healing herd

Mindfulness and Self-Awareness: Foundations of Self-Care

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It’s been a tough road since Covid came into our lives. With stress and other factors affecting our well-being, it’s no wonder we’re feeling the strain. Our physical and emotional states are intrinsically linked to the quality of our relationships with ourselves and the world around us. But, thankfully, more and more people are waking up to just how important our mental well-being is and giving it higher priority. There’s a wealth of research out there on how to improve and maintain well-being, and it’s heartening to see so many people taking it more seriously.

We can all understand that maintaining good mental health is closely tied to being mindful and self-aware, so we want to fully grasp the meanings of these concepts and how they are different yet interconnected. We also want to arouse our own curiosity to pause and get a closer look at our inner comings and goings. First, we go with the basics.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness not only makes it possible to survey our internal landscape with compassion and curiosity but can also actively steer us in the right direction for self-care. Bessel van der Kolk

Mindfulness is the state of being completely aware and present in this very moment. This involves being conscious of what you are thinking, feeling (emotionally), your surroundings, and your body sensations; especially, your body sensations.

A key aspect of practicing mindfulness is to notice what you are experiencing and to resist the urge to judge your thoughts as either good or bad. Mindfulness highlights the significance of being present at the moment rather than ruminating on the past or fretting about the future. You are very likely to find it hard to practice mindfulness because of being hard-wired to be connected with stress and anxiety. Emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, and other distractions may prevent you from sitting fully in the present. Trust that these are the exact signs that you are in need of developing skills in being mindful.

It’s common to see mindfulness and self-awareness used side by side and even interchangeably. But mindfulness is not the same as self-awareness.

What is Self-Awareness?

Self-awareness is when you have conscious knowledge and understanding of your own self, including your thoughts, emotions, personality traits, and feelings. It involves recognizing your strengths and weaknesses. Being self-aware allows you to anticipate situations that may cause negative emotions, so you can plan ahead and remain calm. Those who are skilled in self-awareness are able to align their thoughts and behaviors with their personal values.

Mindfulness Vs Self-Awareness

Mindfulness and self-awareness are closely related, but they are not the same.

Mindfulness is based on introspection, i.e. your own thoughts and feelings. With mindfulness, we acknowledge what is going on in our internal world at that very moment. No matter what thoughts, feelings, or sensations come to you, at any given time, you acknowledge their presence and then simply allow them to come and go. Being indifferent to your thoughts, feelings, sensations, or images that arise is the crucial property of mindfulness.

Looking inward while accepting the world around you is the essence of self-awareness. This means taking the time to examine your negative thoughts and emotions, understanding how they affect you, and learning how to keep them in a realistic perspective.

Mindfulness teaches you to take a non-judgmental approach to thoughts, feelings, sensations, and images at that moment. Self-awareness, on the other hand, is a skill that impels you to be objective about yourself, knowing your strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. Your thinking and acting are in line with your personal principles.

Why are These so Important?

Mindfulness and self-awareness are knowing yourself and fully understanding your inner world. This is undoubtedly a good thing. But are these really that central to the self-development of a person? The answer is overwhelmingly YES.

Being immersed in both mindfulness and self-awareness will:

  • Have a positive impact on all aspects of your life, including interpersonal relationships, career, personal growth, etc;
  • Help you regulate your emotions;
  • Helps you in decision-making;
  • Allow you to improve your relationships with family, friends, co-workers, and everyone else in your life;
  • Boost your confidence and help you gain wisdom;
  • Improve your leadership and communication skills;, and
  • Help make you a better listener.

At LEAD with Horses, one of our primary objectives is to assist our clients in developing these skills in the presence of our Healing Herd. We have a multitude of tasks and games designed specifically for this purpose. Being prey animals, horses must be present at the moment while simultaneously being ready to bolt when a predator is sensed to be close by. So, the horses are naturally adept at being fully self-aware and in sync with their surroundings.

