60-Minute Keynote Presentation for Healthcare, Hospice, Palliative Care & First Responders
Mindfulness In The Trenches Session Description:
Stress at work is so common that many consider it to be a normal part of life, if not a badge of honor. Those of us serving others in a fast-paced, high-stakes occupation are particularly susceptible to burnout, even as we strive to support members our community during difficult times. Fortunately, the evidence-based practice of mindfulness can counter the negative effects of stress on our body, while fortifying our mind with equanimity and resilience.
During this experiential workshop, you will learn self-care and self-compassion techniques designed to help you cope with challenging times and increase your overall sense of wellbeing. You will become familiar with the foundations of mindfulness, dispel the myths, and learn how easy it can be to tame your mind and make it your ally. You will even get to try it for yourself, as Heather will guide you through restorative meditations, hand-picked to support human service professionals.
Ultimately, you will learn how to cultivate peace – no matter what is happening around you. Whether your stress starts at work, at home, or is a mash-up of the two, mindfulness is a natural way to reduce your suffering so you can live a full and happy life. Side effects may include a clearer mind, less tension, more compassion for one’s self and others, greater life satisfaction, and the ability to savor the present moment.
Session Objectives:
- Discuss how the unique stress triggers in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment can negatively impact physical and mental health, perceived wellbeing, and on the job performance.
- Explore the research that illustrates how mindfulness-based practices can help reduce physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual suffering.
- Experience simple formal and informal practices to reduce and even reverse the negative impact of stress.
- Review principles of trauma-sensitive mindfulness as it relates to vicarious and direct trauma exposure.
[ Learn More About Grief Speaker Heather Stang ]
Heather Stang is a thanatologist and author of Mindfulness & Grief: With Guided Meditations To Calm Your Mind & Restore Your Spirit. Her focus on teaching others to use mindfulness-based techniques to reduce stress, cope with grief, and cultivate personal growth is inspired by her own journey of love, loss and posttraumatic growth.
A former crisis hotline call specialist for the Frederick County Mental Health Association, Heather provided information, referrals and supportive listening for callers of Maryland 211, the Frederick County Hotline and more. She relied on her mindfulness training to maintain a calm and compassionate attitude both on the job and at home after difficult shifts. Additionally, Heather volunteered as a trainer and call specialist on the New Orleans hotline just weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region, and was a research assistant for a NIMH funded National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Research Project.
Heather earned a Masters in Thanatology (Death, Dying & Bereavement) from Hood College in 2010, and founded the Frederick Meditation Center, where she is a yoga therapist and mindfulness meditation instructor. In addition to Mindfulness & Grief (2014), she is a contributor to the volume Techniques of Grief Therapy: Assessment & Intervention (Neimeyer, 2015).
