Mindfulness – cheap, easy and effective

Mindfulness is a powerful tool that you can incorporate into your pain education or general discussion  with clients about having an impact on their pain, anxiety and stress levels.  It can take as little as five minutes of your consult time and can be as simple as getting people started with the smiling mind app or website (see below for links).  In my experience if you “prescribe” some mindfulness training, in the same way that you would exercises, stretches or other health advice, the uptake of this advice can be surprisingly successful.

Additionally there was a fantastic documentary on SBS recently called “Don’t worry, Be Happy” by Michael Mosley – the UK doctor who did the excellent 5:2 diet documentaries and others on interval based exercise training.  It is a fantastic evidence based look at how mindfulness training effects the brain and also a practical look at how doing some regular mindfulness training, along with other simple techniques reduced Dr Mosley’s own anxiety levels and gave him a more positive outlook.

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/310415939727/Michael-Mosley-Don-t-Worry-Be-Happy

(if the link no longer exists, I suggest you google Michael Mosley – don’t worry be happy)

These are simple, cheap and incredible effective techniques that can have a massive impact on your own clients, but potentially also on our greater health care infrastructure by improving outcomes and therefore  reducing costs.  Get on board!

Smiling mind

http://smilingmind.com.au/

The app for this program is available free  for iphone and ipad.  Android users might have more luck using the website to access the meditations.

 

Another fantastic free resource:

Frantic World

http://franticworld.com/