It has been observed that horses display remarkable skill in practicing mindfulness, as they have an innate ability to live in the present moment. Their perceptions are attuned to our subtle body language and emotions, which enables them to reflect our feelings. When we are beset by anxiety, stress, or intense emotions, horses tend to mirror these emotions back to us. This objective feedback from horses is a valuable means of gaining insight into our own selves and can help us to develop a deeper understanding of our own emotions and thought processes.

 

Self-Aware is the First Step in Self-Care

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We hear a lot about self-care, especially since the COVID pandemic. When we think about taking care of ourselves, it may conjure up images of wildflowers, the aroma of lavender bath salts, massages, relaxing water sounds, a self-gifted bouquet of flowers, new shoes, or an outfit from a high-end boutique. These things are really enjoyable in the moment.

Acts of self-care are significant deeds we undertake when we prioritize our own well-being, as in adopting a way of life that doesn’t compel us to constantly seek an escape (Brianna Weist). But how does that happen? We must learn that to fully and genuinely take care of ourselves we must first become Self-Aware and fully present with ourselves when we are distressed.

What is self-awareness, and why is it important?

Achieving self-awareness comes from doing the work to gain a deeper understanding of one’s own thoughts, emotions, impulses, and personality traits. This task requires us to dig deep to discover their root causes. In building a solid foundation of self-awareness we get to know ourselves and then learn how to sit and feel safe with some very frightening or toxic emotions from the past rather than hide from them as we have in the past.
By doing so, we then acquire valuable insights into the underlying reasons for our impulses, behavior choices, and thought processes.

Self care means adopting a way of life that doesn’t compel us to constantly seek an escape

The Healing Herd

Horses have been a big part of our lives throughout history, whether they’re running wild or being our loyal companions in different settings. Horses have helped us grow and change as people, and that connection we have with them goes back hundreds of years in time. At LEAD with Horses, we are often asked about how horses have helped us and our clients to learn so much about ourselves. By allowing a horse to be themself and do their thing, with guidance our kids learn much about being congruent.
Being congruent means that the stuff going on inside of us, say, anxiety or fear, matches our outer façade, while being incongruent means that we are masking our genuine emotions like fear and anxiety and trying to come off as cool and collected.

With the help of horses, we can learn to be honest with ourselves and others and strive towards being our most authentic selves. As we journey through life, horses will continue to provide a valuable tool for self-reflection. This is why we say that horses are “our mirrors.” Horses get us at our very core, and if we are not being real, they will let us know what they know.

BIPOC Mental Health Month

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As we turn to the month of July, we focus our awareness on black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) individuals and families and the state of UN-wellbeing that persists due to the systemic factors that obstruct access to mental health services within these communities.  Studies conducted over the past 20 years have concluded that even though we understand more about the challenges these groups face – poverty, trauma, gang lifestyles, and intergenerational trauma – the numbers and outcomes show very little to indicate improvement in wellbeing among BIPOC individuals.

By the Numbers

Here is a striking overview of how specific racial/ethnic groups fared compared to white individuals. This data can provide us a gateway to explore the detailed findings so that solutions can continue to be sought, validated, and implemented.

  • Among adults with any mental illness, Black (39%), Hispanic (36%), and Asian (25%) adults were less likely than White (52%) adults to receive mental health services as of 2021. (KFF, 2023)
  • 2020 data reflect that AIAN (American Indian/Alaska Native) people had the highest rates of drug overdose deaths compared with all other racial and ethnic groups. Drug overdose death rates among Black people exceeded rates for White people as of 2020, reflecting larger increases among Black people in recent years. (KFF, 2023)
  • Black and Latinx youth were 14 percent less likely than white children to receive treatment for their depression in 2020. (SAMHSA, 2020)
  • The suicide death rate for Native/Indigenous people in America between the ages of 15-19 is more than double that of white youth. (CDC, 2023)

In another finding, the prevalence of mental illnesses among BIPOC individuals was similar to the prevalence among white people. However, when it came to accessing mental health services, racial/ethnic minorities were either less able or declined to access the help available due to mistrust and fear of treatment, the stigma surrounding mental health, racism and discrimination, and differences in language.  This suggests that peoples of color carry a greater burden of disability from mental illness, e.g. more likely to suffer from prolonged, chronic, and severely debilitating depression that affects them, as well as family and community members compared with whites because they often received less care and poorer quality care.

