Benefits of Mindfulness
Some of the benefits of mindfulness are specific to stroke survivors, including:
- Boosting neuroplasticity, which helps your brain overcome obstacles from damage caused by the stroke, especially networks related to focus, memory and mood;
- Promoting acceptance,
- Reducing spasticity, according to the results of a small pilot study of a structured two-week mindfulness program
- Reducing depression and mental fatigue in a meta-analysis of mindfulness and acceptance interventions for stroke survivors had access to mindfulness and acceptance interventions;
Additionally, in general, mindfulness has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing depression and anxiety, fostering resilience, and managing stress, all of which are useful for life after stroke.
Starting Your Mindfulness Practice
So, how does someone incorporate mindfulness into their stroke recovery? There are a number of different techniques that you can use.
- Silent meditation
- Guided meditation using an app or even a YouTube video
- Mindful movement, such as focusing on staying present while doing your rehab exercises or everyday activities
- Mindful eating
- Progressive muscle relaxation/body scan/five senses exercise (https://americanstroke.org/relaxation-and-meditation-for-stroke-survivors-2/)
- Mindful music listening – (More info here: https://neurosciencenews.com/music-mindful-stoke-rehabilitation-12082/)
Not all mindfulness techniques are effective for all practitioners, so you should experiment with different approaches to figure out which one is most effective for you.
Managing Your Expectations Around Mindfulness
When beginning a mindfulness practice, patients often feel like they can’t do it or they’re failing. This is usually due to unrealistic expectations of a mindfulness practice. Keep these tips in mind as you start on your mindfulness journey
- Mindfulness is a practice. It’s not going to “stick” immediately, but if you put in the effort to build your skills, you’ll eventually see the benefits.
- Be patient with yourself as you work to improve your skills.
- Suspend judgment if you find it difficult to calm your mind. It just means that you have a normal human brain that is designed to jump from thought to thought. Mindfulness helps you to keep yourself grounded despite that pattern.
How can you start incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine in order to enhance your stroke recovery? Think about the techniques described above, and choose the one that appeals to you the most.