#flmindfulness

“My love of learning and thirst for knowledge began early. I was the type of child that irritated adults with constant questions. You know the sort of thing “why is the sky blue?”, “why do insects have six legs?”, “how do whales breathe?” I couldn’t wait to join my older siblings in that magical place called school, where I would meet lots of other children and learn about all sorts of things. When the day came, I skipped merrily away down the little path that led to the playground, unwittingly leaving my mum hurt at the fact that I didn’t even look back and wave goodbye; such was my enthusiasm for the adventure. There I discovered art and literature in one glorious moment; Rousseau’s painting of a tiger with Blake’s poem underneath, which decorated the classroom wall. Music, through recorder lessons, and then languages, through being taught French from the age of 7, served to confirm that I was right about school. By the age of 12, I was writing and directing plays, putting them on at lunchtime to raise money for charities. Strangely, I even loved being given homework, because it was all part of the learning adventure.

My love of the theatre continued when I went on to study for my degree. Looking back, I have no idea where I found the time to study English and Anthropology, run the drama society, direct plays while acting in others at the same time, and still having the normal social life that goes with being a student, but I’m glad I did. Working in I.T. and the long commute to work put an end to the am-dram, but I used the daily train journey to learn languages and indulge my love of world literature. My briefcase was more of a mini library than a receptacle for paperwork! Eventually, a change in career brought an end to the commuting, as the lure of country life was too hard to resist, but I always found time to feed my yearning to learn new things. All this was to change when a traumatic experience left me questioning everything I believed about the world and other people. I didn’t know it at the time, but as the months went by and my physical injuries healed, I was to be left with a legacy that would be far harder to deal with. The loss of confidence, the all-pervading anxiety and chronic depression were not just a simple reaction to being out in the world again; I was diagnosed with PTSD. Isolation, lack of motivation and ongoing prejudice from members of the local community only served to exacerbate the condition. A support worker, in an effort to combat my isolation, encouraged me to make short regular trips to my local library (somewhere that felt safe). It was during one of these visits that a librarian mentioned FutureLearn to me. She brought up the site on her screen and scrolled through the list of courses. I was amazed and immediately hooked. At first, I was too nervous to take any sort of active part, through the comments section, but one day curiosity got the better of me and I took a peek at what was going on. Before I knew it, I had posted a comment myself. I can’t remember what it was; I just remember the feeling of anxiety as soon as I had done it. I’m so glad I took that simple step though because I have had so many fascinating, inspiring and at times funny, exchanges with both my fellow students and tutors. Little did I know that that simple act of kindness at my local library was to be a turning point for me. FutureLearn soon became a powerful item in my self-therapy toolkit, for so many reasons. It provides goals to aim for that are meaningful to me. It gives and sustains a renewed sense of confidence; the sense that I do have abilities and that I have something valuable to contribute. It connects me to a wonderful amazing bunch of people from across the world when I would otherwise be completely isolated. The positive experiences I have on the various courses provide me with daily proof that there are actually good people in the world. The sense of enrichment from the wide variety of courses I have been able to study is quite phenomenal. I thought I had lost the person I once was. Through FutureLearn I have discovered that this is not the case. The chuckling, inquisitive, creative woman hadn’t gone; she was still in there somewhere. It’s a long journey, there are no magic wands, but thanks to my experiences with FutureLearn, the me-that-was is becoming the me-that-is again.”

Inspired by Hazel’s story?

Take a look at a few of the courses she values:

Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance

Introduction to Italian

Shakespeare and His World

England in the Time of Richard III

Cultural Studies and Modern Languages

“I semi-retired a couple of years ago from a 30-year career in local government, preceded by 10 years in teaching. Although I enjoyed my careers there were periods of great stress and anxiety at work, which led to bouts of depression. I’ve always been a terrible worrier, dwelling negatively on past events and at times finding it difficult to see the future in a positive light. Rather than seeing the inevitable change in the workplace as an opportunity, I would view it as losing a degree of control and worrying that I wouldn’t cope with whatever changes were thrown at me. I would hide my worries for fear of embarrassment and the stigma that some managers seemed to place on work-related stress. I was always being told I was doing a great job but what they didn’t realise was that some days I was wobbling on a precipice and that just one slight nudge might send me over the edge.

I was given more and more responsibility after each restructure and seemed to have no life outside of work. I kept looking at fellow managers wondering how they managed to stay so calm under increasing pressure. I told myself I was just too sensitive and conscientious for my own good. I had been like it all my life. I had always set myself very high standards but it just wasn’t realistic to do everything brilliantly, on time, all the time. I worried myself sick about what people at work would think if I couldn’t maintain those high standards I’d set, which inevitably resulted in me having a minor nervous breakdown and a 6 week period off work through stress.

It was the first sickness absence I’d had from work for many years. I felt that I’d completely lost control and couldn’t make even the simplest decision. My senior manager was totally gobsmacked by my “breakdown”. My team colleagues were wonderful during my 6-week absence but said they were not surprised I had succumbed to work-related stress. Interesting that they had seen it coming, but not my line manager. My GP referred me for some counselling, which helped, but on my return to work, there were different reactions from managers. Most were quite understanding but one commented that my absence must have been quite stressful for my team! That made me feel the stigma and embarrassment all the more. It also made me determined to spot the telltale signs of work-related stress in my team colleagues and offer support and guidance at the earliest opportunity.

