As you know, I have taken up meditation and it has really opened my eyes to how my mind works. It is almost scary what I have come to discover about myself! I wanted to share with you just a few of the things I have noticed from becoming more mindful. Maybe you will also find that you do the same things.
- I use negative words far to often. I seem to favor "hate" and "can't." Using these terms will attract more animosity and will also handicap me from achieving my full potential. I need to transform the way I think or speak in order to acquire more positivity in my life. For example, I tend to say "I hate living in Hagerstown!" I lose myself in thoughts of the city rather than focusing on what I truly want! Now, I want to change that statement to something such as "I am going to love living in Colorado or California."
- I focus on the past and future while overlooking the present. Any sense of anxiety of stress I experience is based on something I did or am going to do. That is fear. Fear inhibits you and can lead to anger or hate. Some people fear clowns and therefore they hate them. Same can go for running. Right now, I am anxious about my 20 miler tomorrow. Dwelling on tomorrow's 20 miler is taking my attention off the present. I am wasting precious time and energy on something that is hours away. Why should I live anxiously and add physical stress on my body when I should be preserving that strength?
- I hold so much tension. When I meditate, I find that I have to focus relaxing muscles that I hadn't realized were clinched. Evaluate your body right now. Is your jaw tight? Are your shoulders tense? Is your forehead wrinkled? Do a body check periodically through out the day. If you find that you are tense, take a breath and try to relax those areas.
- When I would come home from work on a day I considered a rest day, I felt as if I owed it to myself to mindlessly scroll through the internet. I would go back and force between social networks and television, my brain completely disengaged. I now ask myself the question, "Is this helping you get to where you want to be?" Free time is nice to have, but you must be smart about it. If you find that you are refreshing Facebook every 5-10 minutes (guilty), shut down, pick up a book and read. Go outside and sit in a chair, lay in a hammock or in the grass. You are still relaxing, but you are unplugging from the pollution that may appear on your news feed.
- I must have more faith. When I am presented with a difficult situation, I must believe in something or someone to help get me through it. In the last week, when I thought a run was too challenging, I looked up at the sky and discovered that as long as I possessed the will to keep going, I would be provided the strength I needed by the universe. For everyone, what you have faith in may differ and that is okay. You may look to God, a higher power, a spiritual energy, etc. It doesn't necessarily need to be religious either. I tend to think of more energies and balances that attract what one needs. So if you find yourself focusing on giving up, that you are too tired to continue, then you are not going to get what you need. Ask for what you need to keep going and you will receive!
If you find that you have similarities to any of the 5 statements above, try some of the things I am doing. I may not be certified in teachings of the mind, body and soul, but I find that advice from one person to another is very helpful to bettering how you live on a day to day basis.
Let me know how it works out for you!
Do you find that you use negative words? Which keywords do you often catch yourself using?
Do you have issues with stress and anxiety? Do you find that you focus on past or future tasks?
Where do you hold most of your tension? Neck? Shoulders? Back? Head?
Do you spend your free time mindlessly surfing the internet? If not, what do you do in your free time?
How do you overcome fear? What do you have faith in?
Do you find that you use negative words? Which keywords do you often catch yourself using?
ReplyDelete I definitely use negative words! I tend to “awfulize,” which is not really a word…but it is now. I will say, “This is AWFUL. This is the WORST. It’s HORRID! It’ll never get any better! I’m STUCK in this place (physical place, mental place, etc.)
Do you have issues with stress and anxiety? Do you find that you focus on past or future tasks?
I have GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and I very much DO focus on what has already happened, or what is to come. I will cycle negative thoughts, worries, mindless banter and woes, etc. It’s very exhausting, distracting, emotionally taxing, and TOTALLY unnecessary!!!
Where do you hold most of your tension? Neck? Shoulders? Back? Head?
I hold most of my tension in my neck and shoulders. I find myself struggling to relax my shoulders sometimes during my high-mile days, but on a daily basis at work and driving, the stress and strain remains. I have to mentally tell myself to release and just chill.
Do you spend your free time mindlessly surfing the internet? If not, what do you do in your free time?
I remain active during my free time, but my free time at work and at stop lights and such is spent mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest. I do not have Facebook anymore, thankfully. I “broke up” with FB many many months ago. I tend to run a lot and bike in my free time, but do fill my time with fruitless things, such as bargain shopping (thrift stores) and random errands. It seems as though I’m afraid of simply BEING.
How do you overcome fear? What do you have faith in?
I overcome fear with my faith in God, my loving family, and reality checks all day long. I realize that, what I worry about and what I let own me, really truly has NO power in my life. I give it power by letting it cycle through my brain rapidly. You breathe life into what you focus on. Shifting your perception and challenging fears and thoughts is a very good way to lessen the fears/worries/anxieties at hand.
Thank you for sharing all of that! You should read my most current entry and see if any of these methods help with your GAD. http://www.runfrecklesrun.com/2015/08/mindful-monday.html
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