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Mindfulness Matters

A Newsletter from the UVA Mindfulness Center

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News and Notes

Put your New Year’s resolutions into action by taking a mindfulness course through the Mindfulness Center.  The Mindfulness Center will be offering a wide range of courses starting in January…

Research Update

The Less You Judge, the Better You Sleep: The Benefits of Mindfulness and Forgiveness for Insomnia and Sleep Problems Rumination can play an important role in sleep problems, including insomnia…

Unwinding Anxiety – Part Two

“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.” Ralph Waldo Emerson  Understanding the Habit Loop and How We Feed It  The definition of anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Where does anxiety come from?  Without even knowing it we may be feeding it or making it worse in attempts to make ourselves feel better.  We mentioned “feeds” in last month’s Musing, the endless activities that can consume our time and attention.  Feed binging is just one way we may be playing into our anxiety. There is nothing wrong with the feeds depending on but how we are in relationship to them. However, this relationship may be making our anxiety worse.  Because anxiety is at an all-time high, it is worth considering.  The iPhone was designed after a casino, with all the bells and whistles to keep our attention.  It activates our sympathetic nervous system, the flight, fight or freeze system in the body.  You get that nice hit on your Instagram and your phone “bings”.  Someone “likes” you.  This feels good and now you want to post again. You may think, I want to feel good right now, I’m going to post something, and I’ll feel better. This repeated behavior begins to lay down a habit.  Post- get a bing- feel better.  

News and Notes

New Unwinding Anxiety Course to Be Offered Starting in January Monday, January 16 - February 20, 5:30 pm- 7 pm This 6-week, 90-minute Zoom class taught by Cawood Fitzhugh focuses…

News and Notes

The Mindfulness Center Will Be Offering a Holiday Pause Every Monday in December December 5,12,19,26 from 5:30 pm - 6:15pm Need a little reset?  Treat yourself to a pause for…

Research Update

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Versus Medication for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders Anxiety disorders are common. They can be highly distressing and interfere with functioning.  Mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress…