Mindfulness meditation as prescribed by Jon Kabat-Zinn is very useful in dealing with the discomfort and pain that are part of M.S. To describe the technique, Dr. Creagan uses the idea of 'bookends' to describe 'focus on the breath' to enter a meditative state.
Cultivate mindfulness to fight stress - MayoClinic.com
March 28, 2012
Cultivate mindfulness to fight stress
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
"The concept of mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular as a tool to help us deal with the bewildering stresses of modern day life. Although there are many definitions of this term, it's useful to think of mindfulness as total absorption in the task at hand.
In reading about an Olympic athlete, I came across a similar concept — "bookends". The athlete pictures a competition or big event between bookends. Everything else is outside of the bookends and is ignored so that the athlete can focus on what's important.
It can be challenging to eliminate those thorny, nagging issues that drive us to distraction. But one way of putting this into practice is to simply unplug from the grid for a period of time. Power down the phone, the tablet, the desktop and the laptop.
At least this gives us a break from the barrage of demands and expectations. We need time to recharge our battery. We need time alone, or we simply will not go the distance."
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