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]

My personal intention for today:

"When somebody gets on your nerves and you feel annoyed, take a deep breath before you speak. Don’t let your tongue run wild as some things are better left unsaid. You don’t have to win every argument, Pause & ask yourself, 'Is this worth fighting over?' ” ~ Brian Lewis

[Jozee]

I’ll try.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Life is not a journey you want to make on autopilot." ~ Paula Rinehart

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Thoughts can take us to really good places or really bad places. It depends on the ones that we follow."  ~ Everyday Mindfulness

[Jozee]

I do both.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Heaven is gained or lost not by dramatic deeds, but by the simple of acts of daily living." ~ Alan Cohen

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes."  ~  Alan Watts

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Trying to think your way out of anxiety is like trying to dig yourself out of a hole."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

"People don't want to be talked out of their feelings. They want to be heard, seen, felt and understood." ~Rachel Samson

[PartTimeBrewer]

"If you feel frustration, notice what that frustration feels like in the body. It will get you out of the thought process."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

When I first read this, I suddenly realized that I had been doing this a lot recently. I guess I had stumbled on this trick on my own without ever quite thinking it through. It's not often that I trust my 'gut' instincts, but maybe I should.

[PartTimeBrewer]