TMCnet News

Dignity Health Launches #Take2Mins, a Mindfulness Practice Fostering Healthier Individuals and Communities
[May 17, 2017]

Dignity Health Launches #Take2Mins, a Mindfulness Practice Fostering Healthier Individuals and Communities


New research from Dignity Health, one of the nation's largest health care systems, explores how the practice of being more present in daily life can benefit friends, family, and surrounding communities.

Its survey, which polled 1,051 Americans, found that 87 percent of respondents believe that practicing mindfulness - defined as a state of active, open attention to the present - can benefit more than the people they immediately interact with, causing a positive ripple effect. In fact, a majority (77 percent) believe that adopting individual mindfulness can benefit the community where they live.

The data also reveals that Americans are cognizant of the negative implications a lack of mindfulness has on others. For example, one-third (33 percent) admit they have missed an opportunity to be consciously kind to someone else because they were not present in the moment. A large majority (85 percent) admitted that they engaged in negative interactions - such as snapping or lashing out (41 percent), or being rude or actively cold (30 percent) - simply because they were not conscientiously mindful.

The release of these research findings supports the launch of #Take2Mins, an educational awareness campaign from Dignity Health. #Take2Mins encourages people to begin the practice of mindfulness with as little as two minutes a day - which fosters self-care and can create healing connections with others.

"It is clear that consumers understand the benefits of practicing mindfulness, but there is often a misconception that it is something that takes a lot of time," said Dignity Health VP Brand Marketing, Mark Viden. "Our #Take2Mins campaign provides digital resources to help people begin their daily practice in as little as two minutes. Our survey findings reveal that many agree: if everyone were more mindful about the world around them, it could have a broader, healthy impact on our communities."

The campaign's origin stems from the organization's "Reflective Pause" program that is being rolled out across Dignity Health's 39-hospital system. The Reflective Pause program encourages employees to set aside daily time for quiet conteplation to benefit oneself, and to help create meaningful connections with their peers and patients.



"At Dignity Health, we believe that it is difficult to be compassionate with others if you are not first compassionate with yourself," said Christina Fernandez, senior vice president mission integration and spirituality at Dignity Health. "It only takes a minute or two a day to begin the journey of mindfulness practice, and it can make an immediate and meaningful difference in your daily relationships. That is why we make spirituality and the Reflective Pause program a focus in our workplace culture, to help our staff of caregivers connect with themselves, their patients, and colleagues in a more meaningful way."

Getting Started with #Take2Mins: Dignity Health encourages setting aside a minimum of two minutes every day - whether in the morning, during a work break, a stressful time throughout the day, or in the evening - to "check in" with oneself. In doing so, people are encouraged to take this time to reflect on relationships, and the purpose or meaning behind work and daily activities. Participants can then share how they're making mindfulness a daily habit via the #Take2Mins hashtag on social media.


Other notable research results from Dignity Health's survey include:

Mindfulness is good for you and good for others

  • In regards to benefits with family and friends, 89 percent agree: "If people were more mindful, they would be better able to listen to one another, understand and accept their differences and find a common ground."
  • Americans believe active mindfulness has health and mood benefits (97 percent and 95 percent, respectively).
    • They say it could make them calmer (69 percent), happier (58 percent) and lead to better sleep (61 percent).

Approach to mindfulness differs across generations

  • Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of millennials say they perform specific activities to achieve mindfulness, like yoga, meditation, journaling, even apps, versus 19 percent of baby boomers.
  • Baby boomers approach mindfulness by simply "embracing being present or mindful in their daily lives" (81 percent versus 55 percent of millennials).
  • While the two generations practice mindfulness in different ways, the majority are indeed trying to be more mindful (96 percent of millennials and 83 percent of boomers).

Please visit http://www.hellohumankindness.org, where you will also find a library of resources, including tips and tools to better health and wellness.

About Dignity Health

Dignity Health, one of the nation's largest health care systems, is a 22-state network of more than 9,000 physicians, 62,000 employees, and 400 care centers, including hospitals, urgent and occupational care, imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics. Headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY16, Dignity Health provided $2.2 billion in charitable care and services. For more information, please visit our website at www.dignityhealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]