Page 19 - Buzz Magazine - Issue No 2 Winter 2021 | University of Rochester

“ THERE’S A LIE THAT WE’RE SUPPOSED

TO BE PRODUCTIVE AT ALL TIMES.
YOUR WORTH IS NOT WHAT YOU PRODUCE—

IT IS WHO YOU ARE. “

those that help and benefit others—like HOW ARE MINDFULNESS AND
gratitude and compassion. This line from GRATITUDE CONNECTED?
Mary Oliver’s poem “Sometimes” sums it up Gratitude is a high-impact, prosocial behavior
well: “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. that is huge in therapy and positive psychology
Be astonished. Tell about it.” because it creates a lot of positive emotions.
One really fascinating thing that happens when
HOW CAN MULTI-TASKING we have grateful thoughts is that we use words
CONTRIBUTE TO STRESS? like “we” more often. Gratitude is prosocial in
When we are distracted or multi-tasking, we the sense that you see yourself connected to
aren’t paying attention, and we become more a bigger whole, which can combat things like
reactive and more distressed, because we loneliness and disconnection.
are trying to do more than we are capable of
doing. With multi-tasking comes the message WHAT’S THE SCIENCE BEHIND
of striving—you should do more. The reality is MINDFULNESS AND GRATITUDE?
that we can’t do all the things and we can’t do WHY DO THEY “WORK”?
Mindfulness is considered a mind-body practice
them well, and people often become burned because there are both mental and physical
out. There’s a lie that we’re supposed to be benefits. It’s linked to changes in our brain: it
productive at all times. Your worth is not what increases activity in regions that control stress
you produce—it is who you are.
regulation, and decreases activity in regions
that control our brain’s stress alarm system, like
Ultimately, when we pay attention to our
behaviors, we can ask the big questions: do I the amygdala. Practicing mindfulness improves
need to do all these things at once? Do they our mood, decreases our stress, and can help
align with my values? Is this what I really care us better focus. It’s been shown to reduce
about? The shift that mindfulness allows is the chronic pain, decrease inflammation, and
choice to show up to everything in our life— improve sleep. Practicing gratitude has a similar
whether they are things that we enjoy, or things effect because people find themselves more
that are hard or overwhelming—and be present. connected to other prosocial behaviors like
compassion and empathy.

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