be mindful

""The concept of mindfulness stems from the Buddhist practice of mindful meditation, whereby a person uses meditation to focus their mind on the present without judgement of themselves. Mindful meditation is thought to reduce stress and anxiety and is often prescribed for people suffering from depression and mood disorders.
Be present: Helen Williams, counsellor at LifeWorks Counselling and Development (www.lifeworksdubai.com), says, “Take one deep breath and pay attention to yourself in that moment. Scan your body. Become aware of your posture, how you are feeling, what you are thinking and, as you breathe out, relax and soften into the moment. Afterwards, attend to the needs you noticed during your body scan… for example, drink some water, or relax any muscle tension you felt. Try to do this with one deep breathe at regular intervals throughout the day to bring yourself into the present moment. It’s a great habit.”""

Did mom ever tell you to mind your business?  Did you? Do you know how? I didn't really grasp the concept until quite recently. Many self help types use it as a catch phrase but never really explain it well. Did a coach ever tell you to "walk it off" and you thought to yourself, this shit hurts? That's being mindful. Ignoring your pain so you can ask coach to put you back in, not being mindful. As a culture we've quit listening to ourselves. To our bodies and minds and hearts. We do what we think we are supposed to or what we think we must do.

And then we end up overweight, depressed, tired, in pain and any number of other negative conditions. We eat when we can instead if when our bodies need to. We sleep when we can, not when we should. We don't pay attention. And it's not good for us. I think that's the easiest way for me to understand what mindfulness means. It's paying attention. To your wants and needs, your body, how you feel. It's paying attention to what is around you. The sights, the smells, the flavors.

My number one problem with being mindful is food. More accurately eating of food. I love food. I love the smell, the texture, the flavor, the feeling of satisfaction it gives me. Food fills a void for me. So when I eat, I eat until I'm stuffed. Because I'm not mindful of what I'm doing, I'm not paying attention to my body. I'm not listening to my stomach and my appetite. So I eat until I'm stuffed. I eat until I'm miserable and can't move. Because I like to eat. NO, I love to eat. I'm addicted to food.

So, now I am working on being mindful of my eating. Slowing down, enjoying it more. Giving my body time to catch up. To figure out if I really want more because my body needs it, or because I just want to eat. I find this helpful:


S.T.O.P.:
S – Stop what you are doing, put things down for a minute.
T – Take a breath. Breathe normally and naturally and follow your breath coming in and of your nose. You can even say to yourself “in” as you’re breathing in and “out” as you’re breathing out if that helps with concentration.
O – Observe your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. You can reflect about what is on your mind and also notice that thoughts are not facts and they are not permanent. If the thought arises that you are inadequate, just notice the thought, let it be, and continue on. Notice any emotions that are there and just name them. Recent research out of UCLA says that just naming your emotions can have a calming effect. Then notice your body. Are you standing or sitting? How is your posture? Any aches and pains.
P – Proceed with something that will support you in the moment. Whether that is talking to a friend or just rubbing your shoulders.

I find that doing this allows my body and mind to re-sync with one another. For my belly to talk to my brain and tell it if I'm full or not. Though I think I need to paint it on all my dishes so I don't forget. It only works when I remember to do it. 



Here is an excerpt from the upcoming Mindful Solutions for Success and Stress Reduction at Work Audio CD.
Here are some tips on how to weave mindfulness into your workday and life:

• As you open your eyes in the morning, instead of jolting out of bed, try and see if you can make room for a STOP practice This tends to start the day off differently with great calm and present moment awareness setting the stage for you to be more calm and steady during challenging moments through the day.
• As you get in the shower, notice if your mind is already at work thinking, planning, and rehearsing all the things that may happen that day. When you become aware of this, gently bring your mind back to the question, what is my purpose right now, what is most important. The answer is getting clean in the shower or waking up. So bring your attention back to your senses, smelling the soap, feeling the sensation of the water on your body, listening to the sound of it in the shower. Becoming more present.
• If you have a family or partner, consider taking a morning to practice mindful listening and connecting with them before rushing out.
• As you leave the house, slightly slow down as you walk to the car, check in with your body and notice any tension. Try and soften it.
• As you drive, once in a while, try driving a little slower and let red lights be reminders to just notice your breathing.
• As you walk to the office, walk differently today. Breathe in with every three steps, and breathe out with every three steps. Notice the sensation of walking; it took you over a year to learn how to walk in the first place.
• If you sit at a desk, practice STOP before checking the computer for emails or updates.
• When doing tasks at work, block out time to focus on a group of similar tasks. For example, block out time just for planning and do not attend to any other tasks during that time. If you can, turn off your email during this period.
• If possible, maybe once a week, eat by yourself in silence, eat slightly slower and really tune into the sense of taste while eating.
• Sprinkle STOP or breathing space practices throughout the day, checking in to see if you are in a proactive, reactive, distracted or waste zone. Then choose what is the most important thing to be doing right now.
• When walking back to the car from work, practice the same way you walked to your car.
• Remember, it doesn’t pay to rush home to relax, drive slightly slower and experiment with new radio stations, maybe reflect on what you actually did that day. What was positive, what was stuff you would like to do better? You can also choose to plan how you would like to be when you get home.
• When getting home, if you have a family, practice STOP before entering the house, notice if your body is tense, and if so, try to soften those muscles by breathing in and out of them, with awareness, and just letting them be.

So, I need to start living in the moment. Supposedly it helps with many things, not just eating. Depression, stress, anger and annoyance. I do know that when I remember to do it and I remember to breath it works quite well. Between being mindful and learning to meditate and breath my stress levels are much lower. And when they aren't, I know they aren't and I know how to take care of me. I'm aware of what I need to do.