Are You Tuned In?

Have you heard the buzz recently about mindfulness? According to the experts, becoming more mindful can impact many areas of your life including your mood, habits, peace of mind, how you interact with others, and so much more.

To be more mindful means to be more aware – more tuned into – and accepting of your thoughts, feelings and actions in the present moment. But too often, mostly out of habit, we simply go through life doing things mechanically, or mindlessly.

Have you ever driven by your exit on the freeway, or eaten something and couldn’t remember if you did, or gone into a room to get something and left without it? These are all acts of mindlessness. No, we’re not losing our minds, or getting old. It’s just that our minds are so filled with ‘noises’ of the day that doing things without thinking about them seems to save energy for the things that require extra thought and effort.

However, studies have shown that by clearing your mind, focusing on one thing at a time, and creating a habit of being in the present moment at all times will dramatically increase your energy, health, mood, well-being, and overall enjoyment of life.

Aside from those powerful benefits, being mindful or ‘in the present moment’ awakens you to many things you otherwise would miss as you go throughout your busy day.

“Learning to live in the present has taught me that there is no such thing as problems unless I choose to create and view opportunities as problems. By being open to and welcoming opportunities, and removing negative self-talk/perceptions, I open my Universe to receiving the good out of every situation.” – Beckie Jorgensen

To heighten your level of mindfulness, try these simple activities.

Activity #1: “Open Your Eyes”

Slowly look around the room you are in, taking in everything with your eyes. While you notice the objects in the room, hone in on the things that are red. Write down 10 things that have the color red in them.

When you have identified 10 items with red, answer the following questions:

• What does it take to be aware of something?
• How did having a specific thing to look for change your mind set?
• Give an example of something you started seeing all the time once you became conditioned to seeing it?
• How does ‘finding what you are looking for’ apply to your business or personal life?
• What are some visual triggers that have challenged your level of awareness?

While going through your day, deliberately notice and acknowledge the things you see. It may sound like this:

“The leaves on the trees are so vibrant.”

“The water glistens as the sun reflects off of it.”

“The mountains are hazy today behind the clouds.”

“My lunch is perfectly balanced on my plate.”

“The sofa brings out the blue in that picture.”

“My socks are slightly different shades of black.”

Activity #2 – “The Sounds Around You”

Get to a place where you can sit, get comfortable and be uninterrupted for one minute. Close your eyes and listen to your surroundings, noticing the sounds you hear in the ‘silence.’

After one minute, answer the following questions:

• What did you hear in the ‘silence’ of your surroundings?
• What internal disposition do you need to have in order to be mindful of what is going on around you?
• What does it take to be fully present?

You will notice that as you become more mindful of what you see and hear, and as you say the words to yourself as you observe them, that your life will literally get clearer and brighter.

We need to be aware of when our thoughts shift from the conscious (present) to the unconscious mind (past or future). Listen to those thoughts, feel the emotions, and observe your reaction. But just listen, don’t waste precious energy judging or analyzing them. The art of listening to your mind alone can recenter you to the present moment and bring forth the tremendous value of clarity, confidence, and calm!

Are you thinking about hiring a Coach to help you? I offer a complimentary introductory coaching session to help you discover if my program is right for you. Go here and complete the contact form and I will be in touch to schedule your session!

To learn more, visit: www.beckiejorgensen.com

Is There A Monkey Chattering In Your Head?

We all have negative voices in our head.  For some they are subtle, passive, and even deceive us into thinking they are there to protect us and keep us safe.  For others, they are much more aggressive, and downright mean.  Sometimes we are aware of their words and influence.  Most other times we are oblivious to their destructive messages, and they impact our beliefs, sense of self, motivation, and happiness.

One of the best ways to become savvy to the negative inner voices in your head is to practice mindfulness.  To be more mindful means to be more aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions in the present moment.

The problem with not being mindful of our thoughts is that we treat our thoughts as if they are facts. We just simply accept whatever comes into our mind as truth without giving it a second thought. And we have these thoughts so often that we believe them as fact. But really a thought is not a fact.  A thought is just a thought. And when they are destructive (which they mostly are), they have very negative ramifications.

You may have the thought “I am no good at this,” or “I’m fat,” or “I’m not smart enough,” or “Nobody understands me,” or even “I am brilliant!” Does thinking it make it so?  Once or twice, probably not. But if we think it enough, our mind will accept it as truth, regardless of whether it is good or bad.

When you start to pay attention to your thoughts through mindfulness with gentle curiosity and no judgment, you can observe your thinking more objectively. You can notice your thoughts, assess them for truth, then either accept or reframe them more positively. This is a powerful tool. Imagine catching even a fraction of your negative thoughts, assessing them for truth (which most aren’t), and reframing them in a more positive and truthful way.     

To further improve your mindfulness, try this activity.

Activity: “The Monkey-Chatter in Your Head” 

Start this activity with mindfulness of your breath.  Focus specifically on your breath –slowly in and out. Perhaps even speak the words in your mind. “I breathe in deeply, filling my lungs, and then exhale slowly, emptying my lungs.”

Then as you continue to breathe, allow yourself to notice any thoughts that come into your head. Pay attention to these thoughts without judgment. Thoughts are just thoughts – it’s whatever is going on in your mind at this particular moment.

It may sound like this:

“This is different - O.K. I’m going to do this.  Hey, there’s a fly.  Breathing in, exhaling out.  Ouch, my back hurts.  I should just get back to work.  There’s me thinking about work again.  Give yourself a break for a minute.”

Then it may go to something like “I’m sitting here thinking of my thoughts…  O.K.  It’s a beautiful day.  My stomach is hungry.  Hmmm, I can’t do this very well.”

These are all valid, normal thoughts. And very often they are all over the place like the example you just read.  Allow yourself time to think about your thoughts. Don’t rush, don’t judge, and don’t stop.  Find curiosity, interest and even humor in your thoughts.

You can also imagine your thoughts floating by like clouds in the sky, or leaves in a stream. Notice each passing thought and then the one that comes after it, and then the one that comes after that. You may notice that just at the moment you become aware of a thought, it passes and is replaced by another thought. That’s what happens – thoughts come, and they go.

Finally, to end this exercise bring yourself back to the awareness of your breath.

The value in this exercise is to realize first how little attention we pay to our thoughts, yet how extremely powerful they are.  Then learning to notice them can lead us to better control them to serve us for the better. 

"Remember...positive thoughts create a positive emotion which creates desire ~ resulting in new possibilities!" - Beckie