Page 8 - CCCA Magazine Fall 2018

{ MENtAL hEALth }

the impermAnent mind:

embrACing ChAnge

By Wendy Lund, RN, BScN, MSc in Mindfulness Studies

Changestress from practicing mindfulness, getting to expect the unexpected
know our minds and how they operate Expectations of how things should happen
can be hard work. If you have signifcant can be the source of much of our stress.
hoever said “all good things must issues going on in your life or you have When others fail to meet our expecta-
come to an end” was only half had serious trauma in your past, you tions, we feel disappointed, angry or sad.
Wright. It is more appropriate to say should seek the support of a mindfulness If we fail to meet our own self-imposed
“all things must come to an end.” Nothing teacher and/or therapist to help you navi- expectations, we fuel our inner critics.
ever stays the same. Change is inevitable. gate the mud when it appears. While such expectations can play a criti-
Change is really nothing more than the cal role in meeting goals and achieving
introduction of new demands in our life. Focus on What you Can Control satisfaction, they can become the enemy
Our survival depends on our ability to Many relationship issues stem from try- of an impermanent mindset if we become
adapt to these new demands. Change of- ing to change the other person—a battle too rigidly attached to them.
ten causes stress (good and bad) but stress doomed to fail. Most of us fnd it ex- Start by becoming aware of how and
can also be the impetus for change. tremely diffcult to change our own hab- when expectations impact your feelings.
An image that best illustrates the dy- its and behaviours, so is it any wonder we If someone or something lets you down
namic relationship we have with change have trouble changing other people’s? or raises your blood pressure, see if you
and stress is the Mobius strip, where be- “When we are no longer able to change can identify an underlying expectation
ginnings and endings fow into each other a situation, we are challenged to change lurking in your mind. Can you let it go or
seamlessly. Like the Mobius strip, our ourselves,” writes Victor Frankl, a promi- create a new, more fexible one to mini-
minds often blur change and stress. How- nent Austrian neurologist and psychia- mize negative thoughts or feelings? When
ever, when we train the mind to embrace trist, in his book, Man's Search for Mean- you can practice letting go or softening
impermanence, we take advantage of its ing. He reminds us whom we have control your attachment, you'll fnd it easier to
capacity to adapt naturally to change so over: ourselves. He compassionately uses make space for change in your life.
that it promotes resiliency and wellbeing, the word challenged here as a reminder
instead of eroding them. that it is hard to change. Cultivate a beginner's mind
Mindfulness practices can be an effec- This is not to suggest that you alone Beginner's mind is one of my favorite
tive antidote to the negative impact that are responsible for change, especially in ways to hit the reset button in our habitu-
change so often brings. Impermanence the workplace. Your role demands you ated mind. Simply put, a beginners' mind
is a prominent principle in Buddhism control what you can externally, but if the is when you approach whatever it is you
and Hinduism, and is now an important change is beyond you and is causing your are doing as if it were the frst time. As
concept in secularized mindfulness prac- undue stress, shifting your perspective, at- Shunryu Suzuki, one of the most famous
tice in North America. Once we fully ac- titude and response can promote psycho- Soto Zen monks, said, “In the beginner’s
cept that nothing stays the same, we can logical wellbeing. mind there are many possibilities, but in
respond and even relax into the constant For those of us who like to be in con- the expert’s mind there are few.”
fux of our lives. trol, the good news is you get to use this This attitude of beginner's mind can
Before we look at ways to start prac- skill in times of change. The uncomfort- help sharpen our appreciation for—and
ticing mindfulness, a word of warning: able news is it may be you who needs to trust of—impermanence. It helps us tune
While there are many amazing benefts do the changing. into the present moment and away from

8 CCCA MAgAzIne | FAll 2018 AuTOMne