Evaluation & Reflection on Mindfulness Lifeskills - Essay Example

B-3). I do not want to be the most informed, but the least reflective. As Confucius said: “If you reflect within yourself and find nothing to be ashamed of, how could you have anxiety or fear” (Ascension Gateway 2012). I realize that I have to seriously perform these exercises on mindfulness, not just for the sake of passing the course, but to the point of having this set of skills be an integral part of my life so as to equip me in my future profession. Although I have some ideas on different kinds of minds and concept of mindfulness beforehand, it is only through this course, with all its lectures and workshop activities that I have come to truly appreciate such concepts.

Of the three states of mind: emotional mind, reasonable mind and wise mind, a paramedic should be trained to use the wise mind, which is the interception between emotion and reasonable mind. It is said to be part reason and part emotion and, often it is through intuition that we know we are in this wise mind. Wise mind is a balanced place of creativity, inspiration, intuition, and letting go (Dietz, L. 2012). In general, our duties as a paramedic include evaluation of quality and quantity of aid required in response to emergency medical requests.

Having the ability to diagnose moderately complex to complex medical conditions and administer appropriate emergency treatment is among our distinguishing attributes. We are also expected to possess sound judgment which is a prime factor in the exercise of our profession. Hence, among the long list of required knowledge, skills, abilities and attributes, let me underline the following abilities which are closely related to the use of mindfulness (Westchester County 2012): ability to perform calmly and efficiently in crisis situations; ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions; ability to maintain records and prepare reports; good reasoning and judgment; tact; courtesy; strength, stamina and endurance to perform rescues.

In the practice of mindfulness, it is important to integrate the set of “what” skills (observing, describing, participating and possessing the non-judgmental stance) and the “how” skills (being one-mindfully, distress-tolerant, regulating emotion) to achieve interpersonal effectiveness (Dietz, L. 2012). Attending to medical requests, usually in times of crises, requires me to communicate well, not only with the patient and his/her family and friends, but also with the other rescue groups (police and security officers, fire fighters, volunteers, other medical practitioners).

Being able to communicate well involves listening. Covey (2004, p. 192) shares the five levels of listening, shown in a continuum: ignoring, pretend listening, selective listening, attentive listening and emphatic listening. The highest level- emphatic listening- is done within the frame of reference of the other person. This is the kind of listening which a paramedic should adopt, especially in critical situations. Focus and interpersonal effectiveness are necessary to help minimize personal damage and hopefully, save lives.

Mindfulness has to do with the quality of awareness that we bring to what we are doing and experiencing, to being in the here and now. It has to do with learning to focus on being in the present, to focusing our attention on what we are doing