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The Weekly Minute - On The Shelf

2/27/2017

Instructions for "On The Shelf":

Set a reminder on your phone to go off once in the morning, and once in the evening, at times when you are not likely to be disturbed.
When the alarm goes, stop what you're doing, take a seat with a straight back, and your feet planted on the floor. Close your eyes if you can.
For the next minute (feel free to make it longer!), bring your attention to your breath, and aim to keep it there.
When thoughts arise, visualise yourself placing those thoughts on an imaginary shelf beside you. Don't worry, they'll still be there when the time is up.
After the minute (or your chosen length of time) is up, take a look at the thoughts that you placed on the shelf. Which ones are helpful? Which ones drag you down?
Take the helpful thoughts off the shelf, and leave the unhelpful ones where they are.
Resume your day.

You just practised being the boss of your thoughts, instead of letting them be the boss of you.
So often I hear clients say that: "I can't help thinking X, and that is making me feel Y".
Even thought it may feel like your thoughts come and go of their own accord, it's not true. You are the thinker of your thoughts—they are created by you, and that means you can take control over them.
"Easier said than done!" - I hear you say. You are right, it's not easy to step into control of your thoughts, but, exercises like the one you just practised is great training to at least begin to reduce the influence of negative thinking on your life. — The more you practise picking and choosing your thoughts, the more skilled you will become at it.

"You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control." - Elizabeth Gilbert

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The Weekly Minute - Set Your Compass

2/20/2017

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Instructions for "Set Your Compass"

On waking in the morning, take a minute to ground yourself by taking three belly breaths.
Think about your values, what's important to you in life? — A helpful way to think about it may be to ask yourself what quality would you most like to be remembered for? Kindness? Tenacity? Generosity? Honesty?
Set your compass toward this for the coming day.
Every time you face a decision today, remember your quality, and let it be a guide for your choices and decisions.

You can either go through life unconsciously reacting to what comes, or consciously responding to what comes. When you consciously respond, you put yourself in a position of strength and control, regardless of how uncontrollable events may seem.
To consciously respond, you need to know the direction you want to go in, otherwise you will flounder from one day to the next, hoping things will work out. Know your reason and purpose in life and you will know what direction to take when you have choices to make—you will know what direction to set your compass toward.

If you have trouble finding your purpose, a therapy session can help. There are strategies to help you discover what your purpose is. Message me for more information.

"Whoever has a reason for living endures almost any mode of life." - Frederik Nietzsche

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The Weekly Minute - Be Bored

2/13/2017

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Instructions for "Be Bored":

Pick a time each day where you know you will be idle - perhaps when you're sitting on the bus, or train, when you're standing in a queue, or waiting before an appointment.
Set an intention to allow yourself to be bored during this time.
Notice any urge you might feel to reach for your phone, or a magazine, or a book. - Can you sit with the urge and not act on it?
Be curious about the urge, are you trying to escape your thoughts by checking your phone? Are you trying to retreat from your immediate environment by hiding in a magazine? Is it difficult for you to sit still?
See what you learn, and open yourself to being with any discomfort.
Don't forget to use your breath to help you ease any discomfort.

What you have just done is expand your ability to be happy. By practising being a bit bored now and again, you diminish the need to be stimulated all the time. Too much stimulation has a negative effect on the nervous system, and therefore your physical and mental health, eventually wearing down your ability to be happy and content.

"A person accustomed to too much excitement is like a person with a morbid craving for pepper, who comes last to be unable even to taste a quantity of pepper which would cause anyone else to choke. There is an element of boredom which is inseparable from the avoidance of too much excitement, and too much excitement not only undermines the health, but dulls the palate for every kind of pleasure, substituting titillations for profound organic satisfactions, cleverness for wisdom, and jagged surprises for beauty." - Bertrand Russell

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The Weekly Minute - Fake News?

2/6/2017

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Instructions for "Fake News?"

Stop what you're doing and check in with your thoughts.
Are you thinking about events in the past, present, or future?
If so, — are the thoughts factual, or is there a little story-telling going on?
Just notice the nature of your thinking, no judgment necessary.
Take three belly breaths. (Deep breaths all the way down to your belly)
Resume what you're doing.

When we are feeling low, or anxious, our thinking can be coloured by how we feel. Simple tasks can become frightening hurdles when anxiety is present, and a day can seem dark and hopeless when depression is painting the picture. Becoming aware of the influence of our moods on how we think breaks the spell, and lets us return to reality.

"Our minds constantly generate thoughts, many of them unhelpful. In mindfulness practice we deliberately and frequently move from our thoughts back to awareness of our breathing or body." - Padraig O'Morain

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The Weekly Minute - On The Shelf

The Weekly Minute - Set Your Compass

The Weekly Minute - Be Bored

The Weekly Minute - Fake News?

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