WELLNESS & HEALTH Corner
WELLNESS & HEALTH Corner
Mindfulness ... To What End ?
BRIAN MOSKOWITZ
The latest and greatest buzzword is “ mindfulness .” Before writing this article I did a quick google news search and here are a few of the top results : “ How to use mindfulness to manage your money better ”; “ Mindfulness : a solution to unconscious bias in healthcare ”; “ How To Actually Have a Mindful Relationship With Your Phone .” A mindful relationship with your phone ? Seriously ??? Mindfulness has become the panacea for all that ails the world .
The legal profession has jumped on the mindfulness bandwagon as well . There are books on mindfulness for lawyers , Continuing Legal Education seminars , businesses providing mindfulness training for lawyers , and the University Of Miami School Of Law even offers a course called the “ Mindfulness in Law Program .” But to what end ?
Before we get to the end , we need to go back to the beginning . What is mindfulness ? Although the term has been used interchangeably with the word meditation , mindfulness is much broader . And if you ask ten experts to define mindfulness , you ’ ll get ten different answers . But within those different answers you will find a common theme – that mindfulness is being present , paying attention , and being aware of what is going on around you .
Now that you know what mindfulness is , how do you become mindful ? By practicing mindfulness . At its most basic , a mindfulness practice is anything that keeps you focused on the present moment . For example , as you ’ re reading this article are you fully present ? Are you giving this article your full attention to the exclusion of what ’ s going on around you ? Or are you checking emails , on the phone , or maybe eating lunch ?
The most popular type of mindfulness practice is meditation . You can download a meditation app onto your phone and start meditating today . Two meditation apps I ’ ve used are Headspace and Calm . But you don ’ t need an app , a course , or even a YouTube video . You can just sit up straight , put your feet flat on the floor , close your eyes , and breathe … keeping your focus on your breath . One thing I ’ ve noticed about the word meditation and meditating , however , is some people are turned off by the word . Because of their beliefs about what mediation is and the type of person that meditates , meditation is just something they won ’ t do . I used to feel the same way . Then I spent three days training with former Navy SEALs . I no longer feel that way .
Meditation is a huge part of Navy SEAL training , they just don ’ t call it meditation . To them , it ’ s just breathing . When the world is literally exploding around you , you need to be fully present and aware of your surroundings . So they practice breathing .
During the training we started every morning with twenty minutes of box breathing . Picture a box , with its four sides . Start by taking a deep breath in through your nose and into your diaphragm ( across the top of the box ), hold your breath ( down the side of the box ), exhale ( across the bottom of the box ), and hold your breath ( up the other side of the box ). Repeat .
To start pick a length of time you ’ re comfortable with . I started with 4 seconds – inhale for 4 , hold for 4 , exhale for 4 , and hold for 4 . You can increase the time as long as you ’ re comfortable .
While meditation or breathing are great mindfulness practices , they are not the only ones . You can practice mindfulness while exercising , journaling , doing yoga , driving , doing the dishes , having a conversation , or doing anything anywhere . Remember , mindfulness is just being present , paying attention , and being aware of what is going on around you .
So to what end do we practice mindfulness ? The benefits of being mindful are numerous and have been scientifically proven . A few of the greatest benefits , especially for lawyers , are that being mindful reduces anxiety , stress and feelings of overwhelm . When you ’ re focused on the present moment , you can ’ t be stressed , anxious or overwhelmed about the past or the future .
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Another great benefit for lawyers is that mindfulness improves cognition by increasing your ability to focus and sustain attention for longer periods of time . So when you ’ re working those 12-14 hour days , preparing for trial , reviewing documents , meeting with a client , or just need to block out the noise and distraction … having a mindfulness practice will help you stay on task .
Practicing mindfulness also has proven health benefits . A few of the benefits are increased immune function , lowered blood pressure , lowered heart rate , and decreased symptoms of depression .
At this point you need to ask yourself , does the end justify the means ? Does spending as little as ten minutes a day practicing mindfulness justify having less stress , less anxiety , an increased immune system , lower blood pressure , a lower heart rate , and increased focus and attention ? For more and more attorneys the unequivocal answer is YES .
Brian M . Moskowitz is the Founder of Attorney Revolution - a solo practitioner in Boca Raton , and a member of our Solo and Small Firm Committee . Brian can be reached at brian @ attorneyrevolution . com