Mindfulness for People Living With aHUS

What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of being constantly aware of your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment. Rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future, mindfulness means embracing what is sensed at the moment.

The Institute for Mindfulness-Based Approaches, which offers a stress-reduction program on intensive mindfulness training, teaches that while you can’t always change your situation, you can choose your response to it. By being in touch with present thoughts, sensations, and emotions, you can gain a different perception of what you’re going through.

Mindfulness isn’t an instant remedy for life’s ills, but it is a tool to help you deal with them more calmly and sensibly.

How can mindfulness help me?
While there are no known studies specifically about mindfulness and aHUS, an investigation involving people with other chronic disorders showed that mindfulness can be beneficial to patients’ mental health and outcomes.

A systematic review of studies that focused on patients with a variety of chronic illnesses also indicated that mindfulness-based stress reduction — a meditation therapy originally designed for stress management — improved patients’ overall state, helping them cope with a broad range of clinical problems.

A more recent study indicated that people who meditated for eight weeks had a marked change in the expression of 172 genes that regulate inflammation, sleeping patterns, and glucose metabolism. Their high blood pressure also dropped.

Examples of structured mindfulness
Examples of structured mindfulness include body scan meditation, breathing meditation, and walking meditation.

Body scan meditation
Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing up. Focus your attention slowly and deliberately on each part of your body, moving from toe to head or head to toe. Become aware of any sensations, emotions, or thoughts associated with each part of your body.

Sitting meditation
Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, and hands in your lap. Breathing through your nose, focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. If physical sensations or thoughts interrupt your meditation, note the experience and then return your focus to your breath.

FUENTE: https://ahusnews.com/2020/07/10/mindfulness-for-people-living-with-ahus/