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The power of being able to let go of an intrusive thought. It is never easy but sometimes it feels as graceful as holding your hand out and letting the wind sweep a leaf off your hand not having to worry about where it might be going.

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The truth that no thought or feeling is forever—the power of watching them come and go like clouds in the sky.

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To be more comfortable with uncertainty and to acknowledge my thoughts and feelings instead of needing to be in control.

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Ways to manage my stress and anxiety.

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That I am very critical of myself and need to be more compassionate.

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How harmful and mean I can be to myself.  To notice things, rather than judge them.

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To recognize my body sensations and realize when I am starting to lose patience before I verbally express it.

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To explore where in my body I feel and hold the tension that comes with an impatient temperament.

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That I can focus and be present during my practices when I am going through some difficult emotions. That it is okay to simply accept and recognize that I’m having a difficult time, not resist it and just go through it.

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That that it okay to not feel okay.

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To appreciate the silence.

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That I have the ability to self-soothe within me.

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How to access myself for comfort and peace rather than looking for an outside source.

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That there are some practices that are particularly triggers and there may be some unresolved conflict and trauma I need to work through.

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That I possess a lot more strength and determination than I thought before.

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That when I am practicing mindfulness meditations consistently, I feel more love and compassion for myself, which is the core of what creates joy in my life.

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That you have to take time out of your day to give yourself the self-care that you need. In order to help others we have to help ourselves first.

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This class provided me with such impactful insights about myself.

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This class has changed my life in ways I never imagined, it is hard to put into words that can sincerely amplify the transformation I have seen in myself.

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Already having a very active mindfulness practice, I was curious what this class would hold for me.  Turns out, far more than I could have anticipated.

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My intention is to accept my past while not allowing it to dictate my future because I am capable of growth, we are all capable of growth.

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I have found myself to be more connected, less reactive, happier, and relaxed. Mindfulness has helped all aspects of my life.

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I am able to allow myself to feel my emotions more.

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I am able to calm myself out of panic states and reset myself into a place where I can more skillfully assess the issues in front of me.

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I feel a lot of empathy for myself and a desire to be kinder and less judgmental.

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More grateful for my food, enjoying my food more, and eating in a calmer peaceful state instead of feeling rushed to finish.

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I am now able to meditate when I can’t sleep and it will often put me to sleep. If it does not, I am at least in a more calm state than I was before meditation.

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Not only did it help me to feel like my stress was more manageable, but it allowed me the opportunity to truly reflect and feel grateful for the things that I have.

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Probably the gift of time - how valuable it is to develop a practice and hold yourself accountable

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This practice has directly helped me to take things one thing at a time, to truly try to remain in the moment of the task at hand and not think about the other tasks I must do.

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I gained confidence in my ability to cope with unwanted emotions and I found my patience with myself and others growing.

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I can now experience pain without letting the pain take control of my mind and practice with letting be.

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I have slowly become better at noticing when the tension appears, acknowledging the tension, and then letting it go.

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Practicing without striving and without expectations helped me develop a sense of equanimity.

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Having that amazing amount of strength to be able look at those old scars a little and use those scars as a way to embrace where I came from and help me practice.

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Anxiety took over for the longest time but I finally took over the wheel and gained control with the techniques, skills and practices I have gained.

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I gained insight on how often I develop negative thought patterns about myself which consequently cause negative emotions. Although I have been able to reframe those negative thoughts, I got motivated to seek counseling when realizing how past trauma experiences have impacted the interpretations I have about myself and my surroundings. Practicing mindfulness helped me identify the problem and encouraged me to find mental health assistance.

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I feel much more in control of my emotional self, and more aware of it. I’ve started enjoying the process of curiously noticing where sadness originates in my body, the temperature that anxiety feels like, etc. Being curious about the manifestation also helps me to see the emotion as outside of myself.

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Some indirect benefit is letting go of the past, I did not know this class would be so helpful to provide relief on something so powerful in my life.

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It gave me confidence in my ability to follow through and to show up for myself on a regular basis, even when it’s difficult.

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I’m much more able to identify a strong feeling, acknowledge that feeling and give it space to exist without indulging in it.

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Mindful listening is something I’ve been able to integrate in my daily life. In a world where we are always trying to multitask, it has been really helpful to focus on this and really listen.

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A reduction in stress and anxiety, awareness of my reactions and presence, and overall better sleep.

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I’m starting to see mindfulness as resiliency training, and I do think it has a significant impact on my life.

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I have made my mental health a priority and mindfulness practice has become a direct source for my self care. I believe I deserve self compassion. I deserve to be good to myself.

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Since letting myself actually feel my pain, it has stopped bothering me as much and seems to be easing.

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I have already noticed a difference in how I feel about myself and others who have hurt me and I feel much more at peace.

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The most meaningful thing I have gained is the value I put on rest and the boundaries I set around rest.

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Meditation is a nice way to build connections with my kids. It’s an activity we do together at night that is part of their going to bed routine and it is teaching them calming and introspection at the same time.

