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- Meditation
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- Burnout
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- Burnout Meditation 03
Session 3/10
Transcript
Hi, and welcome to day three. Yesterday we discussed how to recognize emotions and feelings. And today we will work on another essential pillar and ingredient of awareness. Mindfulness.
Mindfulness is an innate quality of being present in the moment. It is an extension of awareness, because it allows us to stay grounded in the present firmly. Instead of letting the problem get out of hand, mindfulness allows you to get a grip on the issue before it becomes anxiety inducing. Mindful meditation is about having the presence of mind to see thoughts and emotions as they are just thoughts and emotions. What happens when we let go of frustration, impatience, dislike, and all the things. What’s left is a sense of being in all its purity, without frustration, stress, or anxiety. So being mindful in the moment, signifies experiencing the moment, as it is happening right now, without worries of past or future.
It’s tempting to use this particular technique, only when you’re feeling stressed or burned out. And I guess that’s how we often react to things in life. We’re kind of just looking to fix things once they already happen. But I encourage you with this particular technique, to use it regularly, to get comfortable with it, to remind yourself of what it feels like to be grounded, to be present.
So what happens when you recognize an emotion, an emotion that keeps going round and round in your head? You can either allow it to overwhelm you, or you can put it on a trial, ask yourself, Is this scenario in my head accurate? Is this really how it is? Follow this line of thought with a simple query? What can I do to ease this thought? If it’s a future worry, ask yourself, What is an alternative that can happen? If it’s a past worry? Ask yourself, what can I do today to change this? You will find that your answer lies somewhere within the land of staying mindful. All you can do today is stay in the moment and experience life as it happens around you.
And that’s the essence of today’s exercise. Let’s think about it. What is it about thoughts that affect us this strongly? They are powerful, right? So when you notice your thoughts wandering off into a territory that leads to the path of overthinking and worry, are you going to stop yourself and say, You know what, I’m not going to do that this time. I’m just going to come back to that feeling, being present, being balanced in both body and mind. So just continuing with that today. Take a moment or two to get comfortable. And when you’re ready. You can just begin with some big, deep breaths.
In through the nose and out through the mouth. Closing the eyes, or keeping them open with a soft focus settled back into the physical senses and the space around you. scan through the body to notice any points of tension and stress. Pay attention to your feelings at the moment. What are you feeling? relaxed, worried, frustrated, calm. Notice what you are feeling as you continue to scan the body and the mind. Allow the thoughts and feelings to come and go. As you continue to inhale and exhale. Focus on your breathing pattern and rhythm. Your body and mind are relaxed may be a bit curious.
As you continue to breathe in and out. Imagine that you are in a crowded place. Race. There are people around you, but their voices are almost muted, as if coming from a closed window. As you sit there, a gentle breeze surrounds you. And you can feel it humming around your body slowly. There are people around you, but you continue to focus on your breathing. The air gently wraps your torso and moves up towards your chest, your throat, your face, and finally towards the area just above the top of the head. Now you can feel the air gently surrounds your navel and hips, the pelvis and down your legs. You can feel the slight weight of the air as it moves down. And with that, you can feel any tension flowing out and away from your body. And any discomfort in your body is being replaced with a sense of calm. The air continues to flow around you. And slowly the last bit of tension has flown away with the air, leaving behind a warm sense of calm, peace and clarity.
Continue to inhale and exhale as you sit with your feelings and thoughts. Don’t force any feeling or thought. And the moment you realize you’ve got completely lost in thought, and the mind has become distracted. Just gently bring the attention back to the breath again. And continue to be aware of those sensations.
And with that thought, bringing your attention back to the physical sensations and the space around you. noticing the sights and sounds. I’d like you to reflect on how easy or difficult it was to stay mindful.
Mindfulness is a skill and like all skills, it takes time to develop. Appreciate that you took the time out to do this exercise. And if you can, throughout the day, remind yourself to find the odd 30 seconds also. Just stop. Breathe and think. Put a timer on for 30 seconds and just breathe in and out. And just notice how that feels. You’re just pausing for a couple of seconds in each place. Noticing the sensation and just reminding yourself to stay in the moment and not be lost in thoughts or worry of past or future.
With time, you will find it easy to stay in the moment. I’ll see you back here tomorrow for day four.
”Mindfulness is an innate quality of being present in the moment. It is an extension of awareness, because it allows us to stay grounded in the present firmly.