June 9, 2017
Always The Write Time
Happiness
Amit Ray, awareness, breath, compassion, judgment, kindness, mindfulness, positive affirmations, purpose, routine
If you want to conquer the anxiety of life,
live in the moment, live in the breath. ~ Amit Ray
In my post, “A month of mindfulness…,” I share how I’ve begun to practice mindfulness—the act of consciously directing my awareness, without judgment—moment by moment. I also include a few examples of where I’ve begun to pay attention on purpose. Here are seven tips on how you might incorporate mindfulness into your everyday routine: 1) Choose a better-for-you beverage or snack option. 2) Focus on your breath when you’re uncomfortable, scared or upset. 3) Give other speakers 100 percent of your attention. 4) Notice if you exhibit behaviors like jumping to conclusions or overreacting, interrupting or responding with rudeness. 5) Look for ways to extend compassion and kindness to those around you. 6) Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations—before you “think aloud.” 7) Pause before you speak/email/text. Bonus: Always remember it’s a practice. Then watch the changes start to unfold.
How do you practice mindfulness?
Photo courtesy of David Castillo at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
May 9, 2015
Always The Write Time
Author, Editing, Grief, Happiness, Writing
ambition, assumption, breath, complicated, cyberspace, hope, hot Yoga, let go, monkey mind, pray, regret, rehash, restless, unsettled, worry
Ever get accused of thinking too much? Making assumptions? Complicating things? I’ve heard it said that men’s minds organize thoughts into neat compartments, or boxes, while women’s minds navigate the tangled and vast circuitry of cyberspace. Yet, I take it a step further with “monkey mind.” Unsettled, restless. It only stops jumping around during yoga practice and while I’m sleeping, although I beg to differ with the latter. In the mornings, I awaken tired and cranky. Without ambition. It could be a few health issues I’m dealing with, but mostly it’s a mind that won’t stay still. It worries and plans, it regrets and rehashes, it hopes and prays, it bargains and posits assorted scenarios; it begs me to make changes that my heart, when I’m conscious, refuses to acquiesce. In my post, From the inside out, I talk about how to focus on breath to tame the chatter. But I also think there comes a time to simply let go.
How do you tame a monkey mind?
Image courtesy of AKARAKINGDOMS at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
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