Developing a growth mindset
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EmailLearning about mindfulness can help develop a more positive mindset to help reduce stress and anxiety.
Life can be very difficult and particularly turbulent when we are not equipped with mental and social-emotional resilience for coping with the curve balls that are inevitably thrown our way.
Are you having problems with relationships or perhaps you have been feeling more anxious? Experiencing more aches and pains that are not a result of physical activity? Having difficulty sleeping or issues with your weight? All of these symptoms are often related to social-emotional health and can become worse or manifest into a physical illness or disease if not attended to.
Striving to find a balance and maintain social-emotional health is a desirable outcome, but sometimes it’s easier to freeze up and then force our way out of problems instead of working towards finding an actual solution.
This type of thinking is an example of a fixed mindset and it can be hard to break once it sets in. Trying to find an end is almost impossible, but becoming more accepting to life’s challenges can help you become more resilient to them. Developing an accepting attitude is one aspect of mindfulness and a key to developing resilience and coping skills.
The definition of mindfulness is to notice or pay deliberate attention to the present moment with a non-judgmental attitude. In other words, be open and accepting of your inner thoughts and feelings about yourself and what is going on in your environment in a non-judgmental, accepting manner.
Being more accepting and non-judgmental of yourself can be a tough idea to embrace, but being open to learning is important in developing resiliency and a growth mindset. A growth mindset allows you to be open to learning, exploring, developing and changing the way you look at life.
Michigan State University Extension has statewide community-based programming that teaches the basics of mindfulness and other social-emotional health programs.
