Encourage mindfulness to help reduce pandemic-related stress

Photo By Savannah Blackstock | U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. William MacNulty discusses how the practice of mindfulness can help health care providers cope with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, UNITED STATES

09.15.2020

Courtesy Story

Defense Health Agency

Maintaining professional focus, in a constantly evolving crisis, with no defined endpoint, adds another potentially frustrating challenge to those that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on Military Health System providers. What providers could use right now are skills to help them more effectively deal with the present moment, cope with what they have already been through, and more proactively and safely handle whatever happens next. One skill that can help providers stay attentive and engaged – and remain more calm and relaxed while doing so – is mindfulness, which Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, M.D., founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction, defined as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”

Mindfulness provides many benefits, including increased concentration and working memory, so you can hold more information in your awareness and direct and sustain your attention where and when you need it. It also facilitates relaxation, so you can be calmer in stressful situations and make more skillful and effective decisions.

Military providers have a growing appreciation for mindfulness training as an evidence-based, clinically effective way to combat stress, improve readiness, and reduce burnout. Several research studies have found that mindfulness training helps Soldiers better prepare for high-stress combat situations and improved their overall resilience and cognitive performance (https://www.army.mil/article/149615/improving_military_resilience_through_mindfulness_training).

Think of mindfulness as a type of mental fitness. Like physical fitness, you can improve it through the habits you adopt. Here are four habits that can promote mindfulness:

Practice Mindfulness Regularly

It is easy to incorporate mindfulness into your routine. For example, we are all washing our hands more frequently – several opportunities a day for brief mindfulness practice.

When washing your hands, focus on the sensations of water and soap on your skin. Notice the soap’s aroma, the touch of your hands on each other. Notice how the rest of you feels as well. If you discover tension or discomfort anywhere, you can invite it to relax. If it doesn’t, let it be as it is. Whenever your mind wanders, notice that and gently return your attention to the experience of handwashing.

Mindfulness breaks like this for 20 seconds or so, multiple times a day, can reduce stress without adding yet another thing to your to-do list.

In addition to these informal moments, you can also allot time for deliberate mindfulness practice. Many mindfulness-focused apps, podcasts, and other digital health technologies are available to support you. The Defense Health Agency and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs have many evidence-based resources you can try, including:

• VA Mindfulness Coach app: https://mobile.va.gov/app/mindfulness-coach
• VA COVID Coach app: https://mobile.va.gov/app/covid-coach
• DHA Military Meditation Coach podcast:
o Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/militarymeditationcoach
o iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/military-meditation-coach-podcast/id1313813296?mt=2
o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NR7OGVH2y0&list=PL8PcXBrsYZ8HDDglCEPt0y5OGSEXxR27c
• DHA Provider Resilience app:
o iOS: https://apple.co/2WEw4gT
o Android: https://bit.ly/3hqQFNZ

Minimize Distractions

You can help yourself remain present by reducing outside claims on your attention. Every ping or buzz on your smartphone pulls your attention away from whatever you are doing in a given moment. Even if you successfully return your attention to where it was, you must deal with distracting thoughts like, “Was that something urgent? Maybe I should check.”

Managing your attentional resources takes energy and, over time, continuously redirecting your attention is exhausting. It is far easier to preserve your resources by minimizing distractions from the start.

Turn off push notifications on your apps and devices, except for those you absolutely need to uphold your duties and other commitments. Set specific times to check email or social media, which makes it easier to ignore any distracting impulses. As much as possible, schedule blocks of time to work uninterrupted on individual tasks.

Watch Your Digital Diet

Also consider the type and amount of information you ingest. Just as you would never eat half a hot dog you found on the street, consume information only from trusted sources. And just as eating an entire box of doughnuts will probably make you ill, “doom-scrolling” through your news feed for hours will likely leave you depressed or anxious, and distracted from what you can directly influence, i.e., what is happening in this moment.

Consider the information you need to meet your responsibilities – as a professional, parent, spouse, friend, citizen – then manage your information flow so you choose when and how you receive it. Know the indicators that you are consuming more than you need and plan for what to do if you are. This may be as simple as putting away your device and taking a deep breath, or looking up and intently noticing your surroundings. The point is to reconnect with the here and now.

Cultivate Compassion

Being kind to yourself is more than just a warm-hearted sentiment – it is a practical and effective strategy for reducing stress and staying present in challenging situations. Stress is our body’s natural reaction to perceived threats. If we interpret this internal experience as another problem to eliminate (i.e., a threat), then our body is hardwired to generate more stress to help us handle that first stress. But if we recognize that feeling as our body working to protect us, it becomes less problematic – maybe not pleasant, but also not threatening.

The next time you notice yourself feeling stressed, try observing the sensations with kindness and appreciation. It may not eliminate the sensations entirely, but at least you will avoid an unnecessary increase in stress.

Finally, remember that everyone has a similar situation inside them, and that we are all in this together. Cultivating patience and kindness toward ourselves and others minimizes the stress-fueled negative interactions that make difficult times worse.

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact traditional medical practice – and providers’ lives – for the foreseeable future. In these unprecedented times, practicing mindfulness can provide perspective, focus, and peace of mind to improve your ability to do what matters most: providing the best possible care to the military beneficiaries who need it, looking out for ourselves and each other, and being fully alive in the life we have.

Cmdr. William MacNulty, Ph.D., is a health promotion psychologist with the U.S. Public Health Service and is currently assigned to the U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne).

• Date Taken: 09.15.2020
• Date Posted: 09.29.2020 07:49
• Story ID: 379260
• Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, US