Episode 11: The Power of Mindfulness with Debby Casher of Mindfulnice

We all feel stressed and anxious from time to time, but what is going on in the brain when these feelings occur? Debby Casher, a mindfulness instructor with a Master's degree in Psychology, teaches a lesson on the brain and how powerful mindfulness can be if we take the time to practice it.

* Please be advised that if you are experiencing clinical levels of anxiety & depression please get professional help. Mindfulness is an incredible tool but should not take the place of professional help.

The Complexity of The Brain 

The more we can understand about our brains the more we can understand how our brain and body work together. This can be to our advantage, because we can start to change our brains and how it responds to stress and anxiety. 

The brain has plasticity and can learn, grow, and change over time. This is great news because we can learn new tools to help us in the area of stress and anxiety! 

Debby went on to explain three main parts of the brain:

The Prefrontal Cortex plays a central role in critical thinking & decision-making.

The Hippocampus plays a major role in learning and memory. This part of the brain allows you to remember the smell of your grandmother's cookies. 

The amygdala is like the alarm center of the brain. When activated it alerts the nervous system and our fear response begins. Cortisol and adrenaline are released and physiological responses happen in our body. 

The False Alarm

One job that our brains have is to protect us, keep us from perceived danger, and help us survive. Sometimes our amygdala can set off a "false alarm" alerting us that we are in danger when we are not in a life-and-death situation. It is so important for us to identify when it’s appropriate for the Amygdala to activate and when it isn’t necessary. 

The Amygdala often sets off a false alarm when we are faced with doing something that takes a lot of courage and can be stressful, such as taking a test or speaking in front of a large group of people.

We can bring mindful awareness to the fact that we have the power to recognize the function of the amygdala and whether or not its reaction is necessary.

Mindfulness Exercises

There are ways to calm the amygdala so that also the other parts of our brain can work to the best of their ability. One of the ways to go about this is practicing mindfulness to change our thought patterns and "rewire" the brain. Mindfulness is like a bicep curl for your brain. It takes time, consistency, and a lot of intentionalities. Over time, we will begin to see an overall change of appearance in our brains, our health, and our attitude. 

Debby's Mindful Minute Activity Cards that she touched on were: Breathe, Awareness, Loving Kindness, and Gratitude

Breathe: Learn to be mindful by feeling your breath. Box Breathing involves exhaling to a count of four, holding your lungs empty for a four-count, inhaling at the same pace, and holding air in your lungs for a count of four before exhaling and beginning the pattern again.

Awareness: Take 5 Excercise can help shift your focus on your surroundings and away from your unhealthy thought patterns.

• Name 5 things you can see

• Name 4 things you can physically feel

• Name 3 things you can hear

• Name 2 things you can smell

• Name 1 thing you can taste

Loving Kindness: Use this metta: "May I be happy, May I be healthy…" 

Gratitude: Name things you are grateful for, this actually releases dopamine!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The brain has plasticity & can learn, grow, & change over time.

• The Amygdala is like the alarm center in our brains. If activated it alerts the nervous system, and our fear response begins. Cortisol and adrenaline are released and there are physiological responses in the body that take place.

• We can learn to identify this experience and when the amygdala is giving us a false alarm with mindful awareness. 

• Mindfulness is like a bicep curl for our brain. It takes intentionality and practice, but if mindfulness is done consistently over time, you will start to see an overall change in your health, attitude, and even your brain will start to change in appearance.

• 4 Mindful Minute Activities Debby explained were: Breathe, Awareness, Loving Kindness, and Gratitude

• Start small. Focus on the breath as much as possible, and focus on acceptance. What we resist will persist. Be consistent and try doing mindfulness activities for a few minutes every day. Together these practices join neuroscience and mindfulness for a mindfully nice life.

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Debby is the owner, educator, and artist of Mindfulnice. 

She has been an artist since childhood with a passion for creative & healing arts. She has a Masters degree in Psychology with a pecialty certification in Mindfulness Education & an Elementary Education Teaching Degree. She is a mom to three amazing kids and is also a yoga, meditation, & mindfulness instructor. 

By combining my love of creating art with my experience, education, and a desire to help others, Debby is able to create products and lessons that inspire mindful living. By learning the tools to practice mindfulness regularly, an abundance of happiness, kindness, good health, & a focused attention to (and gratitude for) the present moment, is a result. The Mindfulnice collection of products can help you achieve this. Most recently, Debby has also become a licensed surface pattern designer. Each of her designs are inspired by mindful living and have a mindfulness lesson behind them. 

Debby feels it is her purpose and her passion to introduce and teach mindfulness to others. Her hope is that her products will inspire you to have a mindfully nice life. 

Follow along on instagram @mindfulnice_com and check out Debby's website and her products at www.mindfulnice.com.