Podcast 5: Learn & Grow Part 5 – How Mindfulness Helps You Handle Bad Emotions

Our original interview was released in 2016 and replaced with this update.

If you’re new to #BodyKindness our podcast mini-series, Learn and Grow, was made for you. Bernie Salazar and Rebecca Scritchfield reflect on Bernie’s early days saying “bye-bye” to his relationship with The Biggest Loser and diet culture forever! In Episode 5, you’ll hear us discuss mindfulness and the beautiful and subtle ways in which Bernie has been able to embrace mindfulness and emotion regulation skills in his life.

Listen to Episode 5:

Here’s what we talked about…

• What is mindfulness? It is awareness. It’s about being present in the here and now. Studies have shown we spend only about 5% of our time in the present – our thoughts are always dwelling on the past or zooming off into the future.
• I explained that the core of Body Kindness is about trust and a commitment to self awareness – a mindfulness-based practice. This means feeling all our feelings and making room for them all without judgement. Emotions are good – they give you helpful information.
• Starting a mindfulness practice is simple – you just need to start noticing things in the present moment. Ask yourself one simple question: what the heck is going on? Check out my Grow Better Health Through Mindfulness post for some great and easy-to-do ideas for being more mindful with your health and well-being.
• We revisited the feeling of numbness that Bernie described in our Emotional Eating episode. I suggested this was a natural and perfectly understandable reaction to his post-Biggest Loser quest for diet and fitness perfection. I helped him to see the numbness in a new light as it actually played a helpful role to protect him from overdoing things. And by being able to notice and name that numbness, Bernie is already showing he’s got mindfulness skills!
• I explained how mindfulness is the starting point for long-term behavior change. As you notice things without judgement, you can ask yourself questions like – what am I doing? How do I feel about this? How is this impacting what I care about? It can remind you of the benefits of positive action. Read more about this on my Grow Better Health Through Mindfulness post, but remember for #MindfulMarch just focus on making mindfulness a daily practice And simply noticing your thoughts.
• Mindful.org is one of my favorite resources for mindfulness information and inspiration. Here’s two great article to check out:
  • Getting Started with Mindfulness Meditation
  • Why daily practice matters
• I mentioned a New York Times article about a mindfulness study that was conducted with a group of unemployed people. It found that just three days of mindfulness and meditation practice showed changed brain activity.