Nancy Robinson-Berry is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in Georgetown, Texas. She has been an LCSW for 23 years, working with at-risk children and their families, as well as active duty soldiers and veterans. Now her work focuses on senior citizens to promote resilience and find meaning while aging.
If I were only allowed to tell my psychotherapy clients one sentence, it would be, “Learn to do mindfulness meditation.” I teach some form of it to a majority of them. Most who use it regularly report to me that they feel more at peace with their emotions and that they worry less.
They are often able to be more patient with themselves and to approach challenges less from a place of reacting and more from a place of curiosity. This helps them to suffer less when something painful happens to them.
Mindfulness meditation is not relaxation. It is about paying attention to “what is” in this moment, without judging it. If you feel anxious, you notice that. If you feel relaxed, you notice that. If your thoughts are loud in your head, or if you hear a clock ticking in the room, you pay attention to that.