Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

MBSR stands for mindfulness-based stress reduction. Developed by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, MBSR is a program that offers mindfulness training to help people deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. Similar to many techniques that aim to help individuals reduce stress and help the mind and body relax, MBSR uses a combination of mindful meditation, yoga, and body awareness strategies to help you become present in the moment and focus on the sensations and feelings that you have.

MBSR was originally created to mainly help individuals with stress and anxiety. It helps you become attuned to your present emotions and sensations throughout the body so you can focus on relieving the symptoms and triggers that cause your stress and anxiety. Nowadays, many people use MBSR to treat a variety of illnesses and symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, cancer, immune disorders, and more.

MBSR sessions typically last eight weeks and are very beneficial for patients or individuals that don’t respond well to more traditional and common treatments for their illnesses or conditions. When you practice mindfulness-based stress reduction, you train your mind and body to become self-aware. This allows you to become more focused throughout your day and make decisions that are reasoned out.

Individuals that are trained to teach MBSR typically encourage you to incorporate general mindfulness throughout your daily routine to make each day more purposeful. You can learn how to identify stressful and anxious situations in your life, as well as how to respond to these situations in a healthy way.

Various levels of stress affect many people every day. Some individuals experience higher levels of stress and have symptoms that prohibit them from completing many activities in their daily lives. Other people might experience lower levels of stress or only during specific moments in their lives. While stress is normal, it can be challenging if you feel constantly overwhelmed or don’t have the right tools to deal with your stress.

Meditation is a great way to help you reduce stress levels, so you can become calmer and respond to the symptoms in a healthier way. Here are some ways you can practice meditation to reduce your stress levels:

Get into a comfortable position

An important part of an effective meditation session is choosing the right environment. Noise, bright lights, and other distractions may prevent your body and mind from relaxing fully. Before you meditate, pick a place that makes you feel comfortable and at ease. This could be a dark corner of your room, on your bed, your living room, or even in your backyard. Wherever you choose to meditate, ensure you can fully concentrate on the thoughts and sensations of your mind and body.

A comfortable position also means that your posture is correct. This makes it easier for you to sit still for longer periods of time. If you feel uncomfortable, you can fidget and move around, which makes it harder for you to concentrate on the meditation. Eventually, your body should get used to the specific posture you use, which will help you slowly lengthen your meditation sessions.

Close your eyes

Closing your eyes helps you eliminate visual distractions when you meditate, which helps the body and mind naturally relax as you focus on your breathing. Once you’re in a comfortable position, slowly close your eyes gently. Ensure you relax the muscles around your face. The goal is to allow your eyes to guide the rest of your body into relaxation as you slowly eliminate the other distractions from your surroundings.

Relax your muscles

When you’re stressed, your body naturally tenses up, which makes it hard for you to become comfortable and relaxed. Focus on each part of your body, starting from your head all the way to your toes. Start to relax each part of your body by releasing the built-up tension. Focus on your breathing as you work your way through the body. This helps you relax and loosen the muscles.

Deep breathing

Deep breathing helps your mind and body stay focused in the present instead of wandering about thoughts or the future. Take deep breaths and hold at the top of each breath to really emphasize each breath you take. As you start to focus on your breathing, you’ll notice that your mind starts to clear and your body naturally relaxes.

Be consistent

Meditation can seem like a challenge or chore at the beginning because it can be hard for the mind to relax fully, even for a short period. With practice and consistency, you’ll be able to train your body to meditate for longer periods of time. This will help you with stress reduction and allow you to carry on with your routine with a healthier mindset.

Stress reduction not only helps the body but also the mental and emotional state of individuals. Many physical, mental, and emotional symptoms we experience are tied to the level of stress we feel. Stress manifests in different ways and certain environments can trigger stress-induced symptoms that are more severe.

Although MBSR was mostly used to treat individuals with chronic illnesses, anyone can benefit from it nowadays. MBSR is great for stress reduction, dealing with anxiety, treating diabetes, and managing psychosocial issues. Anyone with lower blood pressure, trouble with sleep, heart disease, pain, and gastrointestinal issues can also benefit from practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction.

An MBSR session is eight weeks long. During the program, each session is typically around two and a half hours long. The first session might take longer than an average session as you’re learning about what MBSR is, its benefits, and how to practice it correctly.

The last session might also be a bit longer than the two and a half hours as you reflect on what you learned and how MBSR has helped you throughout the eight weeks. You might also reflect on some ways you can incorporate the practices and strategies you learned during the eight-week program into your routine. This helps you incorporate mindfulness into your daily life.

There are a few components to the MBSR program:

1. Meditation

Meditation is a common technique that individuals use to reduce stress and increase self-awareness. It helps increase your patience and tolerance by focusing on your breathing for extended periods of time each day. Not only can it help you become more aware of the present, but it can also help you flush out any negativity or bad thoughts.

Individuals that practice meditation each day experience overall increased productivity and mood as they approach each day with more mindfulness and purpose.

2. Yoga

Yoga is a gentle exercise that helps the body move and flow better. It improves your flexibility, core, and muscle strength. Yoga can also help you improve your lungs, cardio, energy, and vitality. Once your body feels less tense and tight, you typically feel a lot more relaxed and rejuvenated.

Frequent yoga sessions can also improve your athletic performance and protect you from injury throughout the day.

3. Body awareness

Body awareness means you’re attuned to the sensations your body feels. These sensations might be relaxation, pain, discomfort, aches, fatigue, or warmth. You’re also more aware of your physicality, such as your strength, balance, and weight. When you become aware of these sensations, you have a better understanding of what your body feels under different circumstances.

As a result, you can work on identifying ways to mitigate some of the negative sensations based on specific triggers. You can also work on increasing the amount of positive sensations you feel.

4. Behavioral awareness

Behavioral awareness is the acknowledgement and understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in your behavior and actions. For example, cautious, ambitious, confident, logical, curious, and organized are all types of behaviors that you might exhibit. Behaviors can cause specific patterns in our thoughts and actions that influence the way we make decisions or interact with others.

5. Emotional awareness

Emotional awareness is the ability to acknowledge and understand the feelings you have. For example, it can help you identify whether you’re feeling sad, happy, or anxious and the triggers that bring these feelings. Increased emotional awareness helps you construct tools to help you cope or control the way you express your emotions.

Prior meditation or mindfulness training might help you understand the purpose of mindfulness-based stress reduction better, but it’s not required for you to start MBSR. There are both coaching and teaching resources available for you to immerse yourself in the benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction.

These resources will guide you through the different components and phases of mindfulness-based stress reduction. With the eight-week program and the tools that you learn from it, you can experience the benefits of MBSR even after the program ends. These tools help you live a more fulfilled and conscious life.

In this 9-module online MBSR program you will work at your own speed. You will gain strategies to help you perform body scans, gentle yoga, and sitting meditation. 

As a University of Massachusetts Medical School qualified and experienced instructor I will provide guidance throughout the 9-modules, so you can optimize the benefits you experience. 

Some ‌strategies provided include guided imagery and breathing methods to help you reduce stress.

Participants practice one of these strategies each day to help them become more aware and in control of their stress. They also become more mindful of their actions and thoughts each day to live more purposefully.