Lin, Wen-Hua, Chih-Hsuan Chen, and Bih-Ching Shu. “The Application of Mindfulness in Promoting Happiness and Mental Health.” Hu li za zhi 64.4 (2017): 97–103. Web.

 

This article is supporting mindfulness and meditation as a source of mental piece and it gathers research conducted by various personnel. The points seem to be that mindfulness as whole is a very influential tool in the mental health sector. Drugs were unreliable as they were addictive and the patients couldn’t do without them. Meditation and mindfulness on the other hand provides space and encourages independence and acceptance. The article states, “One potential explanation for the increase in popularity of mindfulness in the last two decades likely stems from its discovered association with mental health outcomes. Already in 2003, Brown and Ryan were reporting that higher levels of trait mindfulness are associated with greater wellbeing (i.e., lower neuroticism, anxiety, depression, and unpleasant affect as well as higher pleasant affect, vitality, life satisfaction, self-esteem, optimism, and self-actualization) Brown and Ryan (2003)  observed that mindfulness more strongly correlates with the absence of unpleasant affect than with the presence of pleasant affect.” This is the overall picture that this article is trying to portray, and it is a summarization of all the major points of declaration.

In my opinion and through my own experience of meditation and mindfulness, I find it to be very interesting and a very open space to express anything at all. This is a marvelous time where one is left to observe oneself and thus free oneself from ones own misconceptions through intellect. As stated in the article, “In other words, mindfulness is a state of mind where one observes and registers one’s internal and external experiences without evaluating, interpreting or judging such experiences (Good et al., 2015).” When we begin to elaborate our thoughts, instead of leaving them as they are, they multiply and intensify which makes the thought worse than the deed and it causes unnecessary torment in ones mind. If thoughts are not judged, they don’t intensify and are bearable. “According to Brown and Ryan (2003),  mindfulness comprises two aspects: attention to and awareness of internal (i.e., thoughts, emotions, physiological reactions) and external events that take place in the here-and-now.” Such statements based and empowered by research could not possibly be false and the very fact that no extra substance, such as medication is required during meditation and mindfulness, one is able to carry it out without any problems.