Have you ever had a provider say to you “just breathe”……
AGHHGHG. Right? It is more complex than that! Like all my symptoms magically go away when I take a deep breath. If it were that simple then I wouldn’t be sitting in your office…
Mastering mindfulness takes time. It took two years until I “got the hang of it” consistently. My counselor and I used this workbook to guide our sessions: DBT Skills Training by Marsha Linehan. And it was the best $60 spent, ever.
In case you don’t know what mindfulness is: paying attention to all experiences in the present moment with no judgement, agenda, or expectations on what is happening internally or externally. This requires observing your thoughts and emotions as they occur without being consumed by them. You focus on breath and bodily sensations. Yoga is especially powerful for this.
My dilemma, is trusting myself to continually tap into that part of my Self to practice mindfulness. And how does one focus on this during the busy day we lead. It sounded exhausting at first to me.
I can promise you though, that the time devoted to this practice will pay off in the end. I now listen to my Self in the snap of the figures. I see things differently – colors are more vibrant, sounds are more beautiful, food tastes better, my breath making my chest rise, or my fingers making the noise they do when typing (take that one step further and I can feel the impact hitting the keyboard).
If you practice mindfulness in your daily life, how do you remind your Self to continue to be mindful? Do you see the value in being mindful?
What works for you?
Finding Happiness 