Tools for Mindful Living: Practicing the 4 Step MAC Guide offers you an opportunity to understand mindfulness and identify markers on how stress impacts your life. Each chapter offers the reader various opportunities to practice mindfulness using the simple and applicable 4 Step MAC Guide.
- Tools For Mindful Living Practicing The 4 Step Mac Guide Pdf 2017
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Want to become a happier, healthier you? This free program offers tools for managing stress and emotions, improving your relationships, and bringing your life into balance.
What is the toolkit and how does it work?
Have you ever felt like stress, anxiety, depression, or anger was controlling you? Do you often act impulsively, doing or saying things you know you shouldn’t, only to regret it later? Or do you feel disconnected from your feelings and emotionally numb? These can all be signs that you need to work on building your emotional intelligence (EQ).
By learning to keep stress and emotions in check, you’ll not only improve how you communicate with others, but you’ll also be able to get off the “emotional rollercoaster,” even out extremes in mood, and bring your life into balance. This toolkit will show you how.
Mindful walks are great ways to practice and maintain mindfulness in your everyday life, and your teenager will likely feel the same. Guide them through these four easy steps: Pick up one foot and take a slow-motion step forward. Notice what you have to do to stay balanced. Walk in slow motion, one step at a time. Even pain if it’s present. For the walking practice, this play of sensations - rather than the breath or another anchor - is often the home base for our attention. Be mindful of the sensations of lifting your feet and of placing them back down on the floor or earth. Sense each step fully as you walk in a relaxed and natural way to the end. Find 632 Tools for Mindful Living: Practicing the 4 Step MAC Guide w/CD 3rd Edition by Maria at over 30 bookstores. Buy, rent or sell.
HelpGuide’s Emotional Intelligence Toolkit is a step-by-step guide that can help you to:
- Change self-defeating moods and attitudes.
- Quickly manage stress and anxiety.
- Stay connected to what you feel as well as think.
- Follow through on your hopes and dreams.
Why emotions matter
The toolkit is based on the recent transformations that have taken place in the field of psychology. Emotion is now at the heart of clinical theory and is seen as the foundation to psychological change. We also now know that all of our thinking benefits greatly from having an emotional component.
As you develop the capacity to better recognize and understand your own emotions, you’ll find it easier to appreciate how others are feeling, improving how you communicate and helping your personal and professional relationships to flourish. And as you bring stress into balance and learn to tolerate even unpleasant emotions, you’ll discover that your capacity for experiencing positive emotions has grown and intensified. You’ll find it easier to play, laugh, and experience joy. No matter how stressed or emotionally out of control you feel now, by drawing on these tools, life can and will get lighter and brighter.
Video: Why emotions matter
Before we begin learning the skills of emotional intelligence that enable us to override stress and stay healthy and happy, it’s important to first take a look at things we do that can block our ability to acquire new habits.
Video: Roadblocks to Awareness
Step 1: Learn to quickly relieve stress
Being able to manage and relieve stress is the key to staying balanced, focused, and in control, no matter what challenges you face in life. As well as helping you cope with day-to-day stressors, employing quick stress relief techniques will also help you bring your nervous system into balance when practicing the meditation part of this toolkit.
There are countless techniques for dealing with stress. Talking face-to-face with an understanding friend, exercise, yoga, and meditation, for example, are all great ways to ease stress and anxiety. But it may not be practical (or even possible) to go for a run or meditate when you’re frazzled by your morning commute, stuck in a stressful meeting at work, or fried from another argument with your spouse. For situations like these, you need something more accessible. That’s where quick stress relief comes in.
Quick stress relief
The best way to reduce stress quickly is by taking a deep breath and using your senses—what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch—or through a soothing movement. By viewing a favorite photo, smelling a specific scent, listening to a favorite piece of music, tasting a piece of gum, or hugging a pet, for example, you can quickly relax and focus yourself.
Of course, not everyone responds to each sensory experience in the same way. The key to quick stress relief is to experiment and discover the unique sensory experiences that work best for you.
Video: Quick Stress Relief
Step 2: Build emotional intelligence (EQ)
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify, understand, and use your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress and anxiety, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. When it comes to happiness and success in your relationships, career, and personal goals, EQ matters just as much as the better known IQ.
Emotional intelligence is commonly defined by four attributes:
- Self-management – You’re able to control impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.
- Self-awareness – You recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior. You know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self-confidence.
- Social awareness – You can understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.
- Relationship management – You’re able to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.
