A growing mental health crisis is the “second wave” of health problems that experts anticipate because of Stress prolonged generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Following a follow-up survey conducted by the KFF (a U.S. nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California) in July, 53% of American adults report that their mental health has been negatively affected by concern and stress about the pandemic. In March, this situation affected one in three.
As a result, organizations and communities are looking practical tools to strengthen mental health. In an article published in the specialized journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison presented a new framework for emotional well-being which focuses on specific skills that can be learned.
The framework is based on scientific evidence which suggests that well-being can be cultivated through practice in daily life.
“It really is the ‘how’ of well-being“says Christy Wilson-Mendenhall, a scientist at Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison and co-author of the article.
“Traditionally, research in psychology has focused on the treatment of mental illness. We hope to broaden the discussion to promote the cult of well-being at any stage, even when it is relatively healthy. These skills help us to be more resilient at times like the ones we are living in now, ”he added.
Four pillars
The framework focuses on four pillars studied in the laboratory and which has been shown to be best with training:
1. awareness or attention to the environment and internal signals such as bodily sensations, thoughts, and feelings;
2. connection or appreciation, kindness and compassion;
3. insight, which refers to fostering curiosity and the self-knowledge;
4. y purpose, understanding their values and motivations.
For example, consciousness, and in particular metaconsciousness (be aware that you are aware), seems to decrease stress, increase positive emotions and can strengthen through mental training practices such as meditation.
Consciousness helps to curb some of the harmful effects of distraction, which is shown to impair cognitive function and increase the body’s stress-related responses, which in turn are linked to inflammation and aging.
Meditation has positive effects on health. Photo Shutterstock.
Have a purpose
The purpose in life is one personally meaningful goal that people can apply to daily life. Having a purpose is also associated with positive physical and biological health outcomes.
“There are qualities of a healthy mind that a lot of people don’t even know that they can be trained“, points out Cortland Dahl, scientific researcher at the KFF center and lead author of the article.
“We don’t think of them as skills. Many of us think we are programmed to be like this or that, but the reality is that their qualities are very more trainable and malleable than we think. It is a very empowering vision of the human mind: we can learn to be in it driver’s seat of our own minds, “he said.
Resilience, the key
The new framework provides evidence that people can withstand the ups and downs of life with endurance, and that the brain and body they can change and adapt. Instead of replacing other views of well-being, researchers say the framework complements other models by focusing specifically on scientific evidence for the dimensions of well-being that can be trained and learned for people to thrive.
Researchers say one of their goals is to make science as accessible as possible and encourages their colleagues to incorporate this knowledge in therapies, meditation programs, and other mental health treatments.
“This work is parallel to what we are learning about human biology. We are beginning to understand that our biology is also malleable“said Dahl, who is also the contemplative director of Healthy Minds Innovations, the external non – profit organization affiliated with the Center for Healthy Minds, which translates science into tools for cultivating and meditating on well-being. “We are not born in a fixed way. Our brains, nervous systems and biology can be shaped. It’s a very hopeful vision: there are many ways we can influence our minds and bodies to improve“.
Wilson-Mendenhall and Dahl point out that there is important work to be done to understand how the framework could be applied in all cultures and study it in various groups of people. Since the ideas in the framework have a deep history in contemplative contexts that predate the ability of Western science to study them, it is fair to assume their importance, but the way they are packaged and presented in mental health interventions in the future may vary between cultures and contexts and requires an additional approach.
We can influence our mind and body to improve, researchers say. Photo Shutterstock.
As a sport
Meditation and other wellness interventions are “similar to sports,” compares the study’s co-author and director of the Center for Healthy Minds Richard Davidson. “It describes a wide range of activities,” he says. “Different types of meditation do different things for your brain, just like different sports trigger different changes in your body. You can train in different pillars that go beyond mindfulness or even gratitude practices. ”
For example, the pillar of perception, Davidson explains, “is simply about feeling curiosity for your own thoughts and preconceived notions. Your brain is not set up. Your assumptions and prejudices can be questioned, and that has one tremendous potential to heal the division we see in today’s society ”.
Future research will explore how the framework can help people develop resilience and how it could be used to treat mental health disorders such as depression.