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

[mmMekitty]

Hello Smallwolf & everyone.

I imagine the most difficult thing would be to recognise the anxiety & the thoughts, to feel your body reacting, & stay still, with the feelings, acknowledging them without moving towards the laptop. Finding out if the feelings can become tolerable. Maybe taking many attempts to realise you can tolerate the feelings, & doing so, over time, you won't need to urgently check for emails, or even turn on the laptop, for longer periods of time after you first wake up.

I'm trying to do something similar when my phone rings. I want to pause. If the speech is off, turn that on first, then check if the caller is identified, then decide about answering. I don't want to be like Pavlov's dog, jumping to the sound & panicking in my effort to answer it immediately, before the call goes to voicemail. At one time my Voicemail didn't work properly, & I was unable to retrieve messages. That's when I began panicking about answering. Now, I don't want to answer scammer calls.

Similar for noises I hear outside. There is no benefit to me to look out everytime I hear a noise & feel an impulse to identify & locate who & what the noise is - I can't see enough unless they were a few inches from the other side of my window where I look. So why do I keep doing that? I am trying to just stop myself & yeah, maybe identify what the cause of the sound is, maybe which direction it is coming from. Even that is 99% more than I usually would need to know... so let that be enough. When I can do that, allowing the sound to be, as it were, left alone by me, I will slowly calm down without looking outside or opening a door (not the security door),or window to hear better... I can do this.

So, stop, note if intervention is required, & if not, let it be. I will calm myself. I've noted my thoughts & feelings. I am in no actual danger, just notice. It's okay.

For me, this is a sort of mindfulness. Even if it is not, I don't think it atters what I call it, while I feel my method helps. 😺

mmMekitty

[quirkywords]

Hi everyone, 

I am going through a time when I am going back and reading some posts on mindfulness as my brain is overthinking even more than usual. 

[CMF]

I'm so busy at work that I enjoy it as I don't have time for my mind to wander too much.  I need to be so focused.

That's my mindfulness. 

Cmf

[mmMekitty]

Hello everyone

I've come looking for this discussion again, in response to another's post, but realise I too, could use a step back & review my own distractedness & practice some more mindfulness while I am doing various things, including my exercises, counting how many times I do each exercise, & while cooking I need to keep my mind focused on the cooking. Some things don't matter so much to me when other thoughts & feelings, memories, ideas, things I had forgotten to do, all pass through my mind, as is by random selection. Even while I take time out to take my meds, I can be distracted & then not be sure if I've taken them or not.

It really takes a conscious effort to bring my mind's focus back to the present moment. I think, trying in itself is better than simply giving up & letting myself become so flighty in my mind that I don't complete a single thought or respond to the immediate need in front of me.

My own memory problems worry me, imagining how much worse it may become, so I want to put in some practices to keep me from losing the plot entirely!

& I think, my life isn't even all that complicated, yet it is still difficult.

Quirky, I have read back a few posts, & I note you mention using a rowing machine. I tried one recently & I like that machine too. I have enjoyed the Cross Trainer as well, & the other trainer, which is like a stepper, & I think getting into a rhythm can certainly help. I am not sure if I would still be distracted by things happening around me, my own thoughts & even my imagination offering me ideas about where I am 'rowing' to, etc.

The other strength machines seem to require more conscious focusing on what & how I am doing the exercise. Maybe those will be better for my mindfulness exercise.

All the best, Quirky & everyone

Hugzies

mmMekitty

[quirkywords]

Kitty

I don’t use the rowing machine as much as before.

Now I have a Fitbit rowing machine has been neglected.

Thanks for your post.

[quirkywords]

Hi CMF, good to see your name. I have ot found your thread.take care 

[smallwolf]

I had been thinking about this thread recently. and now I have found it! Yay!

[smallwolf]

Didn't have much to say yesterday. But this is a new day, and you know that I like mindfulness so though I would add my 3c worth to the discussion. By the way, I am also a person that easily gets stuck on negative thoughts. Below are some steps you can take to use mindfulness to break out of rumination. It's much easier to write than practice, and point #2 (for me) is where the change happens.

1. Notice the thoughts and just observe them without judgment or getting caught up in them.

2. Label the thoughts to create some distance between you and your thoughts.

3. Focus on your breath, IN and OUT to help bring you back to the present moment.

4. Use all your senses to notice what is in your environment.

5. Practice self-compassion and be kind to yourself in this moment.

It may not work every time. But it's also a tool you can interrupt the cycle of rumination and bring yourself back to the present moment. With practice, this can become a powerful tool for managing difficult thoughts.

[mmMekitty]

Hi Wolfie

about #2., what do yu mean by 'label the thoughts'? Feelings, yes, I can notice & name them, 'sad', 'happy', whatever, but thoughts? Most often my thoughts are made up of a bunch of words, usually with some feelings alongside them. Like this: I can hear an aeroplane going overhead & (usually, because they are noisy) I may feel annoyed, angry or frustrated, things like that. I may have a thought such as, 'it's so low I bet', (if my eyesight was better), 'I could look up & read any writing on that plane'. That thought may trigger a little deep fear, with another thought, whispering, 'it could fall'.

These thoughts & accompanying feelings all seem separate to me, so I'm not sure what you mean by labelling the thoughts.

Thanks Wolfie

Hugzies

mmMekitty

[quirkywords]

Smallwolf and mmMekitty

what interesting comments. 
I think thoughts start and turn into feelings. That is  how I see it. 
So if I I label the thought, there will be people at a place, that I won’t know, as just a statement and do not attach any worry or anxious feelings to it, it is just an observation. 

Not sure that is what smallwolf meant or it makes sense to meMekitty ,

I see it has taking a moment to looking at a thought without burdening it with intense feelings.