Mindfulness?

waves, blue sky and stiff breeze, great

Great walk along the beach this morning, blue skies, grass on the sand dunes, stiff onshore breeze, the smell of the sea, the feel of the wind, the sound of pebbles rolling up the beach, gulls and oystercatchers, the warmth of the sun, every sense engaged and mindful of it, or am I? 

For mindfulness to be truly effective it is important to go deeper, to reflect on the experience and yes take pleasure from it, but not to grasp it too tightly as therein lies a problem.

In traditional teachings on mindfulness going back over 2500 years the original words used to describe the experience - sati and smrti, meant being aware and remembering but alongside these were teachings of conditionality, that actions have consequences and of impermanence, that everything that happens or exists does so because of something else.

The key teaching here is in being aware of, recognising and remembering this interdependence and impermanence. We learn to stop grasping after the pleasurable and trying to avoid the unpleasant, instead  accepting that everything is changing including our thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Being mindful on the beach today included not wishing it was exactly the same as a previous visit or hoping it would be more sunny or less windy next time, not hoping the redshank we linger just enjoying its flight then, simply appreciating it as it was in that moment, not judging it better or worse than another moment.

Urban Green Space makes a difference

urban green space helps when rural views aren't as accessible

Having worked for some years on the design and use of urban space for health, wellbeing and safety, it is good to see a major study published in the journal Psychological Science. The study, by the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter Medical School shows the relationship between urban green space, wellbeing and mental distress. Over 10,000 people have taken part across an 18 year period, reporting their psychological health and wellbeing.

The study team was able to use data in a way more common in economic analysis enabling them to account for variables over time such as income, employment status, marital status, health, housing type and local area level variables, such as crime rates.

The analysis also made it possible to compare the beneficial effects of green space with other factors which influence wellbeing. In comparative terms, living in an area with higher levels of green space was associated with improvements in wellbeing indicators roughly equal to a third of that gained from being married, or a tenth as large as being employed vs. unemployed.

With the widely perceived threats to our health from urbanisation, including traffic volumes, noise and lack of green space, the report helps to reinforce the importance of taking time to experience nature, to be mindful of it.