Lizzy West: My journey with mindfulness
How mindfulness has helped me with racing thoughts and self-criticism
“It is a real blessing,” says Lizzy, Social Prescribing Team Leader in Brighton and Hove. “I notice that I have a strengthening sense of self and acceptance.”
Lizzy West describes how writing a social prescription for herself to try a mindfulness course has helped her to find inner resilience and confidence to be there for herself.
This blog post is based on an interview with Tamsin Bishton using Lizzy’s words. It’s part of a blog series “My journey with mindfulness” edited by Tamsin.
Mindfulness was a social prescription for me
In 2023, I found myself grappling with some wellbeing issues and I wasn’t feeling great. It was frustrating because despite having a few tools I thought might help, I felt stuck with my difficulty. I am a Social Prescriber, so I decided to write myself a social prescription and one place in my community I turned towards was Sussex Mindfulness Centre. I was sharing a flyer for an eight-week mindfulness course for people of colour with my clients in the refugee and migrant community. I realised it might be the supportive space I needed myself as a mixed heritage, British born person.
I joined the course and found it a really helpful and nourishing experience. Group dynamics can be overwhelming sometimes in other contexts, but in this group, I could really immerse myself in learning about and practising mindfulness. It gave me a unique space where I could explore my identity and wellbeing within a diverse setting. I didn’t really even know I needed this before. Participating in a group where everyone was Black, Asian or a person of colour and reflecting on shared and diverse experiences was powerful. There is real value in a shared, mindful community of this kind.
Mindfulness helps me have a gentle dialogue with my inner critic
My negative self talk can get a bit wild sometimes. Mindfulness doesn’t stop it, but I am able to observe it. That is a real blessing – to be able to create a bit of space between the noise in my mind and me. I notice that I have a strengthening sense of self and acceptance. Sometimes I can even smile at it. And I don’t feel like I have “failed” if I’m not always feeling calm or relaxed. I used to think resilience meant that I wouldn’t feel or do the “wrong” thing when I got stressed. But now I feel that resilience is how I ground myself and learn to accept whatever’s going on inside me. I am living resiliently rather than just pushing things away.
I do a little practice every day. Just doing a small bit each day and slowly building on that is one of the ways I’m being less harsh with myself. I’m not judging myself or rushing with mindfulness.
Mindfulness also helps with my working relationships
I am able to pause and be less reactive at work. I can take a moment before replying to an email or dealing with a situation. Healthcare settings are intense workplaces. Mindfulness is helping me to be a more supporting team leader: I can listen better because my mind isn’t racing so much. Likewise with patients – I can slow down and be myself. They get a better version of me.
I am also developing a better sense of my own needs in the workplace and in other relationships. I am thinking about work differently, and feeling more confident to ask for what I need. I am feeling that I can give myself permission to do this.
Now I hope to socially prescribe mindfulness to others
I have recently completed training to teach adapted mindfulness-based interventions, also with Sussex Mindfulness Centre. This was a mixture of online and in-person training over 11 months and attracted an interesting group of people from the UK and beyond. It was a very safe and held environment and I always came out of each learning session feeling nourished afterwards. I am hoping that I can use adapted mindfulness interventions in my work supporting people with their mental health in the community. I really want to share what I can with other people so they have some tools for themselves.
I have found a way to be there for myself through mindfulness
I was in a breath workshop recently and the teacher said “you are what you’ve been waiting for.” I found that so touching. We can draw on many tools: apps and counselling and other things. They are all valuable. But to be supported by your own inner self is the biggest gift. It’s not about being more spiritual or everything magically being ok. But mindfulness is a better way of supporting yourself and coping with whatever is and whatever is to come.