January | 2017 | Learning Lab Consulting

From January, 2017

Mindfulness and Creativity: Q and A with the Columbus Museum of Art Teaching for Creativity Institute

January 31st, 2017 Learning Labs Consulting

What does mindfulness have to do with creativity? So much. Check out this Q and A with CMA‘s Teaching for Creativity Institute from an event I did on January 21 on mindfulness and self-care to find out more.

How does mindfulness assist in the creative process?

Creativity is an inherent aspect of the human condition. However, our mindsets, beliefs and self-talk can create obstacles to accessing it. Mindfulness cultivates ways of thinking and being that can counteract these obstacles.

To use an example, I facilitate an activity where I ask participants to make their brains out of Play-Doh in either an abstract or a figurative interpretation. They are then asked to explain their brain in a small group discussion. Afterward, each person reflects independently on the sensations, thoughts, and feelings experienced during the activity.

When we share our reflections, I most commonly hear people say things like:

• “I was nervous because I didn’t know if I was doing it right.”

• “I compared my brain to other people’s, and I felt like mine wasn’t as good.”

• “I was worried about sharing my brain because I didn’t know if others were going to judge me.”

This type of limiting self-talk is automatic for many of us. Feeling as if there is a right way to do things, comparing with others, and worrying about how we might be judged are all obstacles to our creativity. Mindfulness is a way to distance ourselves enough from these self-limiting beliefs to engage and share safely what is within.

For more on the connection between mindfulness and creativity, check out the Mindful Creativity page on my site.

(Answer originally appeared in this blog post/interview for the website Mindful Teachers)

Does it get easier to be mindful? How will I know when I grow?

It does get easier… sometimes. Our brains naturally wander, and formal mindfulness practice is one way to “train” our brains to not do this as often. I have had my own mindfulness practice for a couple of years, and I have seen many very positive results in my life, but there are still times when I am triggered and engage in rumination, negative self-talk etc. It just happens with less frequency.

There is no clear cut timeline for when and how each individual person will grow and how. Many research-based programs are eight weeks of daily practice, and there are documented results that this will create some brain change. At the same time, each person has their own disposition. Some people are naturally more mindful than others, too.

On a personal note, I was not one of those “mindful” people before I started this journey. My brain had a lot of stories, there was a lot of rumination, I often disappeared into my own world and noticed little around me. Change may have happened slower for me because of this. However, I also needed the practice a lot more, which gave me the impetus to continue. There are negatives and positives to every situation.

You can know your own growth by keeping track of your day-to-day life. When I first started my practice, I journaled after every sitting and noted how I was feeling in that moment, how that day had been for me emotionally, and times when I had experienced moments of mindfulness (or lack thereof). This created a way for me to look back and see that, yes, I was in fact making progress.

Change research shows noting small successes can help us to continue. They give us hope. I think the journaling helped me with this.

Mindful Activism: Q and A with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

January 19th, 2017 Learning Labs Consulting

I spent a few hours getting to know the dedicated, passionate folks at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity this week as we talked about activism, mindfulness, and self-care. Here is a Q and A from that event.

Are there any follow up studies on activists better managing stress?

Per your request, I found the following study, “Relieving Burn-out and ‘Martyr Syndrome’ Among Social Justice Advocates: The Implications and Affects of Mindfulness.” It is a good read.

Here are three ways that the 14 activists in the study who had experienced burnout and used mindfulness practice as a rejuvenation tool stated it had helped, “(1) helping them find balance between their activism and self-care without feeling guilty about doing so, (2) helping them slow down and see the ‘‘big picture,’’ letting go of the pressure to eliminate injustice instantaneously, and (3) helping them more effectively manage the stress and anxiety of their activism” (2015, p. 707).

In the introduction, however, Gorski states, “… little heretofore has been done to evaluate the actual impact of specific strategies or sets of strategies for mitigating activist burnout and fostering activist sustainability” (Gorski, 2015, p. 697). So there is work to be done, and this is an area for potential.

Additionally, if you would like to read the original study I shared, here is a link to “Burnout in Social Justice and Human Rights Activists: Symptoms, Causes and Implications.”

Implicit Bias, Brain Change and Being a Better Listener: Q and A with Americorp and Educators

January 6th, 2017 Learning Labs Consulting

Want to change your brain? Be more compassionate? Listen better to others?

Check out these resources based on the Q and A from Mindful Compassion and Connection, a training I facilitated in conjunction with the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio for Americorp volunteers and teachers.

What are more strategies or resources to help with implicit bias?

Implicit bias is defined by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity as, “The attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Activated involuntarily, without awareness or intentional control. Can be either positive or negative. Everyone is susceptible.”

In addition to the Narratives of Inclusion activity (which we did in the workshop), here are a few additional resources I would suggest as helpful tools to mitigate the effects of implicit bias.

Harvard Project Implicit has published online quizzes you can take in order to discover your specific implicit bias.

Facebook has made public their implicit bias training called “Managing Unconscious Bias.” You can go through the entire course here.

Lastly, Loving Kindness meditation is a tool that has been shown through research to mitigate the effects of implicit bias. In addition, it increases general compassion for others.

What are more strategies and resources on brain change?

One resource I would recommend if this is a strong area of interest would be Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well Being by Linda Graham.

Neuroplasticity, or the science of brain change, shows that we can change our brains in many different ways- for better or worse; this is a very broad question with many answers.

My suggestion would be figure out what you think you would like to change, and then start from there. In addition, this book by Graham is an excellent resource to begin pondering what change is helpful and how it can be accomplished. I learned so much from reading it.

I would also recommend the work of Dan Siegel. I am reading his book Mindsight now and have seen him speak; he changed the way I think about mindfulness and how it transforms the brain.