A Seasonal Attitude Check-Up

By Paul Salmon, Ph.D., M.S.

As the cycle of another year comes to an end, it's a good time to pause and reflect on where we are in terms of health and fitness. I like to do this in terms of the basic attitudes that underlie mindfulness described several years ago by Jon Kabat-Zinn in his book, “Full Catastrophe Living.” As achievement-oriented westerners, many of us are accustomed to living our lives according to values that emphasize competitive achievement, and yet at the same time we know that, when carried to an extreme, this is a nearly inevitable prescription for stress and tension. 

Acceptance : Can you look back on the past year and ahead to the new one with a sense of being comfortable with and in yourself, just as you are? What kinds of experiences have you had during the past year that might contribute to a sense of being able to take things as you find them, rather than our usual pattern of wanting things to somehow be different more, better, etc.

Beginner's Mind : How are you doing as far as bringing a sense of curiosity and first-time excitement to events in your life? Do you feel as though you are just “going through the motions” on a day-to-day basis or have you been able to find in the many habitual patterns of relationships, work and leisure time opportunities to discover something interesting and perhaps novel? In meditation practice, something as simple as the breath can become an object of wonder and discovery.

Letting Go : Have you found yourself becoming too bound up in goals and expectations for yourself or others? Do you feel frustrated at the lack of apparent progress in improving your health, developing a relationship or being promoted at work? If so, maybe it's time to take stock of things and consider “letting go” of ideas, assumptions, behavior patterns that, although appropriate at one point in your life, may not be so useful anymore.

Non-Judging : How often in your day-to-day life do you find yourself making judgments and expressing strong opinions? As a culture, we seem to have become increasingly polarized, holding on to views and beliefs that align us with special interests in politics, religion and even health behavior. We make choices based on what we think is “best” and avoid or reject things we don't like, judgments often based on opinions of other people, rather than our own determination.

Non-Striving : How can you improve your health, or any other aspect of your life for that matter, by not trying? Although this idea is often misunderstood as being satisfied with the status-quo, with stagnation and lack of accomplishment, it is really about something else: knowing and working effectively within your present capabilities, rather than trying to be someone you are not, or pushing to achieve goals that are clearly beyond your present capabilities. It means letting things come to you rather than pursuing accomplishments with a sense of anxiety and fear of failure if things don't go as you have planned.

Patience : Have you been able to allow things to take their natural course without trying too hard to push them along? Have you constantly been on a tight time schedule, feeling as though you're missing out on things and that life is passing you by? Patience is all about establishing a course and then having confidence that you will move in that direction, even though the effects of having done so may not be evident immediately.

Trust : Self-trust and self-knowledge are cornerstones of mindfulness practice. This doesn't mean being smug, or acting like a know-it-all. Rather trust involves being fundamentally comfortable within yourself and confident that, when making decisions or determining a course of action, your own instincts will help you determine and follow an intelligent course of action.

Paul Salmon, Ph.D., M.S., is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Louisville, a member of KHF's Editorial Advisory Board and a health fitness instructor certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. He can be contacted via email at: psalmon@louisville.edu.