I wanted to keep my brain active following my retirement and I was fortunate to find some part-time work, but my old work-related anxieties soon resurfaced. I’d discovered Futurelearn at about the same time and a chance comment I’d made about dealing with anxiety prompted a suggestion from a fellow learner to join FutureLearn’s “Mindfulness” course as it had helped them deal with stress. I duly joined the next course and it has been a revelation. The relaxation techniques have really worked for me, although it takes time to do them properly. Work colleagues, in particular, noticed how much more relaxed and positive I had become.

Joana, 48, is a Psychologist from Brazil. Her introduction to FutureLearn came via a colleague who recommended the Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance course, whilst they were on a work-related CBT course.

Having followed a link to the course, Joana felt it suited her needs.

“I was already thinking about taking a course on mindfulness, I decided to take this course because it is online, meaning it would be possible to take the classes anytime I could.”

Supporting over 20 years of her career

Anxiety is a common condition among people, with a shocking 40% of the world's population suffering from depression and anxiety.

Having worked for over 20 years as a Psychologist, Joana has met many people seeking treatment for anxiety. This course is providing Joana with the ability to develop her knowledge of mindfulness.

“In my opinion, this course was the first step in getting more knowledge about the subject in order to apply the techniques later.”

Joana is planning to upgrade so that she can continue using the course materials as a resource to help her understanding grow further. 

“This course was really a seed you've planted that I hope will become a very healthy plant, I'll be working for this.”

Improving wellbeing through greater self-awareness 

Whilst the course has helped Joana at work, she is most impressed with the way it has helped her to overcome her own anxieties and embrace the smaller moments in life.

“I used to go walking, by the same pond every day. One day I went out walking and it didn’t seem like it would rain but in the middle of the walk, it started to rain very hard. In that moment I couldn’t do too much so I decided to keep walking. I tried to be present in the moment whilst walking, it was a very nice experience! In the past, I'm sure, I would have been very worried about my wet clothes and probably flu because it was not a hot day, it was a little cold. Instead, I paid attention to the raindrops falling on me, to the birds and to the ringing of church bells nearby. I felt like I used to feel when I was a child and I used to stay out in the rain. I have not felt that way in a long time. This situation reminded me that I used to be gentle with myself, and how I'm not so gentle nowadays. It helped me to realise how much I used to have no self-compassion with myself and how much I´ve stopped being curious.”

Since discovering the benefits of mindfulness, Joana hopes to find other, similar, courses to explore in the future.

Inspired by Joana’s Story?

Then join the courses she took:

Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance

Rochelle works in Corporate Social Responsibility, where she manages charitable and sponsorship work.

“It’s on the nicer side of charity work, being able to give out money and help groups, rather than having to ask for it.”

One of Rochelle’s friends is an advocate for mindfulness and showed her The Smiling Mind Facebook page. She saw the ‘Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance’ course advertised on the Facebook page and decided to join it.

“I think it’s a skill that can be used in both your professional and personal life. When you’re balancing a number of priorities you should be able to stop and say 'look, I’m in a moment, I’m in a meeting, I have to focus on this meeting' rather than worry about the 25 other deadlines you have. It’s a transferable skill.”

Rochelle believes that her friends and loved ones could benefit from learning to keep calm, stay in control and be more aware of where they are during moments of frantic activity. 

“We’re all type A personalities, high achievers, we try to get a lot done in the shortest amount of time, and have a number of things balancing at once. I’ve started a new job, moved house and realised that you can get caught in the day to day logistics, forgetting to just stop and take a breather. 

In addition to her professional pursuits, she's also keen to share what she has learnt with her partner, a busy restaurateur, who says he doesn’t have time to take the course.  

“My partner is a trained chef and now runs a restaurant; he can get stressed… We’re very different which is why we work so well. I’m the planner, and the organiser, so I’ve become very involved in his business just because I love that side of things. Maybe after taking this course, I’ll be able to help him organise his thoughts by asking 'what’s your most important deadline?' or by telling him to 'take time out in the middle of the day' and it will help with the rest of your day.”

Rochelle strongly believes that Mindfulness is an important aspect of a holistic approach to health, an idea which is shared by many practitioners. 

“Just like you go to the gym to maintain your physical health, you also need to maintain your mental health and wellbeing, whether or not you have a specific condition. Mental health can be maintained through a number of ways, it could be through physical activity, eating well or challenging your mind by reading books or taking up a new hobby. It can also be through specific brain-training activities or courses. Your mental health needs attention just as much as your physical health.“

Now that she has completed the course, her advice to others is:

“It’s easy in today’s world to say that we are too busy or have too much to do and we become very reactive in life. For instance, if you are balancing a number of stressful situations you have two choices: You can wait until you get so stressed that you snap, or you can do the mindfulness course now and get some coping mechanisms so that when the stress does hit, you respond to it a lot better.”