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]

"The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others." ~ Sonya Friedman

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Working on yourself is the best way to work on a relationship."
~ Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

“You don’t suffer because you have thoughts. You suffer because you judge them, resist them, believe them, wallow in them, or identify with them.” ~Unknown

[PartTimeBrewer]

"There is nothing other than this present moment; there is no past, there is no future; there is nothing but this. So when we don't pay attention to each little this, we miss the whole thing." ~ Charlotte Joko Beck

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Any tiny moment can be enjoyed: the smile on a child's face; light and shadow on the floor; pictures in the clouds."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness 

[Jozee]

Yes.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"In some ways, this is indeed at the heart of mindfulness: When we rest patiently, with no goal, aim, or destination for a while, we turn a microscope on the shifting landscape that emerges anew with each passing moment."  ~  Mindfulness Online

[PartTimeBrewer]

"When your heart breaks and your conscience leaks through the cracks, you'd better look deeply not only into your own heart but also into the hearts of those who suffer, and into the hearts of those who harm." ~ Joan Halifax

[PartTimeBrewer]

"How often do you say "I have to..." when you could say "I get to..."? I get to go to the gym. I get to work a job to provide for my family. It's a real game changer when you start seeing your obligations as opportunities."  ~  Will Aylward

[Jozee]

Good one.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Left to its own devices, the mind will regularly take you away to the places that it thinks are important. They are not always the same places that YOU think are important."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

"See if you can observe the moment without the running narrative in your mind - you don’t need it."  ~  The  Mindfulness Project