On 16 January and 13 February this year, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the USA conducted two mindfulness meditation retreats under the heading “The Practice of Mindfulness: A Retreat to Promote Self-Care for the Professional Nurse, Educator, and Leader, to Understand the Role of Mindfulness Meditation to Enhance the Delivery of Nursing Care.” Both sessions, which were held at the University Club and included mindful sitting, walking, and movement along with yoga and deep relaxation, were conducted by Pittsburgh-based psychologist Katie Hammond Holtz.
Katie Hammond Holtz conducting mindfulness training for UPMC nurses. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
During the training, Hammond Holtz taught the participants “to keep in touch with the moment” by using their breath to help them focus and improve their concentration. She said that studies have shown that nurses who practice mindfulness deal better with stress, suffer less from exhaustion, have less mental fatigue, and are better able to relax and more satisfied in life, and that there are measured improvements in patient care and satisfaction.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, she gave the participants a small bag containing ten practical things to act as reminders of the mindfulness skills they were learning. These included a tin containing 150 messages with sayings such as “Enjoy a half smile in a meeting” and a plastic bracelet with the slogan “Nurses lead with each mindful breath.”
Katie Hammond Holtz, center, conducting mindfulness training for UPMC nurses. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Hammond Holtz said that if people engage regularly in mindfulness meditation they can develop a continuous awareness of their breath in the present moment, becoming their own “vibrant portable mindfulness sanctuary.” This can help control anxiety and depression. “We come into the world with a breath and leave this world with a breath. But let’s not forget the breaths in-between,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted her as saying. “We’re taking refuge in our in-breath and out-breath because it can change us, if we are fully present in our breath.”
Participant Susan A. Albrecht, associate dean of the School of Nursing, said the training helped her to learn how to pause, focus, and care for herself before trying to care for others. “My stress levels dropped,” she said. “After the first half, I felt like a rag doll” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
Nurse Laura Schubert, left, and nurse Daniel Griffiths, right, doing stretching exercises at mindfulness training for UPMC nurses. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Stress levels in nursing are very high and can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and sleep disorders. Daniel Griffiths, a nurse at UPMC, said that the 12-hour shifts were physically draining, and that one couldn’t afford to make mistakes. “When stress is high, it becomes difficult to make easy choices. After work, if I go to get cereal at the grocery store, it's hard to make a choice,” he explained.
Hammond Holtz advised the nurses to develop their own cues in their daily lives to remind them of mindfulness, such as a ride in an elevator or the first touch of the computer keyboard. “You need to stop and rest and take a Sabbath—20 minutes, an hour or three hours—or practice five minutes of slow-walking in the office,” she said (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). “Being aware of breathing, no matter what we are doing, makes us aware of what's happening inside of us and around us.”
Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism, and has been used in clinical psychology and psychotherapy to combat stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Both UPMC and Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh have used mindfulness training to treat clients suffering from trauma, abuse, and chronic pain, amongst other issues.