Chris Barker Mindfulness, Frome (2026)

Mindfulness is an experience, rather than a concept, so there is no point in me giving you an academic definition. I describe it like finding the eye of the storm, when everything around you is swirling intensely, but you have a space where it is calm. You know that sooner or later, you will be re-immersed in the wind and rain that can be life sometimes, but for this moment you can stand back and

observe it. This allows you a breathing space to make skillful choices of what to do next as you have a clearer perspective of what is happening around you. To remain with the weather analogy, when it is sunny and warm, Mindfulness allows us to pause and really soak up the sun’s rays, enjoying the warmth that it brings to us. Too often in life we skim over what is enjoyable, not really bathing ourselves in it, but instead thinking about what we must do next. We can often find that intrusive memories triggered by, say, a song or even a smell mean we re-live the past over and over. Alternatively, sometimes we pre-live the future by endlessly planning or worrying about it; Mindfulness can break this cycle. It allows us to be more present in the here and now, a powerful antidote to constant ‘doing mode’ that we can subconsciously slip into, always on the go, no time to rest, always striving for the next chapter in life.

16/07/2024

A self-critical mind?

• “Wasted day, didn’t get anything done…”
• “Taking forever, still got 101 things to do…”
• “I just want to sit down but I cannot stop…”

The left-pre frontal cortex, the part for the brain responsible for planning, problem solving and judging can keep us locked in this ‘driven-doing’ mode:

• Constantly reminding us of what we’ve still got to do – even in the middle of the night!
• Trying to solve emotions such as anxiety and low mood like an algebra equation – making it worse!
• Judging ourselves against a perfect model – leaving us feeling frustrated and inadequate!

Believe it or not, the left pre-frontal cortex is just doing its job. The same as the heart, the lungs, blood etc. Society places such value and financial reward on us as human-doings, rather than human-beings, no wonder this doing mode of the brain can take over!

An active left pre-frontal cortex is a vital tool, but what would it be like to have a volume control: tune in and listen when needed, turn down the volume when not, a bit like a radio on in the background. Mindfulness is the volume control.

https://www.healthelearning.online/courses/Mindfulness-Bitesize

This link allows you to learn mindfulness@home – pace yourself through an 8-week e-learning course. It covers all the key principles and practices of an 8-week mindfulness course, giving you back the volume control over your mind!

06/02/2023

Paddling or Swimming?

For me as a child it was Polzeath in Cornwall: the opportunity to take off shoes and socks, roll up trousers and splash about in the rock pools or small inland seas we had created with our buckets and spades… paddling at its best!

As time progresses, we are encouraged to go a little bit deeper, but only with the safety of a teacher or lifeguard. At primary school we had an outdoor pool and I remember how cold it was as we splashed and gasped across the 5m or so to the other side. Most of all, I remember the mangle we used to squeeze the water out of our swimming trunks! Many years later, I was a lifeguard and trained swimming teacher myself.

Like paddling and swimming, mindfulness also works on a continuum between having a little bit of fun from time to time, right through to a learnt daily practice with proven health benefits.

If we go paddling, which doesn’t require much preparation or prior learning, we enjoy the moment, have a little fun until something else catches our attention. Walking through the aisles of the local supermarket, I often see ‘Mindful colouring books’, ‘Mindful’ sewing’ and speak to people who use ‘Mindfulness Apps’ on their phones. All of these are great for short, unplanned moments which can bring a momentary escape – just like paddling.

However, if you want to go swimming, to be safe you need to learn how to do it properly. A non-swimmer wouldn’t just wade into the water and set off hoping to emerge the other side! Even those who can swim a bit, would do so with a lifeguard present. Some may choose to do this daily, knowing the health benefits of a regular practice – this is mindfulness. A structured, evidence-based, daily workout for your mental health.

I no longer teach swimming and my lifeguard qualification has lapsed. I do still teach mindfulness and I have kept my qualifications and national registration up to date. So, if you would like to go ‘swimming’ rather than ‘paddling’, if you would like to develop a daily mindfulness practice to benefit your mental health as opposed to paddling around with the alternatives – please let me know.

www.chrisbarkermindfulness.com

20/06/2022

Turn it up to Eleven!

‘Turn it up to eleven’, coined in the 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap, where guitarist Nigel Tufnel shows off an amplifier whose volume k***s are from zero to eleven, instead of the usual zero to ten.

