Mindfulness: What Is It? (Even if you dont know please post so we can help grow the forums accordingly)

[blondguy]

Hi Everybody

This is only the basic dictionary definition...

"Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment without judgement"

• Please be as blunt you wish....If you dont have an idea about mindfulness it would be great if you could let us know
• If mindfulness hasnt worked/or is too broad a concept for you it would great if you can let us know your thoughts too
• If mindfulness has helped you, please help others to help themselves by posting how you have embraced this mindset

It goes without saying that the forums are a judgement free zone and I really hope that everyone can jump in and have their say

Your input is highly valued no matter how you respond to this topic. There are no experts here...New Posters are Most Welcome!!

My Kindest Thoughts

Paul

[MarkJT]

Karen, a very warm welcome to this thread.

Awesome that you are practicing mindfulness and the key word is "practicing". It takes practice, practice and more practice and when you have a really good grasp of it, practice some more. I do not think there is one single person in the world who has perfected it as every different situation that we are in requires a different type of mindfulness to keep us even or help us be peaceful.

Now practicing mindfulness in supermarkets is akin to training at NASA for one week then flying to the moon! That is one of the most triggering places you can go and the noises that you describe, spot on.

I stayed away from them for ages then when i went back to them, wore headphones so the noise in my ears was the one that i chose - good music. This allows me to lose myself in my world whilst casually walking around. I always go when it is quiet as well.

A supermarket in Melbourne had an autism night a month or so ago. Turned the lights down, lightened the volume of the music, had additional people on at the checkouts and a "no rush" policy. Apparently a huge success. I would love to all supermarkets to have an "anxiety" night once a week. Would be so helpful to so many.

I want you to know that i have been exposed to and practicing mindfulness for 4.5 years now and are still getting used to it. I have a pretty good idea on how to ground myself and different types i can use in different times but the key is to keep doing it. Do not get dismayed if it doesn't work one day as sometimes you know what, it just doesn't work for any amount of reasons. In these times, I tactically retreat to my safe place and self care.

Convincing people to take it up is the hardest thing to do, once they start and get an idea, then they will keep going because they have had a taste so yes, keep going!

Mark

[quirkywords]

Grand

I will be thinking of you at the funeral today. I am glad you are in a better place.

You have worked through a lot and I am proud of your hard work and perseverance.

There are others here who are fra more practised at mindfulness, but I have found in a busy environment to focus one thing, maybe the metal of the trolley handle, how it feel cold and hard, how you can see you reflection, or anything , like looking at an orange and smelling it, feeling its roughness, looking at how orange it is or noticing the different shades.

As I said I am a novice and others will have more useful suggestions. Mine is a start.

For some reason I tend to cry (not a lot but a few times) in supermarkets in the frozen aisle when I have been stressed.

Thank you Karen for sharing your journey with us.

Quirky

[Moonstruck]

I would love to try mindfulness. I think it would be beneficial to me. My problem would be I reckon, that I would feel "guilty" there's my old catch-word again...that I was being non-productive, time-wasting, just staring into space, or at an object, when I "should" be doing something useful..
"What have you been up to today?....what???? Just sitting, doing nothing? How boring? You lazy thing!!"...Who cares what other people think? I do, that's who!

[MarkJT]

Moonstruck, make no mistake - you are not doing anything. You are practicing mindfulness which should be taught in every primary and secondary school in the country.

You are using the time to practise a skill that takes some time to grasp and then appreciate that will hold you in really good stead in the future. You are investing in you.

So for my opinion, you would be doing exactly the opposite of what you have described above.

[Ggrand]

Hello Everyone,

Quirky. You being proud of what I have done means so much to me. Thank you.

MarkJT. Thank you for your warm welcome and I will try the earphones when I go shopping next.

I think tonight I will have to try meditation before mindfulness. Today really was hard and exhausting. Not done the two back to back, not sure if it's possible but way to much Clutter running around in my head now.. Anything is worth a try I guess.

Karen

[quirkywords]

Karen

how did the meditation go? I hope you managed yesterday.

Thinking of you

Quirky

[Ggrand]

Hello quirky.

No.

[Ggrand]

Sorry I didn't mean to sound short but just so needed it to work last night no sleep and not pleased with myself. Will try again today..practice practice practice.

We need mindfulness to work when we are at a time we need it most. Maybe this is not possible.

[Flick_SnotGrass]

Great thread blondguy!!! Thanks.

'Mindfulness' ~

'Awareness of your Awareness' ~

'Reflexive Self Consciousness' ~

"Being Here Now" ~

"Etcetera" ~

are all labels for the same idea ~ a method for waking up from your mindless mechanical day2day sleeping trance~coma.

Easy to say "be Mindful" ~ takes practice.

In a time before 'Mindfulness',

49 years ago to be exact,

when I first started practicing Raja and Pranayama Yogas to help clear up my severe and debilitating excema,

I was taught a bunch of different techniques to help me remember to remember to Be Here Now to be 'Mindfull'.

One technique is called "Today's Date", I still use it every morning as a Keystone Habit.

It goes something like this:

When you wake up in the morning ask yourself out loud "What is today's date?" [including year and day]

Then ask yourself out loud "Has it ever been this specific date ever before in the infinite history of the Universe? Ever?"

Wait until you get the feeling or message "No. Never."

Then you ask yourself "Will it ever be this date again EVER in the future infinite history of the universe to come? EVER?"

Wait until you feel the message "No. Never."

Then say out loud "OK, yesterday must have been the Dress Rehearsal ~ I'm ON TODAY!"

That 120 second Keystone Habit will nudge you into "Mindfulness" as you go about your day.

It def helped me in my journey of curing my excema because it taught me to catch myself thinking or doing crazy stuff....it helped me 'put the clutch in' and start steering the car rather than letting the car steer me.

Hope this helps you too,

Flick SnotGrass

[MarkJT]

GGrand, understand that we get pissed off when can't sleep and the like but try and not to. Being not pleased with yourself is not ideal. I used to be like this all the time but when i am struggling with depression or anxiety or the myriad of PTSD symptoms and cannot get on top of them, I take it easy on myself and tell myself that "x" process is not working today, so be it. Lets try "y" or "z" process.

Be kind to yourself, always.

Flick: Really interesting post and I will start that tomorrow morning.

Thanks heaps for the idea - like it.

Mark.