Reflecting on Mindful Mood Balance
Although the last session often brings to mind thoughts about ending rather than beginning, our last class is really the beginning of the rest of your life!
All the learning you have been doing over these last 8 weeks is meant to support you in an ongoing way well after the course is over.
For this reason, it is helpful in this last class to reflect on your experience in the program and see what stands out. What knowledge and experiences do you want to keep with you and use going forward?
Take a moment to consider the following questions…
- Think back to why you enrolled in Mindful Mood Balance originally – what were your expectations and why did you continue?
- This response will be reviewed and graded after submission.
- What did you hope for?
- This response will be reviewed and graded after submission.
- What did you get out of continuing with Mindful Mood Balance, if anything? What did you learn?
- This response will be reviewed and graded after submission.
- What were the costs to you?
- This response will be reviewed and graded after submission.
- What are your biggest obstacles to continuing your practice with mindfulness?
- This response will be reviewed and graded after submission.
Ways of Supporting Your Practice Once the Program Has Ended
You might think of your mindfulness practice as a parachute that you can count on in any circumstance. If that is the case, then it needs to be woven every day so that if an emergency comes up, it will be ready and waiting to hold you. Here are some practical suggestions for ways to support your practice.
- Check off the strategies that are best for you from the list below.
- Remind myself – ‘Quality, not quantity.’
- Set a specific time to practice
- Find a local group to practice with
- Protect the time by letting others know it is important to me
- A 3-Minute Breathing Space only needs three minutes
- Shift to movement if sitting practice becomes too difficult
- Read more about the link between mindfulness and health
- Include informal practices during work
- The positive reasons I practice- I care for myself. I am more available to my family. I feel more alive
- Find reading material, such as magazines, websites, or books about mindfulness
- Be curious; If your practice is guided by listening to a recording, then practice for 1 week with no recording
- Be curious; If your practice is unguided, explore listening to a recorded mindfulness practice for 1 week
- Be curious; Try going on a one day silent retreat
- Spend an extra moment listening to someone before replying
- Sample a variety of practices if I get bored
- Add any additional strategies to this list.
- This response will be reviewed and graded after submission.
The Participants Reflect on the Program as a Whole
Let’s join the group as they share their experience of the Mindful Mood Balance for Moms program and what they would like to carry forward. As you watch each clip, take a moment to reflect on what you hear. What did watching the experience of group members help you learn about your own experience?
Click on the questions to hear from each group member.
Finding a way to maintain practice in the absence of weekly classes can be a challenge. Look above at the strategies you chose to help you overcome the obstacles that might get in the way of practicing mindfulness. You may wish to write these down to reference later.
In our experience, keeping up your mindfulness practice is an important part of continuing to benefit from what you have learned, long after the classes have ended.
Other Strategies You Might Find Helpful
Remind yourself of one positive reason for practicing mindfulness the next time you practice.
Explore different contexts for practicing mindfulness. Be curious, try going on a one day silent retreat, attend a movement-based mindfulness class, or ask a friend, co-worker, or family member to join you for a practice.
Rely on additional resources to support your learning in this program. For example, many people have found these books to be of benefit: The Mindful Way Through Depression, and The Mindful Way Workbook.
Specifically chapter 11 in The Mindful Way Through Depression, and chapter 12 in The Mindful Way Workbook focus on how to continue your daily mindfulness practice after completing this course.