Closely related to the Responsibility Process is awareness or mindfulness. To be responsible one must be aware of themselves, their thoughts and ac- tions. Kabat-Zinn (2005) states; “Mindfulness can be thought of as mo- ment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness, cultivated by paying atten- tion in a specific way that is, in the present moment, and as non-reactively, as non-judgmentally, and as openheartedly as possible” (p. 108). Mindful- ness allows us to know what’s happening when it is happening and enables us to respond with clear vision, an open heart and without judgment. It pro- vides us with the capacity for knowing or sentience.
Not paying attention to our environment, emotions, physical well-being and social interactions can lead to an imbalance in our system and poten- tially to disease. Kabat-Zinn (2005) carries this analogy further by stating that dis-attention can lead to dis-connection, which can lead to dis-regula- tion (where things start to go wrong), which leads to dis-order at the cellu- lar, tissue, organ, or systems level which can lead to disease. Disease can be viewed as dis-ease. Not being at ease. By paying attention, we can counter- act this negative pathway and find a sense of well-being. We can establish connection, leading to greater regulation, which leads to dynamic order or ease (Kabat-Zinn 2006).
How then can mindfulness be practiced? Mindfulness, unlike traditional meditation, is typically practiced in everyday activities such as walking or gardening. Mindfulness involves doing an activity with intention, under- standing why you are involved in that activity and being fully present, ob- serving without judgment all that is around you. It is important to be aware of all of your senses as you experience the present moment; taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell. It is also important to become aware of your phys- ical place in the moment, how you are standing or sitting, how your body is responding to the sensations of the environment around you. It is most im- portant to be in the here and now, completely without judgment and with- out thoughts of other places.
Meditation is another form of mindfulness practice. Meditation utilises tra- ditional techniques during which you sit quietly, watching your breath and watching thoughts as they move through your mind. In these techniques it is important to not allow yourself to get emotionally involved with the thought process, but to merely observe it and then ever so gently bring your thought back to the flow of your breath. Achor (2010) believes that medi- tation can help to decrease the cultural attention deficit disorders that we have come to experience as a society of multitaskers.
Developing this awareness and practicing mindfulness will enable you to see things as they really are, not clouded by emotion, previous experienc-
es, expectations for the future, worry or concern over the rightness of the activity. Kabat-Zinn (2006) speaks of the beginners mind. The beginners mind allows you to come to new experiences with an open and non-judg- mental mind, the mind of a child. This approach requires that you stay in the present moment in a state of wonder and recognition of all that you are being exposed to, where things are fresh and uninfluenced by the past or future feelings, perspectives, and influences. Aspects essential to mindful- ness include breath awareness, playfulness, and a willingness, to look and see for yourself how things might actually be behind the veil of appearances and the stories we tell ourselves about how things are (Kabat-Zinn, 2006).
Thankfulness
Thankfulness, also referred to as gratitude, has been defined by Psychology Today (2014) as, “…an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has— as opposed to a consumer-oriented emphasis on what one wants or needs…. Studies show that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude, and can increase our well-being and happiness by doing so. In addition, grateful thinking— and especially expression of it to others—is associated with increased levels of energy, optimism, and empathy”.
This position is supported by Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis. In an interview conducted by Thirty Thousand Days Assistant Editor, Trudy Boyle, Emmons said that gratitude is a choice. That it is an attitude that we can choose to make our lives better. He does not believe that genetic disposition is the only contributor to being gracious. He states: “There’s a whole cluster of related characteristics that seem to go together — things like optimism, hope, gratitude, and happiness. Some of this, I would guess, is genetically determined. Some of it is going to be based upon early life experiences and positive relationships with other people. Very little of it, interestingly, seems to depend upon circumstances”. Emmons also believes that a sense of entitlement can block the affect of these positive characteristics. If individuals take credit for all the good that comes to them, it will be difficult to feel a sense of gratefulness. Finally, Emmons states, “When things go well gratitude enables us to savour things going well. When things go poorly gratitude enables us to get over those situations and to realise they are temporary.”
There are several ways to increase your sense of gratitude. The simplest technique is to have a gratitude journal where you list each day something that you are truly grateful for. In addition, simple acts such as saying thank you or doing random acts of kindness can help to build a sense of gratitude. An additional benefit of gratefulness is that it allows you to focus on the good in your life, the little things that make your life worth living. It also helps you to refocus on the good things that you have in life, instead of what you are lacking (Aaronson, 2006).