Many of us are disconnected from our emotions—especially strong emotions such as anger, sadness, fear—because we’ve been taught to try to shut off our feelings. But while you can deny or numb your feelings, you can’t eliminate them. They’re still there, whether you’re aware of them or not. And even unpleasant emotions can have beneficial aspects. Sadness can support emotional healing, for example, fear can trigger life-saving action, and anger can mobilize and inspire.
Unfortunately, without being connected to all of your emotions, you can’t manage stress, fully understand your own behavior, or appropriately control how you think and act. But whatever your circumstances or challenges, the skills for improving EQ and managing your emotions can be learned at any time.
Video: Developing Emotional Awareness
Step 3: Practice the Ride the Wild Horse meditation
Many of us struggle to manage our emotions. Our feelings can often seem like a wild horse, full of fear and uncontrolled energy. They may cause you to freeze, act out, or shut down—making it difficult to think rationally, causing you to say and do things you later regret. Or you may go to great lengths to avoid difficult emotions by:
Distracting yourself with obsessive thoughts, mindless entertainment, and addictive behaviors. Watching television for hours, drinking, gambling, overeating, playing computer games, and compulsively using smartphones or the Internet are common ways to avoid dealing with your feelings.
Sticking with one emotional response that you feel comfortable with, no matter what the situation requires. For example, constantly joking around to cover up insecurities or getting angry all the time to avoid feeling sad or anxious.
Shutting down or shutting out intense emotions. If you feel overwhelmed by your emotions, you may cope by numbing yourself. You may feel completely disconnected from your emotions, like you no longer have feelings at all.
Instead of trying to ignore strong emotions, you can accept and tame them by taking up the reins and learning how to ride them. This is where the Ride the Wild Horse mindfulness meditation comes in. As well as helping you to relax, it also teaches you how to harness all of your emotions—even the uncomfortable or overwhelming ones you’ve been trying to avoid. You’ll learn how to ride out intense emotions, remaining in control of the experience and in control of your behavior.
What to expect from the meditations
The meditations focus firstly on your breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, and then on your current emotional state.
- If you begin to feel overwhelmed by uncomfortable emotions, use the quick stress relief techniques you learned in Step 1 to bring your nervous system back into balance before continuing.
- By learning to remain mindful under stress in this way, you’ll be able carry these feelings through into your daily life, even in situations that feel threatening, stressful, or uncomfortable.
Beginning meditation – 16 minutes
Learn how to relax and open yourself up to discovering physical and emotional sensations throughout your body. Move up to the intermediate meditation when you feel attuned to the feelings and sensations throughout your body.
Download: Beginning-Meditation
Intermediate meditation – 18 minutes
Learn how to identify the physical and emotional sensations in your body that stand out from the rest—that feel stronger or different. Move up to the deeper meditation when you are able to pinpoint and focus on different or unusual sensations and feelings in your body.
Download: Intermediate-Meditation
Deeper meditation – 24 minutes
Learn how to stay emotionally connected even in situations that make you feel uncomfortable or mildly stressed. Move up to the deepest meditation when you are able to remain calm and focused in such situations.
Download: Deeper-Meditation
Deepest meditation – 30 minutes
Learn how to remain focused, alert, and emotionally aware at all times, even in the most stressful situations.
Download: Deepest-Meditation
Step 4: Continue practicing and enjoy the benefits
It’s important to continue practicing the Ride the Wild Horse meditation until you’re able to stay connected to your feelings and remain calm under stress in your daily life. Each time you practice the meditation, you should feel a little more energy and a little more comfortable with your emotional experience. But don’t rush the meditative process. You will absorb more if you move slowly. Take time to notice the small changes that add up to a life change.
At the end of each meditation, as you shift your attention away from an exclusively internal focus back onto your everyday concerns, some awareness of what you’re feeling will likely remain with you. This means that you’re integrating the process into your everyday life, which will give you a greater sense of control over your emotions. Of course, learning new skills takes time and effort, especially if your energy is being sapped by depression, anxiety, or other challenges. But if you start small with baby steps undertaken at times of the day when you have the most energy, learning a new skill set can be easier than you think.
Practice, practice, practice. The more you repeat the meditations, the more comfortable you will feel with your emotions and the greater change you’ll experience in your thoughts, feelings, and actions. With regular practice, you can actually change your brain in ways that will make you feel more confident, resilient, and in control.
Set up predictable challenges. Try practicing your new emotional intelligence skills at predictable times of stress, when the stakes are low. For example, tune into your body while doing household chores or commuting through heavy traffic.
Expect setbacks. Don’t lose hope if you backslide into old habits now and then. It happens. Instead of giving up after a setback, vow to start fresh next time and learn from your mistakes.
When in doubt, return to your body. If you’re struggling to manage your mood in a tough situation, take a deep breath, and apply quick stress relief.
Talk to someone about your experience
Try to find a person you can talk to about your experiences with the meditation. What did you learn about yourself? What did you discover about your emotions? Speaking to someone face-to-face will help you retain what you’ve learned.
Video: Unexpected Rewards
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time do I need to invest in Ride the Wild Horse?
It takes about 21 to 28 consecutive days to create a new habit, but if you do the process correctly and often, you’ll experience daily benefits. As you want the process to become second nature to you—so you don’t “forget” to apply the skills in times of extreme stress—it may take a little longer.
What should I do if I initially feel something in one part of my body, and a stronger sensation occurs somewhere else?
Always follow the intensity. Focus on the strongest sensation you feel.
What if I don’t feel anything or I just feel empty?
That’s normal. Pay attention to the feeling of having no feeling, or of being numb or empty.
I’m getting emotional during the meditation, is that normal?
Yes. Releasing repressed feelings can be intense. If you cry, tremble, moan, or make other sounds, remember to breathe deeply and hold your focus. It is okay to experience these emotions—as long as you can calm and focus yourself and feel in control of the process.
If after numerous attempts you still feel uncomfortable, it may be an indication of unresolved trauma from your past. Consider consulting a trauma specialist.
About this toolkit
The Emotional Intelligence Toolkit is based on the empowering life work of HelpGuide’s co-founder, Dr. Jeanne Segal.
Social work educators worldwide are increasingly electing to incorporate integrative pedagogies of mind–body and spirit into their preparation of social work students for professional practice because of the practices’ perceived value for enhancing relationships with the self and with others. Specifically, the skills of mindful awareness have been used to foster a range of personal–professional aptitudes within social work trainees, such as self-awareness, critical reflection, therapeutic presence and self-care. The author, Napoli, has a particular passion for incorporating mindfulness into education at all levels. Accordingly, she has researched, taught and developed mindfulness-informed educational programs for students from elementary school to postgraduate institutions.
Her most recent workbook, Tools for Mindful Living: Practicing the 4-Step MAC Guide, was designed to augment the learning of postgraduate social work students undertaking a quality of life elective. Social work practitioners are occupationally at risk for stress, burnout, depression and compassion fatigue. Equipping students with skills known to enhance physical and emotional resilience in their programs of study thus seems essential, if not imperative, to reduce the potential of these occupational hazards.
Napoli sought in this workbook to strengthen her students’ capacity for self-care, stress reduction, clear thinking and responsive action through the practice of mindfulness. Four elements are identified as pivotal to this learning process and are referred to in the workbook as the four-step MAC guide; the steps comprise (1) empathic acknowledgement of experience, (2) intentional use of attention, (3) acceptance of experience without judgment, and (4) taking action toward change and decision making. The MAC acronym is derived from the mindfulness principles subsumed within the four steps: M (mindfully), A (acknowledge, attend and accept) and C (choose). Development of responsive action appears to be an inherent objective of the training offered, facilitated first by enhancing greater levels of conscious awareness to one’s experience through a range of self-reflective exercises and subsequent mindfulness practices. Although Napoli’s workbook was designed to support a discipline-specific course, it is an accessible guide that may appeal to educators and students of more general interest.
Embodying the spirit of mindfulness, the reader’s senses are invoked from the outset: the cover image appears designed to stimulate a learner’s curiosity. Visual imagery is adeptly used throughout the text to both signal and reinforce key mindfulness constructs and major learning points. The manual is organised in two sections. The first consists of three chapters which broadly impart information on the fundamentals of mindfulness and its applicability for use in daily life; these are appropriate to a novice audience. The second section contains seven chapters that offer readers a range of practical strategies for developing and implementing their own mindfulness practice. The home practices associated with section two are also supported by six audio-guided meditations developed by Napoli and two musically skilful collaborators. This supplementary resource is important to encouraging participants to engage in the regular daily practice recognised as vital to the cultivation of mindfulness. Practitioners beyond the novice group may also appreciate the audio resource.
Chapter 1 sets out the purpose and rationale of the manual and suggestions for its use. A definition of mindfulness is offered and its relevance to daily life and relationships discussed. The four key MAC elements upon which all mindfulness practices in the workbook rest are briefly introduced and the process of learning how to apply these skills to one’s experience are also presented. Participants are conceptually and experientially introduced to the attentional differences between mindful awareness and automatic reaction through a range of self-reflective exercises, metaphorical stories and well-chosen research sound bites. The latter structure is replicated throughout the workbook. Use of ‘breath as anchor’ is naturalistically and skilfully interwoven into these early contemplative activities and the benefits of mindful living are subsequently emphasised. The chapter concludes, as each subsequent one does, with a reflective journaling activity. Participants are encouraged to apply the four-step MAC elements to their reflections on each of the mindful living topics contained in the workbook, inclusive of the meditative practices. Use of reflective journaling is supported in the educational literature as an additional contemplative practice useful to charting an individual’s personal experience of, and growth in, the practice of mindfulness.
