With a new semester beginning, classes, work, and a busy home life often leave no time to breathe, much less, relax. Always thinking about the things that have been done and things that still need doing can be overwhelming.
The counseling department has the perfect solution to help with the mental strain. Using funding from a suicide prevention grant awarded last year, the counseling department has been offering classes in mindfulness-based stress reduction.
“In an effort to become more efficient,” said Beth Pullen, psychologist in the Counseling Office and teacher of the stress reduction class, “we actually become less efficient.”
Pullen is trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction and is influenced by the teachings of Jon Kabot-Zinn from the University of Massachusetts. Pullen uses Kabot-Zinn’s teachings in the class and has books and audio discs of his numerous works.
With everything happening in life, people generally tend to think more about the future or the past than the present, always focusing on the next moment before the current one is complete. Mindfulness is noticing your surroundings. Most importantly, it is noticing what your body is telling you at that moment.
Stress can put pressure on your body and cause a multitude of health problems from headaches to chronic fatigue syndrome.
Pullen teaches four different ways to deal with, and eventually alleviate, stress.
There are breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, and the body scan. The body scan is a way of getting up to date with what your body is going through. It is like a mental and physical way of cataloging and soothing away the aches and pains of the day.
Using the techniques taught, at home as well as in the class, it is guaranteed to reduce stress levels, increase relaxation, and increase focus on everything in your life.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction classes are given on Tuesdays from 1:45 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. and on Thursdays from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Contact the counseling office for more information at 773.442.4650, or visit the department in D-024.