Mindfulness

Hello from guest blogger, Lisa Robinson! In this last post of the quarter on Mindfulness and the Community, we’ll introduce how mindfulness practiced by police officers connects them to the community in a unique and meaningful way that improves outcomes. Let’s start with a video from mindful.org, the online home of “Mindful,” the print magazine, and lots of additional content. Watch Richard Goerling talk about how mindful policing can make a difference: Mindful Policing Video Below is a link in mindful.org to a related article that Goerling wrote for “The Police Chief,” where he discusses the reactive approach police generally use, and how applying mindfulness on the job can enhance officer performance in the most challenging situations, improving police-citizen encounters. Mindfulness Impacts Police Article Finally, in this article from the management consulting firm, Hay Group, see what happens to the brain under stress, and how mindfulness can make a difference: Brain Stress Article The Hay Group article demonstrates how awareness of what’s happening and taking mindful action can dramatically impact a stressful police situation. Every time I read the opening example, it gives me chills because it’s clear that mindfulness can mean the difference between life and death on any given day, depending on how a police officer decides to handle a situation. Mindfulness can be a powerful resource for our communities. Where do you see its application in the area where you live? Are there ways that you can