How Can MBSR Improve Your Wellbeing?
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a popular method for managing stress.
Often, stressful circumstances are out of our control. It’s the methods we use to manage stress that minimize the effects it has on our health and wellbeing.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is continually emerging as a popular method for managing stress. It’s an eight-week program that offers secular, intensive mindfulness training to help minimize stress and stress-related symptoms like anxiety, depression and pain.
This article will offer information on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction so you can determine whether it might be helpful in reducing the stress and anxiety in your life.
What is Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction?
The eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program was developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970’s. It uses methods like mindful meditation, body awareness, yoga, the exploration of behavioral patterns and experiences, body sensations, thoughts, emotions, memories and more as a way to reduce stress. Although MBSR has spiritual roots, it is secular in practice.
Even though MBSR was introduced in the 1970’s, it took a while to take off. But by the early 90’s it started to become more widely recognized as the course was featured in Bill Moyer’s Healing from Within. It continued to grow in popularity in the 2000’s when it was used as a complementary treatment in the field of oncology.
Many studies were conducted proving MBSR’s effectiveness as more and more people turned to this strategy as a way to cope with stress.
MBSR is known for its ability to reduce stress, promote relaxation and improve quality of life. While it does not prevent or cure diseases, it can work to reduce the pain and anxiety caused by certain diseases to make dealing with illness more tolerable while boosting overall health. It has been shown to enhance the results of treatment related to cancer, asthma, eating disorders, gastrointestinal issues and more.
How Does MBSR Work?
Mindfulness encourages you to concentrate on the present moment, without judgement. Not only does practicing mindfulness promote more open-minded thinking and an increased appreciation of what’s going on around you, it is meant to keep you focused to reduce the stress that comes from obsessing about the past and the future.
When you participate in the MBSR program, you are encouraged to spend some time alone each day to practice mindful meditation. During this time, you will develop the ability to achieve deep states of relaxation and wellbeing.
You will also experience a greater awareness in general. This awareness will provide you with different ways to respond to life’s situations. It will also allow you to reflect your behavioral patterns including how your mind works and your feelings and actions. It will steer you away from being overly critical of yourself and engaging in counterproductive activities.
Eventually, you will be able to embrace all life has to offer including both good and bad experiences. When it comes to the negative, you will learn to avoid holding on to them or trying to escape them. Rather you will approach them with an inquiring attitude.
This new attitude will yield results that boost well-being as well as a less stressful lifestyle overall.
“Mindfulness encourages you to concentrate on the present moment, without judgement.”
Statistics Concerning the Effectiveness of MBSR
MBSR is an evidence-based approach to reducing the symptoms of stress. There are many studies that back its effectiveness. Here are some statistics that prove how useful it is.
- A management scientist at Case Western Reserve co-directed a comprehensive analysis of mindfulness research. Findings showed that mindfulness improved the ability to focus, manage stress and get along with others.
- Studies have shown that meditation can be especially effective for women. A 2015 study showed that practicing meditation can help women connect with others, take in feedback and overcome trauma in a way that made them more self-aware and better able to cultivate healthy relationships.
- A study conducted at the Stanford University of Medicine showed that meditation can lead to a 30% decrease in stress related symptoms that can lead to serious illness.
- In one study, guided meditation was shown to reduce stress by 14% and reduce irritability by 27% in just 10 days. Over three weeks, guided meditation was shown to increase compassion by 23% and reduce aggression by 57%.
- Meditation can be effective in decreasing age and race biases. A 2015 study showed that mindfulness training was effective in diminishing the participant’s awareness of the differences between themselves and their peers.
- A Harvard study showed that meditation can be even more effective than a vacation when it comes to minimizing stress. Ten months after a vacation, a worker’s stress level will rise to the level it was before the vacation. Meditation, on the other hand, produces long lasting effects that can be ongoing.
“A study conducted at the Stanford University of Medicine showed that meditation can lead to a 30% decrease in stress related symptoms that can lead to serious illness.”
Is MBSR Good for Depression?
Those who experience stress on a regular basis are likely to be depressed. Overactivity of the body’s stress response hormone can lead to lower dopamine levels that can trigger depression.
The following statistics provide evidence that MBSR can be effective in treating depression.
- A study conducted at Boston University shows that meditation can reduce depression to make workers feel more optimistic about their careers and more satisfied with their professional lives.
- Paul Minda of the University of Western Ontario conducted his own mindfulness program for lawyers. The participants were shown to experience a 29% decrease in depression as well as a 30% decrease in anxiety and a 32% decrease in stress.
- Science Direct conducted a study to determine how meditation can reduce ill health and depression. Results showed that meditation lowered the risk of inflammation that can lead to inflammatory disease as well as depression in participants.
“Meditation can reduce depression to make workers feel more optimistic about their careers and more satisfied with their professional lives.”
Is MSBR Good for Anxiety?
Anxiety and stress go hand and hand. Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, fear or unease and it is a common reaction to stress.
Here are some studies that provide statistics on how MBSR can reduce anxiety:
- Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital conducted a study of 93 individuals suffering with generalized anxiety disorder. An intervention was conducted which focused on mindfulness and stress reduction. Once the intervention was completed, the participants reported a significant decrease in anxiety.
- The Anxiety, Stress and Coping International Journal conducted a study that showed that meditation can relieve work related stress and anxiety, reducing the reliance on drugs and alcohol while improving sleep patterns and personal development.
- PlosOne.org examined 24 articles that reviewed the effects of mindfulness on stress. Results showed that mindful practices were effective in reducing anxiety as well as emotional exhaustion, depression and other stress-related symptoms.
Is MBSR Good for Chronic Pain?
So many people battle chronic pain daily. Pain can be caused by diseases. It can also be caused by stress, anxiety or depression or it can worsen as a result of these symptoms.
There is some research that suggests MBSR may be able to reduce chronic pain. Here are some exciting statistics to prove its effectiveness:
- Fibromyalgia is a condition largely characterized by chronic pain. A study conducted in 2015 showed that meditation was effective in treating fibromyalgia symptoms which included not only pain but difficulty sleeping, depression, fatigue and more.
- A study conducted by the National Health Institutes showed that mindfulness meditation can relieve pain more effectively than standard treatments.
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the effects of mindful meditation on chronic pain and was published in Pain Medicine Volume 16, Issue 4. Findings showed that MBSR contributes positively to pain management and can have positive results on patients that are dealing with long term chronic pain.
“Sometimes mindfulness meditation can relieve pain more effectively than standard treatments.”
Is MBSR Covered by Insurance?
If you want to try MBSR but are concerned about the cost, you can inquire with your healthcare provider to find out if your insurance will cover the fees.
MBSR is covered by some insurance as part of their psychological services.
How to Start MBSR on Your Own
Another way to avoid costs of MBSR is to try to incorporate more mindful techniques into your everyday life.
There are many resources that can help you achieve this including guided mindful meditation, yoga exercises, and other methods that encourage more mindful thinking. These resources can be found through online research or you can also sign up for a class where an expert can guide you through stress reducing exercises.
Twello has multiple highly trained facilitators that are experts in this area. Begin your path to stress reduction here.
For recommended reading, try Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat Zinn. After all, who can better provide advice on mindful living than the founder of MBSR himself?
The book recommends mindfulness practices that you can incorporate in your everyday life to help you minimize stress, depression, anxiety and feelings of pain to boost your wellbeing, your relationships with others and your quality of life overall.
Stress can cause pain, depression and anxiety and it can keep you from fully enjoying your life. MBSR is an evidence-based treatment that can relieve stress and the symptoms of stress so you can achieve new levels of happiness.
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