Chapter 2 commences with a poem designed to inspire the use of ‘beginner’s mind’. Each element of the four-step MAC principles introduced earlier is then elaborated upon supported by instructive content, self-reflective exercises and practical procedures and tools for translating the use of mindful awareness into daily life.
Chapter 3 focuses on the physical manifestations of stress and its consequent impact on mind, body and emotion. A further series of self-reflective exercises and practical tools are offered to aid participants to consider their own personal stressors, such as time use and finances, alongside identifying strategies for change.
Chapter 4 heralds the start of section 2. This section presents information on the key mindfulness skills important to cultivating a learner’s personal mindfulness practice. Use of the breath as anchor (a concentration practice that serves to strengthen attentional focus) is the first skill focused upon; three forms of breathing exercise are provided, all of which are supported by use of audio-recording.
Chapter 5 presents the ‘body scan’ and associated self-reflective exercises aimed at directing participant attention to their sensory experience of the body. The body map is particularly helpful to this process, although points 5 and 6 of the map appear to be transposed. The scan is also audio supported. The key message underscored by this chapter is the importance of learning to use somatic information pre-emptively to respond to stress, if and when it strikes, rather than react to it.
Chapter 6 stays with the body focus and offers a series of delicious, stretching poses that are accessibly described and pictorially supported. Attunement to sensory information across the fields of sensation is addressed in chapter 7, comprising the traditional five: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell, plus intuition. A range of practical and self-reflective exercises are included that are designed to foster the learner’s sensory acuity. In-depth information on the influence and impact of emotion on experience is the focus of chapter 8. Exercises are offered aimed at supporting participants to become increasingly practiced at observing experience while uncoupling it from automatic evaluation, thus enhancing the capacity for greater levels of emotional regulation.
Chapter 9 speaks to ‘monkey mind’ under the banner of ‘Mindless Monster’. A number of different exercises, including a fun drawing activity, are offered to support participants to become well acquainted with their own Mindless Monster. By contrast, activities that focus on liberating the mind are also offered based on the tenets of nonjudgmental acceptance. Participants are instructed, consistent with the MAC principles, that learning to accept ‘what is’, will better enable them to act responsively in relation to themselves and others.
The concluding chapter, chapter 10, focuses on communication and the integrative role mindfulness plays in interpersonal interactions. Readers who are parents, grandparents or caregivers and/or practitioners who work with children and families will find the segment on mindful parenting of particular interest.
While the text is coherent, at times, there were unsettling lapses in formatting: research sound bites set against unrelated text, for instance. The spiral binding adds to the workbook’s ease of use. Perhaps, thought could be given to establishing the source as an eBook in later editions as this would remove the extant space limits on journaling associated with the current print volume.
Overall, this workbook offers a veritable feast of practical tools and activities well positioned to stimulate the development of mindful awareness in novice participants. The instructional content is well supported by topical and current mindfulness research which is consistently incorporated throughout the manual in ‘sound-bite’ fashion. This novel profiling of research makes for interesting reading and provides a sound stepping-stone for students to delve deeper into areas of relevance to their own developing practice. While some editing discrepancies were noted across the Manual and these proved distracting, especially in a relatively expensive volume, this workbook would be a valuable resource to those interested in facilitating the use of mindfulness in participants at a beginner’s level. Supplemental information by way of facilitator notes may further augment the practical utility of the workbook. These may be of particular value to prospective educators in other disciplines or for those who may wish to incorporate the content into courses other than those for which the workbook was originally designed. Inclusion of a worked example for all activities, inclusive of reflective journaling, encompassed in the first chapter may also be of benefit from an educator’s perspective.
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Correspondence to Shirley-Ann Chinnery.
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Tools For Mindful Living Practicing The 4 Step Mac Guide Pdf 2017
Chinnery, SA. Maria Napoli: Tools for Mindful Living: Practicing the 4-step MAC Guide (3rd Ed.). Kendall Hunt, Dubuque, IA, 2016, 193 pp. Mindfulness8, 525–526 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0668-8
Tools For Mindful Living Practicing The 4 Step Mac Guide Pdf Free
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0668-8