Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

              I am starting a new thread here mainly for purposes of my own catharsis. It is my intention, at least at this point, to make regular contributions. Of course, if anyone else has anything to add, they are more than welcome. If you have any input, please contribute.

              Over a year ago I decided to deal head-on with my self-diagnosed adult attention disorder, (ADD). The inability to stay focused was becoming too stressful. I found myself sitting around watching the clock tick, yet I couldn’t keep “on task” with any project I started. Nothing was getting done and just starting something was becoming depressing.

              The smart thing to do was probably to get professional help, so instead I decided to try to heal myself, at least as a first try. Cognitive therapy and pharmaceuticals (UGH) might be the approved way to go but I decided to try meditation first.

              18 months and countless self-help books later, I still can’t bring myself to a regular, formal meditation program. But, along the way, I discovered informal mindfulness. Yes, I know it is the “Fad” right now. It is hard to navigate modern social trends without “tripping over” somebody extolling the benefits of mindfulness.

              Let me add my voice to the chorus.

[PartTimeBrewer]

DISCLAIMER: Don't take this to such an extreme that you get paralyzed by doubt or endless analysis. Find the Middle Path. Your first reaction is likely correct, just be aware of its nature as a judgement.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Attachment is the very opposite of love. Love says, 'I want you to be happy.' Attachment says, 'I want you to make me happy.'"  ~  Tenzin Palmo

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Don't waste your time chasing butterflies. Mind your garden and the butterflies will come."  ~  Mario Quintana

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Most of the choices we make each day feel like the product of well-considered decision making, but they're not. They're habits."  ~  Charles Duhigg

[PartTimeBrewer]

"More than anything else, the way we experience life is created by the particular states of mind with which we meet it."  ~  Back Kornfield

[PartTimeBrewer]

Which is why it is so important to be aware of our mental states from a position of compassionate equanimity rather than being consumed by them.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Refinement of attention is only achieved thorough gentle and persistent letting go, it is never attained by the brute force of sheer will power."  ~  Ajahn Brahm

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Make sure the present moment is your friend, not your enemy. Honor it by giving it your fullest attention. Appreciate it by being thankful for it."  ~  Elkhart Tolle

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Nothing endures but change, and accepting this has the potential to transform the dread of dying into joyful living."  ~  Mingyur Rinpoche

[PartTimeBrewer]

"In mindfulness, we give our thoughts less importance. We know that while our thoughts can be useful, they can also be deceptive. One of the benefits of practicing mindfulness is that your thoughts become the server and not the master."  ~  Padraig O'Morain

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Meditation is like fasting for the mind. The practice clears your mental digestive tract."  ~  James Clear

[PartTimeBrewer]

"The constant need to fix things fuels our negative moods. Let things be as they are for a change."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness