Incorporating Mindfulness Practices into Your Oahu Lifestyle

Mindfulness is Part of a
Holistic Approach to Mental Health

The meditation practice of mindfulness is a powerful tool our therapists use as they work with clients. If it’s a new term for you, learning more can be valuable.

Mindfulness focuses you entirely on what you’re sensing and feeling at the time. The purpose is to experience the moment without interpretation or judgment.

As mental health counselors, we’ve closely followed recent research supporting the benefits of mindfulness. It has confirmed emotional and physical improvements like reducing stress, better sleep, lower blood pressure, clearer memory, and an enhanced ability to focus.

If you’re working to overcome depression, anxiety, or many other mental health disorders, practicing mindfulness can enhance the progress you’ll make in your therapy sessions.

How Does Mindfulness Work in Therapy?

Our therapists introduce mindfulness to clients in a two-part process that builds understanding and helps put it into practice.

Step #1: Psychoeducation — discuss the meaning of mindfulness; explain how it works; discuss its role as part of mental health treatment.

Step #2: Implementation – experienced counselors may teach and implement mindfulness techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, body scans, and grounding techniques; it can be part of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), etc.

The goal of a holistic approach is to combine treatment approaches that are well suited to the client, work well together, and improve results and progress.

What Disorders are Treated with Mindfulness?

Mindfulness helps change our thoughts or the neural pathways in the brain. As a result, it can play a helpful role in treating a range of disorders.

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Substance abuse
• Eating disorders
• Personality disorders (paranoia, antisocial, avoidant, etc.)

Treatment is unique for each person, and adding mindfulness to other psychotherapeutic techniques can improve short-term symptoms and long-term prognosis.

At Wellness Counseling, we take a holistic approach to our client’s health – mind, body, and spirit – and practice using a range of methods, including meditation where beneficial.

How Can I Practice Mindfulness in My Life?

Yoga. One of the most popular ways to incorporate mindfulness into daily life is to begin practicing yoga. It encourages you to focus your attention on the present moment through awareness of your body and breath during movement.

If you’re in Honolulu and interested, our Honolulu therapists suggest considering outdoor yoga with Core Power held next to the Ward Studio. They offer classes at a range of convenient times.

Breathing exercises. Mindful breathing can encourage relaxation and stress relief. Specifically, you’ll sit in a comfortable position and focus your mind on the sensations of breathing.

As your lungs fill with air, your chest rises and falls, and you feel oxygen entering and leaving your nose and mouth, you’ll keep your attention on your breathing.

Grounding into the present moment is something you can do at home or work or in conjunction with a mind-clearing activity. Examples would be hiking the Makupuu lighthouse trail or walking at Ala Moana Beach Park.

When you’re grounding into the moment, you’ll recall five things you can see, four things you can touch, three you can hear, two you can taste, and one you can smell.

Conclusion: Practicing Mindfulness in Honolulu

Whether you practice mindfulness working with our therapists in Honolulu or on your own, it can benefit your life and mental health.

• Reduce stress
• Sleep better
• Lower your blood pressure
• Improve your memory
• Focus better

You can be mindful during yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, or grounding. Some people focus with us during their counseling appointments and in their daily lives. When you begin to experience the many beneficial effects, you’ll better appreciate the significant value of practicing mindfulness.