3/25/2022
Spring, a season of renewal, has arrived. Renewal can mean to be renewed: to make like new; to restore to freshness and vigor. This spring has an added sense of renewal as we emerge from yet another Covid surge and hope once again that this may be the last. Spring can provide an opportunity to find ways to restore freshness and vigor to our lives. We might slow down to really notice what is occurring in the natural world, becoming aware of changes in the weather, of flowers or trees blooming, of the sounds of birds. We might take this opportunity to renew relationships with family and friends, especially those that may have been affected by Covid. We might renew our commitment to practicing mindfulness, perhaps setting aside time to meditate regularly.
2/24/2022
The ninth Contemplative Practices for Higher Education (CPHE) Conference will be held from March 3-5 at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This is an opportunity for a variety…
2/24/2022
Mindfulness-Based Interventions Reduce Stress in Medical Students Stress and burnout are common among medical students, and effective methods of ameliorating these are urgently needed. In order to determine the effectiveness…
Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence Part 3
2/24/2022
Two recent Musings have been devoted to mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence (EI). EI refers to the ability to understand and manage our own emotions, as well as to recognize and influence the emotions of those around us. EI has been shown to be a powerful predictor of work performance, is an attribute of successful leaders, and can also be important in other settings. There are four main components to EI: self-awareness; self-regulation; social awareness; and relationship management. Relationship management is the topic of this column, and refers to using the awareness of our own emotions and those of others to optimally manage interactions. There are a number of competencies that contribute to relationship management in Daniel Goleman’s model of Emotional Intelligence.
1/24/2022
UVA Virtual Meditation on the Lawn Has Resumed This weekly program is a series of short, 15-minute, drop-in guided meditation sessions led by facilitators from 7:45-8:00 am every Monday. The program is…
1/24/2022
The Impact of Participation in A Mindfulness-Based Intervention On Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology Among Black Women Certain groups, including women, racial/ethnic minorities, and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, experience trauma and PTSD at…
1/24/2022
A new year has begun, one in which many of us hoped the COVID-19 pandemic would be behind us. Instead, we find ourselves in another surge, with more people having become infected than ever. Fortunately, illness caused by Omicron, the current predominant strain, seems less severe than prior variants. Despite this, because so many people have become infected, healthcare facilities are once again stressed, and those who work in them are having to care for more patients than ever, often with fewer staff due to healthcare workers becoming infected themselves as well as the number of people who have left the field during the pandemic. The amount of suffering caused by the pandemic has been and continues to be profound, affecting those infected by the virus, those caring for those who were infected, and those whose lives have been impacted in so many other ways.
12/13/2021
Changes Coming to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Courses Starting in February, 2022, the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses offered through the UVA Mindfulness Center will be returning to 2.5 hour long classes…
12/13/2021
A Mindfulness-Based Mobile Health Intervention Improved Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Among University Students in Quarantine During The COVID-19 Pandemic Researchers from the US and China conducted this randomized controlled trial…
12/13/2021
We all went into this pandemic together. Quarantine, washing hands, wearing masks, experiencing profound fear, increasing anxiety, showing compassion all became a collective consciousness for many of us. News reports flashed from around the world of people in isolation, trying to make the best of it. “Some Good News” with John Krasinski, videos of Italians singing from balconies, folks in NYC cheering on healthcare workers, photos of loved ones outside of nursing home windows waving to relatives locked inside were all broadcasted this time last year. Now that the pandemic dynamics have shifted with vaccine success, we are attempting to return to “normal” which has been anything but normal! Re-entry has been a solo experience for many of us, with each of us re-entering at different times and at different paces. This experience has felt isolating at times with new feelings of unexpected loneliness. In addition, feelings of uncertainty have arisen as we have tried to navigate this new normal, adding more stress to an already stressed-out baseline.
