The Latest in Military Strategy: Mindfulness

I am excited to see that more and more people are discovering the benefits of using Mindfulness to help them perform at their best rather than just deal with a mental health issue.

The military is a great example. Up until recently, Mindfulness practices have been primarily used to help service members with PTSD. In fact, a friend of mine works with soldiers out in Boston specifically for this.

As the research has shown more and more though, Mindfulness is not just for people who "have something wrong with them." It is a practice we can all use to help us perform at our best at whatever it is we do. Elite performers in all fields, such as the Special Forces are finding tremendous benefits to the practice. As the article linked below states, "The findings, which build on previous research showing improvements among soldiers and professional football players trained in mindfulness, are significant in part because members of the special forces are already selected for their ability to focus. The fact that even they saw improvement speaks to the power of the training."

What were some of the benefits - "The troops who went through a month-long training regimen that included daily practice in mindful breathing and focus techniques were better able to discern key information under chaotic circumstances and experienced increases in working memory function. The soldiers also reported making fewer cognitive errors than service members who did not use mindfulness."

For more information on this check out the article below and remember that a consistent Mindfulness practice has a multitude of benefits for health (both physical & mental), well-being and performance.

​The Latest in Military Strategy: Mindfulness