Jill Worden will be leading another mindfulness seminar at the Library in January.
Jill Worden believes we would all be less stressed if we just paid attention. The current term for this is being “mindful”, which means being aware of our senses, both physical and emotional and living in the moment.
Jill Worden worked in the field of mental health and wellness for more than 30 years as a member of a local Family Health Team. Much of her practise supported victims of trauma. When she retired there was some reluctance to relinquish the responsibility of supporting some of her clients, but she knew it was time to move on. Eventually she confronted a niggling desire to share the knowledge and experience she had acquired in her practise. Even if her message did not find an audience, offering it would give her some kind of closure. Earlier this year she published a book called Simple Moments: simple practices for greater peace and presence. In it she lays out a path to find calm and reduce stress in everyday life with small, simple steps that anyone can try. She asks, what if brushing your teeth was just that, and not an opportunity to make a grocery list, plan tomorrow’s schedule or rehearse that difficult conversation you have been avoiding? She believes that how we show up in the simple moments of life will change how we show up in life, period.
Jill explains that our minds seek stimulation. If we’re asked to keep still, our mind races to somewhere more interesting or pressing, usually in the past or the future. Going over past conversations, revisiting past events, or rehearsing future ones take us out of the moment. Keeping our mind and body still gives us control over where our mind goes, but it takes practise.
The objective in the practise of mindfulness and meditation is to discipline the mind so it doesn’t go to unhelpful places, listening to chatter and looping thoughts. She com-pares the process to training a new puppy who wanders off: mindfulness practise uses gentle cues to bring the mind back to the moment which is the only place where real action can occur.
Meditation is a step beyond mindfulness, but the very term can be off-putting, conjuring up images that make some people uncomfortable. Jill explains that a person can meditate without assuming a certain position or finding a quiet, secluded spot. It’s not a physical place but a mental one. She compares meditation to prayer. When you meditate, your mind and body focus on the present, which is where life happens. It begins by focusing on your senses to fully experience what is going on around you. Your body reacts physically to each situation. As we become aware that our body is responding with clenched fists or an accelerating heartbeat, we can intervene before emotions create a knee-jerk reaction that is usually not helpful.
Becoming more present helps us become more thoughtful and less-stressed participants in everyday situations as well as dramatic ones. Building our ability to steady ourselves in our routine tasks can help us cope the larger challenges.
Recently Jill has found another way to support people in her community by leading the occasional Mindfulness workshop. In September, she offered one at the Millbrook library which earned rave reviews, and has agreed to provide another one on January 7th. Her book is available on Amazon.