With an escalating need for provision of mental health services Mindfulness can help clients to prevent and address the adverse effects of working in stressful, emotionally demanding environments (Craig & Sprang, 2010).
While self-care has been shown to mitigate compassion fatigue self-care activities can be vague and difficult to prioritise.
Mindfulness can be seen as a gateway to self-care through self-compassion.
Self-care is a foundation of healthy functioning as individuals but self-care continues to be undervalued as an individual practice as people may not believe they are as deserving of self-care.
Kristen Neff (2003) describes self-compassion as consisting of three main elements: self- kindness, sense of common humanity, and mindfulness. Neff further developed an operational definition of self-compassion that encompasses being kind to oneself in instances of pain or failure, acknowledging that one’s experiences are part of the larger human condition, and holding painful thoughts in mindful awareness. By increasing self-compassion and changing their relationship to their experiences, individuals can lessen the impact of those circumstances on their well-being and reduce compassion fatigue (Newsome, Waldo, & Gruszka, 2012).
Self-compassion and, specifically, mindfulness as a tool to increase self- compassion, leads to gaining clarity and perspective on one’s experiences and, therefore, may develop from mindfulness (Neff, 2003).
The construct of mindfulness is based on Eastern contemplative practices originating as a part of Buddhist and other spiritual traditions (Kabat-Zinn, 1982). The application of mindfulness in the context of Western medical and mental health is more recent. In the late 1970’s, mindfulness began to be researched as an intervention to increase psychological well- being (Keng, Moria, & Smoski, 2011). Kabat-Zinn (2003) defines mindfulness as, “The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (p. 145). The core of mindfulness teaching emphasises attentiveness to one’s state of mind in the present moment to understand, through conscious attention, how one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors contribute to their suffering. The ultimate goal of mindfulness is to be present with whatever is experienced in the moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).
Emerging research suggests that mindfulness meditation increases self-compassion and well-being.
While self-care has been shown to mitigate compassion fatigue self-care activities can be vague and difficult to prioritise.
Mindfulness can be seen as a gateway to self-care through self-compassion.
Self-care is a foundation of healthy functioning as individuals but self-care continues to be undervalued as an individual practice as people may not believe they are as deserving of self-care.
Kristen Neff (2003) describes self-compassion as consisting of three main elements: self- kindness, sense of common humanity, and mindfulness. Neff further developed an operational definition of self-compassion that encompasses being kind to oneself in instances of pain or failure, acknowledging that one’s experiences are part of the larger human condition, and holding painful thoughts in mindful awareness. By increasing self-compassion and changing their relationship to their experiences, individuals can lessen the impact of those circumstances on their well-being and reduce compassion fatigue (Newsome, Waldo, & Gruszka, 2012).
Self-compassion and, specifically, mindfulness as a tool to increase self- compassion, leads to gaining clarity and perspective on one’s experiences and, therefore, may develop from mindfulness (Neff, 2003).
The construct of mindfulness is based on Eastern contemplative practices originating as a part of Buddhist and other spiritual traditions (Kabat-Zinn, 1982). The application of mindfulness in the context of Western medical and mental health is more recent. In the late 1970’s, mindfulness began to be researched as an intervention to increase psychological well- being (Keng, Moria, & Smoski, 2011). Kabat-Zinn (2003) defines mindfulness as, “The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (p. 145). The core of mindfulness teaching emphasises attentiveness to one’s state of mind in the present moment to understand, through conscious attention, how one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors contribute to their suffering. The ultimate goal of mindfulness is to be present with whatever is experienced in the moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003).
Emerging research suggests that mindfulness meditation increases self-compassion and well-being.
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