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Do you spend a lot of time "in your head"?
Humans evolved over the course of centuries to live in fear and worry. Originally, to survive and to protect ourselves, we always needed to be on guard. Threats of danger and death from wild animals and the elements were very real.
Fast-forward to 2012. We no longer need to run from the saber-toothed tiger. Being perpetually vigilant to possible calamity is not really so necessary in our modern lives, and yet we spend a lot of time doing just that! We over-think, we worry, and we ruminate on past troubling events. It's only human! Yet, all of these behaviors take us away from the precious now. So, how do we get ourselves past this strong force of nature to appreciate our lives in the present? The answer is by learning to practice mindfulness. When you spend a good chunk of your time over-thinking the past and the future, it can separate you from what is right in front of you - your loved ones, joyful experiences, or even ordinary everyday events that are small but precious. In order to interrupt this automatic over-thinking, we can begin some very basic and low-key practices that can bring us back down to earth and closer to ourselves. The word "mindfulness" is a daunting one to many of us. It may conjure up images of monks praying on a mountaintop or people sitting silently for hours in deep meditation. But in reality, all mindfulness means is being aware of the present moment.
This simple (but not always easy) action, we can practice at any time or place. Here are a few ideas to help you start focusing on being more mindful and awake in your daily life. - First, simply notice where your mind is. Our minds are naturally pre-occupied much of the time, even when we want to be focusing on something else. Take a moment during the day to notice, without judging yourself, when you are distracted by your thoughts during work or with family.
- Slow down routine tasks and pay attention to what you are doing. Taking a shower, brushing your teeth, and washing dishes are all great activities for practicing mindfulness. See if you can focus your mind only on the activity at hand and when your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the dishes, tooth-brushing or whatever.
- Try out "single-tasking" instead of multi-tasking when you are talking to loved ones. The mindfulness of a conversation can be very refreshing and powerful. practice at least once a day giving someone your undivided attention.
- Practice slowing down in general to be a more patient or more open-hearted version of yourself. See what you notice when you make this subtle shift in attitude.
Finally, just one important note: The process of getting more mindful is not always smooth and is sort of like a muscle that gets stronger over time. Don't be discouraged if it feels difficult at first. Keep going! |