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]

This morning finds me once again asking myself a recurring question. In the search for a personal philosophy, should the emphasis be on Truth or Utility? I find the idea that they might converge onto the same path to be naive.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Don't think of mindfulness as a way to fix something that's wrong with you. Think of it as a way to enjoy all that is right with you!"  ~  Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

“None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth you're carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird..."  ~  Nanea Hoffman

[PartTimeBrewer]

“What you are aware of you are in control of; what you are not aware of is in control of you.” ~ Anthony De Mello

[PartTimeBrewer]

"We don’t need to fix ourselves because we’re not broken. We simply need to peel away the layers of fear & judgment & reconnect with who we are at our core."  ~  Tara Brach

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" ~  Matthew 6:27

[PartTimeBrewer]

“If sadness is there, instead of trying to fix it or figure it out, we might just acknowledge the sadness, let it be, and get a better understanding of what we need in the moment.” ~ Mindful Living

[PartTimeBrewer]

“Pay attention to something in your surroundings—the in and out of your breath, the rhythm of your heart, the pain in your knee, a barking dog, the many hues of the rising sun. Just rest here and breathe. This moment is meditation.” ~ Jason Garner

[PartTimeBrewer]

“If we focus on how we physically feel in our bodies and the sensations our habits bring up for us, we can really start to distinguish between the ones that currently serve us and the ones that definitely don’t.” ~ Becki Sams

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Mindfulness is about getting comfortable with our wide range of emotional experiences, rather than finding some sort of constant happiness."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

Like a boy scout  we think it is best to "Be Prepared". But the more time we spend trying to map out every contingency, the more time we spend in our heads suffering through imaginary disasters and missing the actual wonderment of the moments we are immersed in. Sometimes it pays to just trust in our ability to adjust on the fly.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Only through seeing life as it is, accepting and embracing it in compassion, are we freed from suffering over it."  ~  Cheri Huber