If you’d said to me back in 1989 that one day, as a police officer I`d be enrolled on a mindfulness course as part of my wellbeing coaching role I`d have said you were bonkers!
Just typing the words, I`m imagining what my colleagues would have said if I`d waltzed into the refs room (refreshments room) and started extolling the virtues of being `mindful`, living in the moment and breathing exercises! The culture at the time certainly wasn’t ready for that and I would most definitely have received some very direct and to the point comments and not very complimentary ones at that!
Things were quite different in 2011. A forward-thinking Assistant Chief Constable was leading a revolution in officer wellbeing. A strategic wellbeing board had been set up and I was on it. Greater Manchester Police were a force open to new ideas and willing to try techniques never used before in the police.
Despite all this positivity about wellbeing and the fact that officer wellbeing was part of my DNA, I lived and breathed it, I must admit I was very sceptical as I entered the classroom on day one of my eight-week mindfulness course. This was for the flower power brigade and people who did yoga. Not for me, a street warrior working the mean streets of Manchester!
I was open minded though and willing to give it a go. My first few lessons didn`t go entirely to plan. An early demonstration of breathing techniques saw the whole class lying on yoga mats, fixed on the hypnotic tones of the teacher as she took us through the exercise. It wasn’t long before the sound of people breathing, with the occasional fidget, took second place to the noise of quiet snoring as more than a few nodded off on the mats. We were assured that it was normal for beginners learning mindfulness to `drop off` like this although, those who did, were gently, but firmly, encouraged not to fall asleep again in her class! I know I shouldn’t have, but I found it funny. I kept my mirth to myself. The instructor, a softly spoken lady from Scotland was so chilled out even a group of hardened street cops weren’t enough to phase her. Maybe if she can stay calm and put up with us lot, there’s something in this mindfulness!
The course was excellent. We all got our certificates of completion and a book to start our further education into the world of mindfulness. I started to make it part of my daily practice and learned more. I learned that mindfulness is an ancient art form, grounded in the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism and had been around for thousands of years `must be something good about it if it’s been going that long` I thought. I learned how some of the world’s leading doctors were using it to treat patients for a whole range of ailments including pain control rather than just dishing out tablets.
I learned how women used it during childbirth. I learned how the top surgeons used it during surgery to stay calm, rational, and focused. I learned how military special forces soldiers used it for loads of reasons, snipers to fire their weapons accurately, mental conditioning in battle to keep going and mind calming measures to help soldiers respond well, rather than react badly when faced with extreme stress. I learned how the Royal Navy’s top test pilots use it whilst flying the new generation Lightning fighter aircraft. That’s enough. I`m convinced. How can I make it work for me?
Mindfulness is about being calm and keeping your thoughts fully `present` in that exact moment in time. How many times have you set off from the house and had to turn back and check whether you locked the door or drove to work and can’t remember driving there? It’s because your mind wanders, sometimes that`s healthy, sometimes it’s not. A mind that ` wanders` will steal your enjoyment of the present moment. The past has gone, don’t worry about it. The future isn’t here yet, don’t worry about it. Being fully `present` in the moment has numerous benefits. It concentrates your mind. You’re able to fully appreciate what`s right in front of you. You live your best life. It prevents overthinking and catastrophising, worrying about loads of different things at the same time. This can feel like a tsunami at times, wave after wave hitting you one after the other until you become overwhelmed and drown. During times of increased stress, these waves can feel even bigger and stronger. It doesn’t take much of this to overwhelm you. Can there be way out of the water? Mindfulness will help you swim.
Start by focusing on your breathing. A ready internal resource available immediately to come to your aid. Slowing your breathing, your physiology, will slow your mind and help you to respond well, rather than react badly. I repeat, because this is a crucial, critical message and a key element taught throughout all Safe and Sound programmes. Slowing your breathing, your physiology, will slow your mind and help you to respond well, rather than react badly.
Whilst focusing on your breathing, you direct your thoughts to the present. Concentrate fully. Be aware of your mind drifting, this is natural. Gently bring your mind back fully to the present moment, focusing internally on your breathing, slowing it down. This is a key skill to practice and once you’ve nailed this it will form one of the strongest spokes in your wheel.
A couple of examples demonstrate the benefits. I entered the police station at six in the morning at the start of a beautiful summer’s day. We were on earlies, a start at 7 am so we get in early to take a handover from the night team. As I was driving into work, I was mindful (there it is) of a stunning sunrise. A beautiful orange dawn as the sun came up casting a fantastic array of colours across the sky as far as the eye could see. I took it in, fully. A beautiful, short lived, mindful start to my day which gave me an immediate lift and a great start to my day. I walk to my desk and speak to my sergeants, asking if they’d seen the stunning welcome for us provided by nature as they travelled in? Not one had noticed it. Every one of them engrossed, in their minds, about the workload waiting for them. What they didn’t get done yesterday, what will be waiting for them once they get in and what their plans for the day would be. They missed the opportunity.
Adopting these principles provides huge operational benefits too. Emergency call received to a violent disturbance inside an address five miles from the officer’s current location. It`s rush hour in Manchester on a Friday afternoon. The roads are busy with tired commuters rushing to get home to start their weekend. Many are Irritable, they’ve had a tough week, the traffic is making slow progress. Now they hear blue lights and sirens behind them. What will they do to get out of the way? An emergency drive with blue lights and sirens on is stressful at the best of times, for five miles during rush hour, the risk of accident, injury or death is high. As a police driver, you are trained to an exceptionally high standard, and are expected to drive to an exceptionally high standard.
Purposefully slowing your breathing whilst you drive, controls your heart rate and adrenalin, allows you to focus on the drive, your training, and the immediate dangers around you and in front of you. You are in control and able to respond well, rather than react badly to whatever happens in front of you. Think cyclist turning across your path or pedestrian with a pram crossing in front of you from between parked cars (yes it happens!) You have two choices. You arrive at your destination (the incident) stressed, flustered and in thought chaos or you arrive cool calm and collected having had a professional, fast, safe drive and ready to deal with the incident. You stop your engine, two further deep breaths as you set your handbrake and remove your keys. Calm and ready to deal well rather than react badly to whatever is waiting for you behind the front door……….
If mindful practice isn`t part of your life yet, do think it could be from now on?
Have a great day my friends, keep well, and keep smiling! :)
Comments