Mindfulness is a word used to describe the feeling or act of living with ones attention on the present moment with total awareness and sensing the world for all the yummy goodness each moment has to offer, right?
Can we sustain this feeling or is it a fleeting moment only robed yogis experience on a high mountain can have?
It is mindFULness, not mindLESSness, after all.
A vast amount of studies and researchers have now measured the brain waves of athlete level meditating monks and said that when meditating sections in the brain quiet down while others fire up much like what most other supernormal sapiens (you and I) experience while in the "flow" state, or "in the zone" as some may call it. The problem with this is is that it might be intimidating for people to just sit down and meditate expecting to hear no chatter between their ears.
How does one quiet the mind when all the noise just seems like it is too much?
Well first off, there is no right or wrong way when you're starting. Don't set any expectations with what will happen. That's where the conversation of mindfulness stops for most people who haven't tried to grasp it. They think there is a certain set of magical steps that if followed correctly you achieve a state of bliss and if not then you're doing something wrong. Truthfully, mindfulness can happen anywhere at anytime. And its NOT about stopping all thought! Moreso just observe the thoughts that are normally running in the background giving you more clarity on where your feelings of anxiety, self doubt, fear, etc are stemming from now that you're allowing them to have center stage uninhibited.
Where to begin,
The first and only real step is noticing the thoughts that cross your mind. After this micro-step the real fun begins... But take baby steps! Let's not get ahead of ourselves and get discouraged. Being patient and taking it easy on yourself is crucial to building a practice. Our modern age is not promoting the idea of stopping and taking a moment for oneself. I get it. But trust me, if the people developing the software and devices that are used to distract us are using these same ideas to brainstorm and create new technology, it has some use for us as well. After you have begun to notice your thoughts you should then take inventory of your breath. Brain science studies now show that we can reverse the stress hormones being released into our system simply by controlling our breath. If you take more than 6 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth as if you are using a straw on the exhale you deactivate the release of cortisol (stress hormone) and epinephrine (adrenaline) allowing you to use the more developed decision-making centers of your brain to make a more composed decision. The last part I would leave you with is taking a micro step forward. Keep it moving taking micro steps. We often bite off more than we can chew and expect a grand result from our efforts only to be overwhelmed by the pressure and burn out or we are unimpressed and lose interest. So to this I would say make yourself aware of your surroundings; feel the breeze or lack thereof, the smell, be it crisp or smoggy, the tension, where is it manifesting in your body? Then, closing your eyes, take your breaths, slow and deliberate. If you manage to make a few seconds for yourself a day. The payoff is boundless.
Too busy to try?
Try this for 10 seconds. 2X a day. That's it. After so many times of doing it for 10 seconds, you'll inevitably want more and push yourself to do it whenever stress hits. The process I have described is what works for me so it may be different for you. But I know that creating new habits are hard but the important thing is that you don't make it harder to stick with by setting outrageous expectations on yourself. If you're worried about forgetting to do it give yourself a "cue" or a "trigger" like a post-it on your phone so when you wake up its there. You can even place one on your bathroom mirror when you brush your teeth. Try it for a few days and feel free to ask me questions and let me know what you think. If you need more ideas or tips I am happy to share.
We have the ability to choose how we respond to life. This practice might just help put a little space in between those moments and allow for a better decision made. Whether its get offended or learn from someone. To fail, or to learn a lesson. To be afraid and never challenge that fear in order to protect ourselves. Because that is how we are wired in our brains to react and conserve energy. Ultimately, it is on us to leverage what we know and collapse the fears of what we don't. To survive or thrive. The same experience that has caused your great pain today can be the catalyst to the greatest version of yourself.
Thank you for reading.
~Supernormal