Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Helping and mental health professionals often feel that self-care, such as mindfulness, is self-indulgent, and since they provide care, they do not require the same help. Additionally, busy schedules and time constraints reduce the ability to practice self-care.

However, utilizing and viewing environmental resources, such as workspaces, as an innovative self-care option can open the doorway to relief.

Mindfulness requires paying attention to the present without attempting to change anything. The term “mindfulness” directly translates to “awareness” in Indian Pali, where becoming cognizant and remembering what is occurring in the present moment is core.

Noticing details, such as seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, sensing, and tasting calmly and non-judgmentally, changes the need to respond or react emotionally. Essentially, mindfulness must have “equanimity,” where being non-reactive and serene, regardless of the experience, is needed.

Equanimity is a balanced and objective mental state that does not express elation or depression. Enabling a detached attitude is needed. However, equanimity does not equate to dissociation. Dissociation in itself is a reaction.

When practicing self-care methods such as mindfulness, we initiate the procedure with sensory perception. A stimuli response triggers perception, where we experience the stimuli through seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. These senses originate from outside environmental factors, whereas bodily sensations, images, sounds, thoughts, or noises from memory originate from internal experiences.

Evaluation is the next step, where the stimulus is perceived to make sense or process the information gained.

Once evaluation emerges, co-emergent interoception occurs. Here, interoception permits feeling bodily sensations, where the central role of processing emotions is recognized.

Here, a reaction occurs, whether it is automatic or conscious, an appraisal of the stimulus produces a bodily experience, enticing a response. 

Training and practicing equanimity reduces the function of interoceptive intensity. For example, a stronger physical sensation will activate a stronger reaction. 

When we embrace equanimity, we can embrace balance and the present moment.

• Barton, H. (2019). An exploration of the experiences that counsellors have of taking care of their own mental, emotional and spiritual well‐being. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 20(3), 516–524. doi:10.1002/capr.12280 
• Cayoun, B. A., Francis, S. E., & Shires, A. G. (2019). The Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behavior therapy: A step-by-step guide for Therapists. Wiley-Blackwell. 
• Craig, A. D. (2002). How do you feel? interoception: The sense of the physiological condition of the body. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3(8), 655–666. doi:10.1038/nrn894 
• Crego, A., Yela, J. R., Riesco-Matías, P., Gómez-Martínez, M.-Á., & Vicente-Arruebarrena, A. (2022). The benefits of self-compassion in mental health professionals: A systematic review of Empirical Research. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Volume 15, 2599–2620. doi:10.2147/prbm.s359382 
• Menon, V., & Uddin, L. Q. (2010). Saliency, switching, attention and control: A network model of Insula function. Brain Structure and Function, 214(5–6), 655–667. doi: 10.1007/s00429-010-0262-0 
• Rudaz, M., Twohig, M. P., Ong, C. W., & Levin, M. E. (2017). Mindfulness and acceptance-based trainings for fostering self-care and reducing stress in Mental Health Professionals: A Systematic Review. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 6(4), 380–390. doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2017.10.001