What is Mindfulness?
There are several definitions of mindfulness, but they all point to the same fact of living in the present, here and now. Anyone practicing mindfulness observes thoughts and emotions without showing any obvious reaction to them but they let them flit in and out of their minds without being judgmental.
Mindfulness aims to increase the ability of staying calm right through the day, to think cogently and to handle stressful situations appropriately. If you are a fibromyalgia patient with intense pain and fatigue, you can control your flare-ups with just a little mindfulness.
There have been several studies that point to mindfulness lessening fibromyalgia symptoms. In one study, patients were put on a mindfulness program, extending eight weeks, aimed at stress reduction. Each week, the participants spent 2.5 hours performing certain exercises like yoga and formal mindfulness while a control group spent an equal amount of time doing gentle stretches and relaxation exercises.
The results showed that the former group that performed yoga and mindfulness came up with much better results than the second group, proving that mindfulness has a positive impact on fibromyalgia. Patients could cope with the pain of fibromyalgia better, they experienced lesser pain and could handle anxiety and depression better. They also slept much better.
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