday situations
and it can help you expand your personal development. I'm going to have mindfulness meditations for like sleep, for loving kindness, for gratitude, for walking, for sitting in the rain. Most of these I've already recorded and I'm just doing the finishing touches on all of the episodes.
So I plan to have that finalized and uploaded. launched and released this summer.
So if you want to get your hands on that early bird price,
I've got it in the, I've got it on my website. So go to value driven therapy. com slash shop, and you'll see the mindfulness private podcast pre sale. So once you make your purchase, I will get you set up with the audio feed and make sure you're Good to go whenever the podcast is rolled out
We're partnering with NoCD to raise awareness about OCD. OCD is more than what you see on TV and in the movies. Imagine having unwanted thoughts about your relationship stuck in your head all day, no matter how hard you try to make them go away. That's Relationship OCD. It comes with unrelenting intrusive images, thoughts, and urges about your partner or loved one.
Breaking the OCD cycle takes effective treatment. Go to N O C D dot com to get evidence based treatment.
for next week's topic. I'm going to be talking about depression. Through or depression is very common when you're dealing with OCD So I'm going to be talking about how depression relates to OCD and what you can do about it. I'll see you back here next Friday
Thank you for listening to another episode of Bossing Up Overcoming OCD. This information is intended to be helpful and not a substitute for professional counseling. If you're struggling with any mental health challenges, I encourage you to seek help from a qualified therapist or health care professional.
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You're not alone in your journey. Stay strong, stay resilient, and keep bossing up. See you next time.
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