Mindful April 2019

Editor-in-Chief barry@mindful.org Our must-read story this issue: In “Wake Up to the Wild,” on page 40, renowned mindfulness teacher and wilderness expert Mark Coleman reveals why our relationship with nature is more important than ever in the age of climate change. An older man and woman carrying packages and two small children make their way onto a subway car—by all appearances grandparents with their grandchildren, who also are carrying bags. No one gets up to offer a seat, not even the young athletic man wearing earbuds. The elevator door opens and you’re about to get out, but several people, eager to enter, are blocking your exit. You have to jostle through. On the way into a mindfulness event, I encounter a man who nearly knocks me over as he leaves…

What do you find effective for coping with stress? “Eliminating electronics that are connected to work.” “Recognizing that I am stressed in the first place, which allows me to do what I need to do to help me cope.” “Attending support groups, journaling, and using my creativity.” “Sitting on the beach and reading.” “Mindfully working in my vegetable garden.” “Playing music, walking in the bush and near the sea.” “Deep breathing and figuring out what emotion I am really feeling.” Do you sweat the small stuff? 56% Not often 34% Yes 10% What's small stuff? What time of day do you ruminate the most? 30% In the middle of the night 36% Evening 20% Morning 14% Afternoon How do you experience stress? 33% Changes in eating habits or cravings 23%…

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Mindful lawyers and lawmakers A professional association for lawyers in the UK announced in November that it will “offer facilities” for members to practice mindfulness, following a trend in legal circles throughout the UK and abroad. British Parliament has offered mindfulness training for members since 2014, as does Swedish Parliament. The American Bar Association advocates for the practice, even publishing a book about it in 2016. Sipping on mindfulness What would you do for a cup of tea? San Francisco’s Samovar Teahouse offers “mindfulness tea” at no charge, if you agree to drink it mindfully. That means no using your phone and no chatting, and simply sipping for 60 whole minutes. Owner Jesse Jacobs, a longtime meditator, says he sees it sparking curiosity around mindfulness, though not all customers are…

Uber driver Kasim Eldilemi spotted an injured hawk while driving along the multilane FDR Drive in New York City. So he threw on his emergency blinkers, pulled over, took the bird to his car, and drove his passenger to Brooklyn with the hawk under his arm. He then found police, who brought the bird to a rehabilitation center. Poker champion Scott Wellenbach has been donating his winnings to charity since 2010. A regular meditator now in his sixties, Wellenbach recently won his biggest jackpot to date—$671,240—and will give it all to charities including Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders. 21-year-old medical student Hamzah Selim was at a London Tube station heading home from an anatomy lecture when he heard a woman scream. He rushed over to find her in labor, and…

UK ADDS MENTAL HEALTH MINISTER On World Mental Health Day in October 2018, the UK government appointed health minister Jackie Doyle-Price to the role of Minister for Mental Health, Inequalities and Suicide Prevention. With 1 in 8 children and youth in the UK experiencing mental health issues, Doyle-Price will oversee the training of “mental health support teams” to work with young people in schools. The government will also partially fund the Samaritans’ free crisis hotline over the next four years. COWS CAN HAVE RESILIENCE, TOO People handle stress in different ways—and so do cows, according to a recent study. PhD students in an animal welfare program at the University of British Columbia found calves’ ability to cope with typical stressors in dairy-cow life can vary significantly. Some calves showed signs…