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

[smallwolf]

serious question - if you knew how and where the concept originated and before it was known as mindfulness (in the west) would it make it easier to understand or do?

(please reflect on this before reading below...)

if I said the origin existed in different thoughts, places, religions and non-religions. And perhaps over time, its form changed. In the western world we have taken one part of it all and not to say that is bad.

In our world, it is living in the present moment without judgement.

What does that mean?

And answered with a story... I thought last week ended well. On Sat I was looking for something and also saw another email which made me doubt myself. For the remainder of the weekend I was thinking about that email and what the other person thought of me. I felt I screwed up majorly. Lots of self talk. And I also saw the Lions play on Sat night with only half my mind on the game.

I was not living in the present, without judgement. In essence I had lost my weekend because I was fixated and ruminating on something else.

Mindfulness can helps in areas stress relief, emotional management and maintaining mental focus. Like all things it requires practice vs just when we need it.

[mmMekitty]

It's good to practice when we are actually less stressed, & so easily caught up in worry, fear, hopelessnes, etcetera, so when we need to use mindfulness for bringing these to more manageable levels, it will be easier to do, because we have practiced.

😸,☮️&❤️to all

mmMekitty

[smallwolf]

On way of looking at mindfulness is ...

Whatever strong emotion arises, if we learn to practice mindfulness of that emotion, acknowledging the emotion and not suppressing it or acting on it, then transformation occurs and we are able to find more joy, peace, and awareness.

– Thich Nhat Hanh

I have a lot of time for things that Thich Nhat Hanh says or writes. It does not mean we won't have feelings of sadness, anger, frustration, critical, etc.

[blondguy]

Hi mmMekitty and everyone

Thankyou for taking the time to help out kitty. You made a good point that its the best help the pain therapist could provide at the time...I cant see Mindfulness alleviating chronic pain though

Hey Tim....Thankyou so much for your ongoing support re mindfulness..On the 4th April (above) I mentioned a health professional suggesting mindfulness for chronic pain....refer below

"A close friend of mine has high level rheumatoid arthritis (not osteoarthritis) and is doing it hard with chronic pain as well as deformity of the fingers/knuckles/wrists....I know we arent doctors yet I am perplexed why the pain clinic (professionals) suggested 'mindfulness' to alleviate the pain"

Hi Geoff....thankyou for being a part of the discussion as always!.....I have absolutely no idea what you meant in your posts......If you wish to elaborate you are always welcome...Just asking if thats okay 🙂 I noticed that Tim replied to you yesterday with a really helpful post

my kind thoughts

Paul

[geoff]

Hello Paul, to me, mindfulness is just recapping on the situation you might be struggling with and thinking of alternative ways to fix it, doesn't this happen most of the time when suffering from any type of depression, although the negative thoughts seem to dominate.

Don't we always analyse ourselves with depression and because we can't accept any positive thoughts, that's what keeps us in depression.

Mindfulness, if that's the word we want to use, will only help someone, if and when they can accept that there is a way we can overcome this illness.

Mentioning this word to a person who is really struggling with a mental illness, means nothing to them at all, simply because there are no alternatives, only negative thoughts that keep dominating their mind.

We can only 'practice mindfulness of that emotion' if that's what we know will happen, but it's more likely to increase your doubts when you aren't ready to accept a change.

Geoff.

[smallwolf]

Paul,

On chronic pain and mindfulness - the thought is that mindfulness practice can be helpful for people living with chronic pain because sometimes there are negative or worrisome thoughts about the pain. These thoughts are normal, and can affect mood and increase pain. ie The more you think about and concentrate on the obviously negative aspects of the pain and worry about it, it will feel worse.

[smallwolf]

Geoff,

I hear what you are saying.

mindfulness is not really recapping on negative thoughts as that sounds to me like a conscious decision to bring up something old. Whereas mindfulness is attempting to be in the moment.

like the saying "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail", mindfulness may not be for everyone, but it can also be a positive for lots of people.

If you permit me =>

rather than acceptance of a theory or practice =>

be open to the possibility that theory or practice can be helpful.

For example, no one should say "you will do mindfulness because it will work for you". Instead it would start with a discussion on the possibilities and whether the other person (assuming you are in a clinical type environment) is willing to try it out, etc.

For example, and actually two ...

1. was listening to a meditation where I was located in space. (Go figure!) Part way through the guide talked about letting the negative energy go and good energy in. Sounded too new age to me - this isn't going to work I said to myself. The other voice said in my head "Nope give it a go and see what happens". So I tried it and it worked. For me.

2. Word search puzzle in virtual hope box. That can't work! I did one puzzle and no change. Immediately did another. Same, no change. After 5 successive games I was not deep in a mire of sludge and was feeling more relaxed. Probably helped that words to search are all positive related words.

I would like to think that in each case above I was no accepting that it would work. I was hoping it would help me, and I was therefore open to the possibility of it being helpful.

If the tool does not work for you / someone.... throw it out.

For me however ...

[geoff]

Hello Tim (Smallwolf), I'd like to get back to you tomorrow about this, if that's OK.

Geoff.

[smallwolf]

No rush Geoff. I felt your post was deserving (in a positive way) of having its own reply.

[mmMekitty]

Hi Wolfie,

Seems to me, the two examples are taking you into an imaginary place, outer space or to an inner place where you make an imaginary puzzle. in both of these you are not located in the real Here & Now.

In any event, labelling energies or emotions or thoughts as 'negative' /'positive' is to to judge what you are experiencing in the moment. The central idea of being mindful, as i understand it, is to , while doing whatever you are doing, you mindfully do that, & when a thought or feeling makes its presence known to you, you notice, then you may identify it, but then, go no further, only let it pass on by, while you remain in your physical place, seeing, hearing, smelling. touching & tasting (whatever is applicable), without the thought or feeling interrupting you longer than it took to notice & acknowledge its existence, in the moment.

No thoughts or feelings are to be judged as positive or negative. After all, they are the products of mental processing of intellect coupled with experience.

As I've understood it, it looks like bloody hard work. Like when I think about the notes I am playing on my phone, my mind automatically labelling the sound of a note within a chord as 'major' or 'minor' depending entirely upon the relationship to the other notes I'm playing. Ideally, if I am in a mindful state, even these distinctions ought to fade? I think... just appreciate each note for its own qualities.

Each note becomes a distinct moment, during which we experience something or other, maybe physical &/or mental pain, well, mindfully speaking, we experience the moment of physical ∨ mental pain, acknowledge it, & let it go. We leave that last moment behind & move on.

Within each moment our pain isn't more complicated & built over with judgement about it, because we let it be only what it is. & we do not accumulate moments, avoiding making mountains of them, because each moment is isolated.

That's the ideal scenario... seems very hard to achieve. The reward seems to be that you will notice moments where there is no pain, or whatever, & all there is are some moments of stillness, as eyes of a cyclone. The cyclone may be all around you, but in this moment, there is peace, & you are present to experience that. Having one such moment, you are more likely to experience more.

I think the state of mind has much to do with success or failure to perform a task, such as those you mention. People do tend to get what they expect.

Thoughts, Wolfie, Geoff?

mmMekitty