Mindfulness
Mindfulness training is now a thing and will be taught in the military.
Didn’t we used to call this “paying attention to ”whatever”? Eliminate distractions; put your full attention on what you are doing; don’t tell stupid, obnoxious jokes in the surgical suite; don’t spook your dental patients; look both ways before crossing the street – stuff like that. However, that does not seem to be the purpose of this training.
There is that part about “being one with the Universe”, but that usually applies to meditative states, sometimes found in people who are very focused on one thing at a time. That might be what is meant by “mindfulness”. But in this instance, when applied to the military, it seems to be what they used to term “situational awareness”, except that the military is using it to reduce stress somehow. The troops are also being told that naps are okay.
From the article: In behavioral health, mindfulness-based stress reduction training has gained increased attention in civilian and military medical settings. These programs help people improve strength and resilience by cultivating a new way of paying attention and interacting with one’s experience, typically referred to as mindfulness. Although there are a variety of definitions, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the founders of the modern mindfulness movement, has emphasized that mindfulness training develops one’s awareness of the present moment without judgment, openly accepting thoughts and feelings as they are, at the moment. By developing mindfulness skills, people create opportunities to experience relief from stress and engage in restorative self-care. – article
Now, how would it apply to the military, especially the Navy where the crew (including officers) are supposed to be 100% attentive to what they are doing? On a birdfarm, that should be obvious: not paying attention – meaning lacking the quality called “situational awareness” – can get you killed by being sucked into a jet engine or hit by the catapult tow line. That is an environment in which extreme stress is as common as mashed potatoes.
Perhaps the real issue is that some kids are not taught to pay attention to their surroundings, but allowed to wander aimlessly through life until they barely avoid getting hit by a bus. I have seen people walking down the street with a tablet or phone in their hands, both eyes on that instead of the sidewalk ahead, and walk right into traffic as if they’re going to the next aisle at the grocery store. And they wonder why they get robbed at gunpoint. That translates into lack of focus, more than anything else.
Being called on to put in long hours creates a very real degree of tension, but it’s part of being in the military. And stress is part and parcel of military training and being in the field.
So if this is a form of stress reduction training (and long hours without a real break are stressful), I’m all for it. If there are comfy chairs, sandwiches and cold drinks involved, I’m even more receptive. I’m suggesting that you all engage in mindfulness this weekend by watching your favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons, getting in some range time, having an outdoor backyard meat-burning ops – stuff like that – and enjoy the fine weather.
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Mindfulness is something I have to teach in mental health. For fully functioning people it is often seen as common sense. Believe me, a lot of people just don’t have common sense and adequate coping/planning skills. Many people are reactive and not proactive, they lack the capacity for introspection/retrospection and do the same things over and over.
I never use any terms such as “being one with the universe”. I do try and teach people how to step outside the emotions triggered by our primitive and emotional centers of the human brain. It’s not so much about stress reduction primarily, it’s about seeing reality through the fog of neurotransmitters. It’s about using skills and having a personal AAR to perform better over time.
I’d like to see what the military is actually doing.
To paraphrase Admiral Nimitz… Common Sense is an Uncommon Virtue
Indeed 🙂
“personal AAR”
and review them before the next “event”.
Believe me, a lot of people just don’t have common sense and adequate coping/planning skills. — IEDC SARC
I used to think it was an oddity, but I don’t any more. I see far too many instances of people simply not using what we all call “common sense”, getting themselves into messes that they can’t get out of, and running to someone else to “fix it for me”.
As I said, Used to think it was an oddity, because I seldom ran into such things, but I see it more and more now, and it literally scares the crap out of me, IDC SARC.
My dad’s advice before I shipped to BCT: “Eyes and ears open, mouth shut. Head on a swivel, always know what’s going on around you. Situational awareness will save your life”.
I like my dad’s simplistic advice: “Son, think before you move. You’ll have fewer injuries and better outcomes.”
My dad:
“I hope you know what you are getting into”
Lunch with him before shipping out to Viet of the Nam.
I took a mindfulness course 5 times given at the Austin VA Clinic, 5 times.
Dr Mike Uebel gave the course.
It worked so well for me, I am truly a different man than I was prior to attending those courses.
It really does help with whatever demons are following you around and no matter how they got there…..
I don’t have demons following me around, but I see a strange uptick in lack of awareness on the rise, every time the local news station shows someone being carjacked or held up and maybe shot because he/she wasn’t paying attention.
That is truly scary.
mindfulness, well a good 18 year old whisky while sitting by the pool works well for me.
I passed the mind your manners course as a young lad when it was taught at home to do the right thing, the FIRST time, and be damned quick about it. Been a fairly well squared away individual since.
I will admit to having an overwhelming desire to rip the head off of a certain S(issy) P(unk) A(sinine) P(iece) O(f) S(hit) and take a good steaming dump down its neck every now and again. Considering the source, ignoring it, and having a cold frosty Yuengling makes that stress go away.
Thank you all for reading this and providing feedback. I wondered if it was just my reaction to anyone needing to be taught awareness and what goes with it, but now I know it wasn’t.
Pay attention to what you’re doing, otherwise “mindfulness” is just:
P.S. Pardon, but try listening to people arguing that “teamwork” and “collaboration” are totally different when they both mean “two or more people working together on a common task”– the Mindfulness crowd often asserts both at the same time.
That sounds to me like someone is cluelessly sticking to their script and lacking the working memory and experience to integrate the principles and reality to adequately impart the amalgamation to their clients. I’ve met people like that and they are cringy AF.