Let’s take a closer look at The Strengths Within: Mindfulness and Character Strengths for Living Well with Sight Loss, our weekly mindfulness sessions.
For the past eight weeks Eye Matter has taken part in a weekly mindfulness session led by Laura Brodie (from Adventures in Albinism). The course is built around Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP), a programme that combines mindfulness with the 24 character strengths identified by the VIA Institute on Character, which we all have to different degrees.
Laura explains how we bring present-moment awareness, approached with acceptance and curiosity, together with character strengths such as creativity, perseverance and kindness. We explore what is strong in us and how we can recognise and use those strengths in our everyday interactions with ourselves and others.
Mindfulness practices can help us manage stress by becoming more aware of what we are experiencing and responding with compassion. Developing awareness of our character strengths gives us resources to draw on during difficult times and helps us consider how we might approach a challenge.
One technique we use, Strengths Spotlight, invites us to reflect on a particular strength, such as curiosity, before a stressful situation. This helps us pause and consider which strength might support us and how we could use it.
We begin each session with a body scan, giving participants time to connect with their bodies and notice signals of stress or discomfort. Recognising what is happening in the body can help us understand what we need and what steps we might take to ease stress.
We then take a closer look at a particular character strength and how it may support us in navigating sight loss. A ten-minute guided practice helps us explore what we have learned through experience. Afterwards, we have valuable time for reflection together, with space for participants to share as much or as little as they wish.
After each session, our guide, Laura Brodie, provides a Home Reflection so members can continue exploring throughout the week. These short, manageable exercises help participants bring moments of mindfulness into their daily lives and notice their strengths in action. After all, mindfulness is like exercise: its benefits come from actually practising!
Coming up, we will be exploring self-regulation, forgiveness, hope and appreciation of beauty.
Please email info@eyematter.org.uk if you would like to take part in our next session on Monday.