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I have more patience for my child, and more patience for the other individuals in my life.

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I have also shared this practice with my family, and we have created a mason jar and decided to write down every day what we are grateful for that day and time.

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It has helped me to trust my partner’s support more, and to ask for time when I need it.

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I got some of my family members involved when we would do yoga on the weekend and that was always really fun.

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Seeing my mom tell me how she has felt mindfulness has impacted how she manages her stress made me extremely happy as she continues to practice yoga and body scans.

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I also plan to use mindfulness practices with my children to help me understand their emotions.

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I have been very successful with incorporating and making mindfulness a priority in my life now and not only my life but my partners as well and my family!

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While he evidenced my progress and personal growth, he has also become motivated to practice mindfulness exercises himself and we often encourage each other to practice together; meaning that it is an activity that we both practice together which has strengthen our connection and communication skills.

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Many times I was not alone and either joined by my family, husband, or both.

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I can also see the difference, specifically in my partner's response/reaction, when I am listening mindfully.

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I feel that I am learning to be more patient with my husband and how he may be feeling when we have a disagreement.

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A direct benefit is me being able to pass along the knowledge and practices to my family members. We pray in our family and this is a practice of ours that we find the most comfort in.

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It is possible to be more present with my family even when my life is filled with chaos.

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My favorite part was learning how to be more at peace with myself and others, which in turn has made me a better mother and wife and more mindful of my interactions. I think this class has made me a better listener and better able to forgive and love others and myself.

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I am more attuned to the clients at work, a better mom, daughter, friend and partner because of mindfulness.

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I have realized how my mindful listening and mindful speaking allows me to build rapport as it allows me to integrate a compassionate, empathetic, trauma-informed, and diverse approach with each of my clients. My self-reflection skills were significantly expanded when utilizing mindfulness.

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This class should be a mandate for all helping professions, as we must prioritize our own mental health and well-being to be present and regulated for others.

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I do look forward to continuing to use these practices throughout my work week to feel grounded into the present. Working in the mental health field can be very draining, which can reflect how you communicate with clients. I plan to continue to take breaks in between clients to take some deep breaths and identify some emotions and how they feel within my body.

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I came to social work because of my meditation practice and my desire to share this life-changing practice with others. The readings and discussions in this class have sparked ideas on inclusivity and safe enough practice spaces and ways to learn/teach.

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I have figured out that mindfulness does a good job at helping me calm down from anxiety so if I’m in a stressful situation at work I will try to find a moment in an office, car, or bathroom to use the mindfulness skills that I have learned.

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No matter where I work I will be able to use my mindfulness practice to help co-workers and clients become more aware of their own state of being and use mindfulness to center and calm themselves.

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I really value the trauma-informed mindfulness practices that we learned about in this class, and I know how important that is when thinking about using mindfulness-based practices in therapy. I would love to continue my mindfulness education and plan to use it with my clients in the future. It is such a wonderful way to combat stress and learn how to deal with it in a more healthy way.

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I hope to work with adolescents/ young adults and I think a lot of the practices we went over could help youths that are going through a hard time, and I think it they learn these things when they are young it can aid them in having a healthier future.

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When I feel myself tensing up at the idea of conversing with a client, I can ask myself where am I feeling the tension? Is it in my chest where I hold anxiety? In my gut where I feel uneasiness? In my knees where I feel insecure? In my hands where I feel nervous? This will allow me to notice where I am at without drawing attention to how uncomfortable I am in the situation, thus allowing a better chance at building a rapport with the client.

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These practices have helped me be patient with my clients when they may be having a melt down or not having a great day. Before I would have probably been upset with my client, but I’m glad this course has helped me not be this way.

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Mindfulness breathing is something I am going to need to incorporate for myself and my clients. Just the other day, my client became a lot for me and I needed a minute to regroup and gather myself. Mindfulness breathing helped with this process and fresh air. Once I came back I was able to be professional again.

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I plan on working with children and adolescents. I think yoga, mindfulness breathing, the gratitude log, and the S.T.O.P. practice could all be mindfulness techniques that I can utilize when working with this population.

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I have done a few activities with one of my clients who struggles with anger as a ways to be more aware of their emotions, and I have seen some progress with her. She hasn’t had any incidents of physical or verbal outbursts in over 6 weeks as reported by her and her guardian. So just some simple tools of awareness, breathing, and coping strategies have benefited her, and we have also been discussing positive self-talk and journaling lately. I think for some clients this route may be beneficial and I see it as being a useful strategy. I also think mindfulness helps me be better for my clients as my listening skills have improved, and I think this practice can help even out of direct practice and just help a person to have better work relationships.

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I really enjoyed delving into the ways that you can work with trauma. In the future, I intend to use this for my social work practice and also for myself.

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Being able to manage my anxiety and stress at work has helped me communicate better to clients and coworkers. Being patient with myself at work has been great for my work ethic and how I take care of my paperwork.