Mindfulness Techniques
Mindfulness is understood as full attention and awareness, attentive and reflective presence. One of the clearest references of mindfulness is Zen Buddhist meditation.
- It cannot be understood in a generic way (as a life philosophy or a feeling of life), but it is always referred to as a precise moment, the present.
- This attention, awareness and reflection are non-judgmental in nature, accepting the experience as it is given. It is an open and ingenuous observation, absent of criticism and valence.
- A way of being in the world without prejudice, open to the sensory experience, attentive to it and without assessing or rejecting this experience in an active and meticulous way.
- It lays out in positive terms how to direct attention and activity, openly adapting to each situation, and implicitly pointing out the problems that can result from not focusing on the present moment in the indicated conditions.
The goal of mindfulness is to see that the person can observe and feel in a natural way, letting go of their behaviour and at the same time engaging with the activity. The goal is to be open to the activity itself. It is not incompatible, at all, to choose experiences, activities, etc., and at the same time to be available to experience and feel things as they happen. In this way flexibility and variability in behaviour is favoured, an essential characteristic of its adaptive and creative capability.
Face stressful work situations from the perspective laid out by mindfulness and use the techniques of activation control as a way of managing unpleasant physiological responses.