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Ageing with mindfulness and
self-compassion
8 weeks course in mindfulness and self-compassion
Getting older is bittersweet. As we age, we gain wisdom, experience, and deeper relationships. We have a greater appreciation of life’s simple pleasures, hopefully having reached some financial security and freedom. We celebrate retiring and being more able to engage in our interests and hobbies. We can spend more time with the people we love and take the opportunity to make new friends by engaging in social activities. Unfortunately, ageing also comes with physical decline, health concerns, the loss of youth, social isolation, the loss of loved ones and a growing awareness of mortality, creating a mixed feeling of both happiness and sadness.
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Mindfulness and Self-Compassion can help us to deal with the many physical, emotional and social challenges that we encounter as we age. It is possible to age with a positive mindset, so we can enjoy the good moments and achieve more happiness.
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Ageing with mindfulness and self-compassion is a course teaching strategies to deal with the challenges of getting older, to gain more well-being, better sleep, resilience and better relationships with self and others. In this course, we learn to calm ourselves and to treat ourselves with compassion like we would treat a good friend for better self-care, peace and happiness. This is a free course offered by Marie Bloomfield, clinical psychologist and sponsored by Broadbeach U3A, Gold Coast, Australia.
Ageing with mindfulness & self-compassion
8 weeks course
Presented by Marie Bloomfield, clinical psychologist
Location
TBA
Date & Time
TBA
Free with membership of Broadbeach U3A Gold Coast
Requirement: membership of Broadbeach U3A Gold Coast
​To register apply for membership with Broadbeach U3A -Gold Coast
Sponsored by Broadbeach U3A Gold Coast
How can we have more happiness as we age?
Indeed, ageing positively can be a great challenge. We notice an unwelcome decline in our abilities, which we once took for granted. The life changes that we experience as we are getting older can have a positive and negative impact on our mental and physical health. We all need to adjust to a new lifestyle, as our children leave home, retire, become grandparents, lose loved ones, or deal with health issues. Mindfulness and self-compassion consist of strategies that can help us to embrace the unpleasant changes that are an inevitable part of growing old.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness refers to paying attention to emotions, thoughts, or inner experiences in the present moment without judgments with acceptance and non-judgmental awareness.
What is self-compassion?
Self-compassion means we respond to our difficult experiences with kindness, in the same way we treat a friend or loved one in times of struggle. We cultivate an awareness of our experiences, feelings, and thoughts with balance and equanimity. We foster a supportive and positive inner dialogue, talking to ourselves as a best friend/carer. We also recognise that the difficulties we are facing are a universal experience, so we ask for helps as appropriate and connect with others who are facing similar challenges.
How can mindfulness and self-compassion help me?
Mindfulness and self-compassion involves learning strategies to calm and soothe ourselves during difficult times . We learn to be gentle and soothing toward ourselves when facing challenges or failures, encouraging motivation for self-care, personal improvement and growth.
What are the benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion?
There is more and more research that points to the benefits of learning mindfulness, and self-compassion especially as we get older such as:
Cognitive health: improves attention, concentration and memory, and can help to delay the onset of dementia. Meditation can also preserve brain structures and slow down age-related brain degeneration.
Emotional well-being: reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression while promoting emotion regulation as well as positive emotions such as contentment, gratitude, happiness, curiosity, life satisfaction, optimism with a sense of purpose and meaning in life
Physical health: lower blood pressure, strengthen immunity system, engage in healthy behaviours such as diet, exercises and seek medical advice more readily.
Sleep quality: improve the quality of sleep.
Pain management: cope better with pain.
Social connections and better relationships: promote understanding, appreciation and communication.
Overall, when we practice mindfulness and self-compassion, we are more likely to cultivate helpful thoughts, with less worry and rumination, which lead to a healthy lifestyle with more rewarding relationships. It also promote resilience when facing difficult life events such as divorce, loss of a loved one or the diagnosis of a serious illness.
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What to expect?
Each 2-hour class session will consist of an initial meditation followed by a topic and exercises in mindfulness and self-compassion. At the end of each session, we suggest practices to do at home to learn mindfulness and self-compassion. We recommend initially 20-30 minutes each day of home practice. If this is too much, start with 1-5 minutes per day and then increase gradually. Learning mindfulness and self-compassion is dose-dependent. The more you practice at home the more you will benefit.
In the 8 sessions, we will cover strategies to deal with anxiety, fears, poor sleep, resistance, grief, self-criticism, shame, difficult emotions, and challenging relationships. We will also explore loving-kindness, motivation, acceptance, savouring, gratitude and living our values to care for ourselves and others.
Give yourself the gift of your own friendship!
Connect with your inner joy and peace
Suggested Reading (optional)
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The mindful self-compassion workbook by Kristin Neff and Chris Germer, 2018
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The compassionate mind workbook by Chris Irons and Elaine Beaumont
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The gift of compassion: how to understand and overcome suffering by Stan Steindl, 2020
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Choose compassion: why it matters and how it works by James Kirby, 2022
Disclaimer
This course is educational only and does not replace treatment or therapy. We provide information on health and well-being but do not prevail over the professional advice you have received from your health practitioner.
If you have recently or are currently going through a traumatic life event such as the loss of a close family member or friend, this may not be the right time for you to do this course.
While all the exercises and mindful movements introduced in this course are gentle, the decision to perform any of these remains your own. Please follow your careful judgement to decide if they are beneficial for you to do.
If you feel uncomfortable doing the exercises, please choose not to do them and then let us know.
If you have doubts about how suitable this program is for you, contact your health practitioner for their advice.
You can also contact us for further discussion and clarification.
Meet Your Presenter
Marie Bloomfield
B.Sc(Psych.), M.Clin. Psych(UNSW), MAPS(Coll.Clin.Psych.)
Clinical Psychologist
Senior Certified MSC Teacher
Clinical Psychologist and Senior Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher.
Marie is an accomplished teacher in mindful self-compassion having presented over 50 workshops most of which were targeting health professionals since 2014. As a clinical psychologist, Marie has over 40 years of experience working in mental health, including public, academic and private sectors.
Marie has been using Compassion-Focused Therapy and Mindful Self-Compassion in her clinical practice since 2011. She is a leader in teaching Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to health professionals in Australia.
She knows from personal and clinical experience that compassion changes and enhances lives.
Retreat Details
Ageing with mindfulness and self-compassion
Date
TBA
Location
TBA
Cost
TBA