Life is full of the slings and arrows that can push is towards a negative focus on things. The secret in dealing with these challenges, of which there are many, such as illness, grief, loss, pain, tragedy, is to really cherish the positive aspects of life, writes Karen Hilsberg, who works at the Los Angeles Country Department of Mental Health. Her article has been published in the journal SpringerLink.

Hilsberg explains how mindfulness helped her cope with her spouse’s cancer, his illness’ impact and death on both her young family and herself. It is a moving personal account of how she explains mindfulness.

Mindfulness helped her put things into perspective and to focus on the present – both key coping strategies and lessons in living.

Learning to ask for help from other human beings helped her feel less alone, and provided her with much needed moral and ethical support. No matter how unbearable her experiences seemed to her, they would not last.

Hilsberg concluded:

“The practice of mindfulness, the teachings and the sangha have encouraged me to continually use the realities of my own life experiences to find peace in the present moment. I have learned for myself that peace does not come from outside conditions, but that my true serenity can only come from within me. And life goes on and on – we are alive and breathing, and this is a miracle.”

“Mindfulness in practice – Lessons in Living”
Karen Rosenthal Hilsberg
SpringerLing DOI: 10.1007/s12671-011-0051-8

Written by Christian Nordqvist