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16 Winter 2016 The Mississippi Lawyer Mindfulness For Attorneys Some people expect that mindfulness is synonymous with relaxation but it is not. It is about staying completely present without judgment even in the midst of an acrimonious verbal exchange dissonant sounds or disturbing body sensations including significant pain. According to the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging the average adult has 70000 thoughts a min- ute so to pay attention to any identified target seems overwhelming. However as someone who has always found experi- ence to be the greatest teacher this is an invitation for you to do just that. Some would take you to breathing a main- stay for mindfulness practices others to sounds an amazing experience body sensations or other foci. The point of focus needs to be on something that we normally find difficult to stay focused on as your mind typi- cally begins to wander or notices other thoughts that come by. Because you have been able to stay with this article to this point I would like to take you mind- fully into the experience. It will involve a gentle shifting of your attention. One of the main aspects of mindful awareness is becoming aware just noticing when your mind wanders simply noticing non- judgmentally and gently bringing your- self back to your chosen focus. If you slow down and perhaps notice the shapes of the letters in the words you are read- ing or even become aware of the spaces between the words and following punc- tuation marks you will more effectively take in the experience of reading. Again simply bringing your mind back gently when you find yourself out in your yard thinking about when you need to weed the garden. Since much of your work and leisure time involves reading combining that with focused meditation and aware- ness will assist with both learning and stress reduction Notice especially in the beginning that your mind will wander 1000 times. Simply notice without judg- ment and redirect your attention back to the shapes of the letters the spaces and your ease of breathing. An easy introduction to mindfulness practices has been developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs called Mindfulness Coach and is a free down- load for Android and iPhones. The basic mindfulness practices are there and they can be read by you or guided by a reader. Be well and take care of the things you value most your clients your staff your profession your family and your- self though regular mindfulness practice may allow you to shift that order without judgment. ______ Greeson J. 2009. Complementary health practice review. About the author Dr. Alexis Polles is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. She is an inten- sively trained DBT therapist and is the Medical Director at Milestones at Onsite Workshops a residential trauma treatment unit. She also serves as the part-time Medical Director for the MS Professionals Health Network.