A breather on the lung couch
Author
Monika Tempel [Oxygen and meaning]
Mindfulness-based approaches are recommended for chronic lung diseases because they have a beneficial effect on high stress and anxiety levels. They offer a unified model for behavioral changes in patients with diverse physical and mental health problems – and are practical for everyday life. The following exercise is a sample from mindfulness-based self-help.
Being present in the moment is the opposite of being anxious. Anxiety is worry about something that has already happened or that might still happen. Of course, something can frighten you in the moment – but even then, you deal with it: one way or another – anxiously or mindfully.
You can learn to redirect your attention away from fear: to the external present or to the inner present. Here you will practice directing your attention to the inner present. For example, you can imagine that you have just arrived at the Lung Couch on a hike. You put down your backpack and find a comfortable spot to sit. Perhaps you place a cushion behind your back. You feel light and at ease. The heavy backpack is beside you. Your back finds a comfortable position, your shoulders slowly drop, your neck relaxes. You remain seated for a while and enjoy the respite.
If you like, open your backpack. Take out one item of luggage at a time and check whether you still need it for the rest of your hike. Take your time.
Only put what you really need back in your backpack. Leave everything else on the LungCouch – another hiker might come along who can use some of it.
After carefully checking your luggage, you take one last look around. And if it seems right to you, you grab your backpack and continue your hike refreshed and with lighter gear.
Let your breath flow, smile warmly and kindly, and end the exercise.
With warm regards from Monika Tempel [Oxygen and Meaning]
www.monikatempel.de