Nature has a wonderful way of turning its volume up to eleven to attract our attention!

Recently I witnessed a stunning sunrise with a wonderful array of rose pink and burnt orange hues which illuminated the scattering of clouds in the sky. Fields were submerged under a cotton wool blanket of fog, pierced only by the treetops and church spires.

Accompanying this was a cacophony of birdsong which brought an energy to the moment. It was difficult, if not impossible, not to become entranced by it! Any thoughts, worries or concerns temporarily lost to a carefree moment in the day.

The great thing about taking a mindful moment is that we don’t always need nature to turn the volume up to 11: we can choose to do this ourselves. We simply need to have an ‘intention’ to bring our ‘attention’ fully into a moment of our choosing.

• Can I savour the aroma, taste and heat of a warming hot drink?
• Walking along a pavement, can I notice all the greenery, the tiny cracks in the tarmac and walls where plants have found a place to root?
• Closing my eyes for 30 seconds, can I become aware of the sounds around me?
• The feel of the fabric of clothing on my skin, how does it change as I move?
• Where in my body do I notice the start of this next in-breath?

Stunning sunrises and other magnificent moments in nature might be few and far between. But knowing we can turn our attentional volume up at any moment of our choosing to give us the same opportunity to pause and connect. Any thoughts, worries or concerns temporarily lost: a carefree moment in the day.

20/12/2021

My Knight in Shining Armour

Freshly ground coffee… mobile phone charged… pickup after school noted… walk the dog… brush my teeth… Simple, yet essential parts of my morning routine, I thank you.

The thanks go to the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) - part of the ‘new brain’ that our human ancestors never had. This executive control centre allows us to see good and bad; to differentiate between better and best; to project the consequences of our actions so they are socially acceptable. And helps us learn from our mistakes. Surely our Knight in Shining Armour… or is it?

According to the Office for National Statistics approximately 1 in 6 people in the UK experienced some form of depression during the summer of 2021. Surprisingly, despite all of its good work, it may be the PNF that is to blame.

As the executive control centre of the brain, it controls what is going on. It takes present information and memories of previous situations to model constantly what our immediate and distant future could look like. For example, if I leave for work now, I should be on time today. It can even navigate unpredictable events like a traffic jam by finding a different route or phoning ahead to say I will be late.

However, the PFC also tries to apply its logic to our emotions: happiness, guilt, shame, anger and fulfilment, for example. Its role is to keep us safe now and in the future. Accordingly, it focuses on the emotions that threaten us, like guilt, shame and anger; these can stick in our attention like Velcro! Joy and fulfilment don’t threaten us, so these easily slip from our attention like Teflon. This leaves us with a negative attentional bias.

In using logic to try to solve the puzzle of the guilt, shame or anger in the same way as trying to navigate a traffic jam, the PFC gets stuck in a loop! Some emotions cannot be fixed, they are simply felt as pleasant, neutral or unpleasant. Trying to fix some emotions is like trying to put back together a broken egg – impossible!

Undeterred the PFC re-runs the memories of guilt, shame and anger, looking for clues about how to solve them. The emotional discomfort returns with each vivid memory. This is rumination. We also project into the future: what circumstances may recreate these troubling emotions? This is anxiety.

These unhelpful thought patterns create unhappiness, low mood and, if sustained, depression. So, is the PFC really the villain of the story? If so, what to do?

Mindfulness develops metacognition. This is the ability to step back and see our thoughts as they arise for what they are. This enables us to see rumination as rumination and anxiety as anxiety. We can then act by breaking the chain of thoughts that would normally come next.

NICE has approved Mindfulness as a treatment on the NHS for low severity depression and recurrent depression which is as effective as prescribed medicines. It is equally helpful for people who do not have a clinical diagnosis, but regularly experience anxiety, rumination or low mood, before it becomes more serious. It could be our Knight in Shining Armour!

Please get in touch if you would like to find out how mindfulness could help you or somebody you know.
[email protected]

13/12/2021

One of my friends has had his Facebook hacked and the hackers have tried to access my page.

If you receive any unusual posts from me or any 'messenger' which I never use, please treat as an attempted fraud.

I will not post anything for the remainder of this week.

Sorry this has happened and I hope it has not affected you.
Chris.

Address

Frome

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+447814419762

Website

https://www.chrisbarkermindfulness.com/

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