Time: < 30 Minutes
STEP 1: We are not our thoughts – but many times we let our thoughts define our reality, simply because they come to mind with ease. We worry about the future and replay the past. Step 1 is recognizing that our thoughts are just that – thoughts.
STEP 2: Take control of your thoughts, so that your thoughts don’t control you. "Ordinary thoughts course through our mind like a deafening waterfall," writes Jon Kabat-Zinn, the biomedical scientist who introduced meditation into mainstream medicine. In order to feel more in control of our minds and lives, and to find the sense of balance that eludes us, we need to step out of this current, to pause, and as Kabat-Zinn puts it, to "rest in stillness—to stop doing and focus on being."
STEP 3: Focus on the present to avoid worrying about the future. Often, we're so trapped in thoughts of the future or the past that we forget to experience, let alone enjoy what's happening right now. We drink coffee and think, "This is not as good as the coffee I had last week." We eat a cookie and think, "I hope I don't run out of cookies." Instead, relish in whatever you're doing at the present moment without comparing it to the past or future. Live in the Now.
STEP 4: Practice noticing and having an alert interest. “Mindfulness actually inoculates people against aggressive impulses”, say Whitney Heppner and Michael Kernis of the University of Georgia. “Once you recognize that you don't know the things you've always taken for granted, you set out of the house quite differently. It becomes an adventure in noticing—and the more you notice, the more you see. And the more excitement you feel.”
STEP 5: Don't just do something, sit there… Living a consistently mindful life takes effort. But mindfulness itself is easy. Just think of yourself as an objective party and observe your surroundings. What do you see, hear, smell? It doesn't matter how it feels, or what your initial emotional response to it is, it simply IS your present moment, so don’t judge it—accept it. And if you notice your mind wandering, bring yourself back by saying “Back”, “Now” or “Stop”.