Changing the Narrative

Community is vital to well being. Inclusive communities create a sense of support and belonging, psychological as well as physical safety, and strong connection. Historically, BIPOC communities have created culturally responsive spaces, advocated for community resources, and been at the forefront of social change. It is critical to include the people within the community being served when considering behavioral health and education.

LEAD with Horses provides quality, inclusive services, and we are working toward making these services more accessible. This work is not easy, and it starts with creating welcoming, safe spaces for all of those we serve. We have the benefit of a Healing Herd of horses who assist us with building trust to create connection and community, the foundation of inclusion. Youth are invited to create the guidelines for their time at LEAD with Horses and encouraged to share their stories. We will continue to partner with others and examine our offerings, our approach, and our team to remove barriers to care and to continue to nurture all of our youth so that they will thrive.

Surround Yourself in Kindness

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There have been many studies on what causes humans to feel bad and why it is that people go to see mental health professionals. We have a mountain of research about depression, anxiety, trauma, addictions and too many other mental health “disorders” to count. And because of this, we also have hundreds of drug remedies that have been developed, manufactured, and prescribed for what ails us, making it oh so simple to medicate ourselves to mental health. It’s only been in the past 10 years or so, however, that research has focused upon the things that we do for the good of others (which ultimately comes back to ourselves) in our communities and how those acts benefit our sense of well-being. LEAD with Horses understands that medications have their place in the treatment of many Mental Health disorders and takes the position that the decision whether or not to take medications as prescribed is made between you and your doctor.

Having said this, we would like to share a few things that we know about some holistic ways to achieve a greater sense of wholeness and well-being. First up: Kindness. Did you know that simple gestures of kindness, whether random or on purpose, has a positive relationship with overall well-being and better health? Have you ever picked up the tab in a restaurant for a veteran or someone in the military? Have you ever paid someone you did not know a compliment? Hold the door for the person behind you? Volunteer for your favorite charity? How do these acts of kindness affect your sense about yourself as a person?

Research continues to demonstrate that acts of Kindness have been shown to increase self- esteem, empathy, and compassion, and to improve mood. Habitual acts of Kindness can decrease blood pressure and stress hormones, the ones that directly impact stress levels. People who give of themselves in a balanced way also tend to be healthier and live longer. Kindness can increase your sense of connectedness with others, which can directly minimize loneliness, improve mood, and enhance relationships in general. It also can be contagious! Looking for ways to show kindness can give you a focus activity, especially if you tend to be anxious or stressed in some social situations.

Every day as we observe our Healing Herd, we notice the subtle and not so subtle ways the horses show kindness to one another, by instinct, and without an agenda or desire for a return on their good will.

At the LEAD with Horses after school program, the children learn about being kind in their classes and they apply what they have learned outdoors among the horses. This is such a perfect set-up because horses are unique in their ability to hold space in kindness and to reflect their responses. Sometimes they will blow out when kids show their kindness, or they will walk right up to a kid and follow around without being coaxed by a treat. A study conducted in 2010 showed that horses remembered how an individual human behaved towards them based on just one interaction, even as long as eight months later, and behaved better with handlers who used positive handling techniques, such as stroking or speaking in a soft voice.

We invite you to pay us a visit to see our set-up and meet our Healing Herd and learn how you and your family can benefit from learning through horses.

For more information about kindness and mental health, a few links to help.

How Horses Show Kindness
https://www.thebrooke.org/about-us/horses-and-affection

Across the Pond
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/kindness#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20we%20found%20that,impact%20on%20their%20mental%20health

From the American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/news/apa/kindness-mental-health

From the Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-art-of-kindness