Mindfulness in the Madness, a blog by Lisa Newman
This year Mental Health Awareness Week (11-17th May 2015) is focusing on mindfulness. To mark the week Lisa Newman, a member of IF – the lived experience advisory group who advise the Golden Key Programme - has written about her personal experiences and views on mindfulness. Lisa’s insightful blog discusses how, although it has been a useful tool in her recovery, there have been times when she has felt too overwhelmed to be mindful.
“There have been times in my life when I have been able to practice mindfulness. I read a book which inspires me to do affirmations, think positively, turn my thoughts to others, be more playful or get in touch with my body. Yoga has also helped me enormously throughout the years of highs and lows. I have had times when I am really disciplined, where I get up two hours before I need to get out of the house. Yoga, meditation, shower and breakfast will all be part of that routine. My days are consistent and I certainly had peace of mind.
However, my life has not been a consistent one when it comes to “recovery”. I have gone from those smooth days of serenity to chaotic mania when I have totally lost all sense of reality. The last thing I am able to practice in those times is mindfulness. How can I when I am finding myself driving my car in my pyjamas in another town in the middle of the night, unable to remember how I got there and where I am going?
It's the same when I have been dealing with homelessness and rough sleeping. The initial days have been filled up with running around trying desperately to fix everything. There is a lot of talk about implementing more mindfulness therapy as an option for treating those with mental health issues. My first thought is great; this is a tool which could be used for the rest of your life. But have I been able to use this as a standalone treatment for my multiple and complex needs?
For me, I cannot say that I have. I have needed medication, at times, just to enable me to sit still enough to practice it.
Mindfulness has helped me to try and gain more awake-ness to my life. It really helps when you practice this with the very simple things. One woman gave me really good advice once when she told me to be fully conscious with whatever I was doing at that time:
“If you are eating, just eat. Taste your food and be aware of chewing. Don’t try to read a paper and watch the TV on top of eating your meal. If you are cleaning your cupboard - just stick to cleaning that cupboard, don’t try to then sort out the drawers too. Multi tasking is all well and good but it takes you away from the moment!”
The truth for me is that I am not very good at doing these things day in day out for long stretches of time. Not unless I have a mentor, partner or friend around me who also does these things. When my world gets turned upside down - so do my disciplines and healthy habits, despite the fact that those are the times when I need it the most.”