My 17 year old daughter, Natalie, made a "mindfulness jar" in a class. This is a small mason jar filled with pink glitter, suspended in liquid. It's like a super snow globe. She left this in my mom's car. My mom pointed this out to her, and she was livid. She said she doesn't need to be reminded about her mindfulness jar! Therein lies the irony. We DO need to be reminded to be mindful because we are often scattered with our energy and intention, and we simply forget.
There are so many ways to think about this buzzword of today: mindfulness. Let's break it down. Mindful means that the mind is full. It is full in the present moment, with present moment intention. The mind is focused on what is right now. If getting out of the car with my stuff is the present moment, then I am collecting my stuff as I exit the car. If getting out the car, listening to ear buds, snapchatting someone and thinking about dinner is keeping the mind full, then I might forget what I am accidentally leaving behind.
To be clear, it can be challenging to live in a state of mindfulness. The mind itself likes to jump to conclusions, form observations, make judgments, connect the dots. Technology scatters the mind's intention and drains our focused energy. Some people say we are only aware of 7% of what is really happening.
The good news is that there is no perfection when it comes to being mindful. There is simply practice. Some days we are practicing more often than others. The more we practice being present in the moment, the more we will refrain from distractions that rob us of our peace of mind. Borrowing worry (tomorrow) or bemoaning the past (yesterday) keeps us from thriving in the present, the now, the mindful moment.
Today is made up of a series of moments, one stacked on top of the other. By adding up the days, the weeks, the months, the years, you have your life. Now is a great time to reflect on your moments. Do you like how you are spending them? Do you enjoy them more often than not? Do you slow down long enough to savor the good moments and really appreciate them? If so, keep going. If not, you can simply take a long deep inhale through the nose right now and let the breath out slowly and relax. This signals your body to calm down. This exercise trains the mind to turn to something positive, especially useful in times of high stress. This keeps you grounded to the all-powerful present. That's the most powerful position of all.
No comments:
Post a Comment