Mindfulness
Mindfulness Journal - May 17, 2021 - Day 49 of 365
“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
Mindfulness Journal - May 16, 2021 - Day 48 of 365
“The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” ― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
Mindfulness Journal - May 15, 2021 - Day 47 of 365
I saw someone today post on social media that they completed the Headspace 365 pack in 365 days. They didn’t miss a single day. That’s quite an accomplishment. It’s not always easy to find the time or motivation to get after it everyday. I try to do something each day, even if it is just a shorter session. I do what I can and I am happy with that.
Mindfulness Journal - May 14, 2021 - Day 46 of 365
I’m pretty sure everyone has anxiety and stress at some point in their life. Most normal people deal with these things daily for various reasons, some big, some small. Mindfulness can help you better understand how stress and anxiety impact you and move you to have a better relationship with them. Mindfulness will not remove the stress, nor will it eliminate your anxiety, but it can help you better understand how to deal with them when they arise.
Mindfulness Journal - May 13, 2021 - Day 45 of 365
Sometimes when I’m meditating, I find myself trying to force the direction of my thoughts. I get frustrated with too many ideas or getting lost in a cloud for longer than I feel I should. This is the opposite of mindfulness. This is thinking. Instead of just allowing things to come and go as they do, I too often try to structure things the way I want them. Next week, I will try and focus on keeping a very open mind and allowing my mind to be free. I am going to focus on the breath but also realize that thoughts will come and go.
Mindfulness Journal - May 12, 2021 - Day 44 of 365
Each day seems to go to its rhythm, and today was no different. Unlike the day before, not as organized and not as structured. Here is, after 11:00 pm, and I am just sitting down now with some time to jot down my thoughts on mindfulness. Today’s thought is this, part of mindfulness is accepting what is rather than what could have been or what might be in the future. Just focus on the now. Be there. It is essential to experience what you live in the moment rather than trying to remember what you did or why you did it later on. Just be present.
Mindfulness Journal - May 11, 2021 - Day 43 of 365
Today started with a busy morning, so I shifted my meditation to this afternoon. In reality, this proved to work very well, and I was able to focus. However, I was exhausted today - the combination of lifting, a HIIT workout, and a busy workday wore me out quickly. Interestingly, today’s meditation focused on getting the mind and the body into the same place. A place where both the body and mind are alert and aware but relaxed and at ease. This is not an easy combination.
Mindfulness Journal - May 10, 2021 - Day 42 of 365
I was able to follow through on my commitment to meditate first thing in the morning today. The house was quiet, and it was an excellent, peaceful, calming session. Today’s session focused on a technique to ‘brighten’ things up during times you may feel sleepy or if you fall asleep regularly while meditating. The funny thing is, regardless of how tired I am, I rarely have any issues staying awake during meditation.
Mindfulness Journal - May 9, 2021 - Day 41 of 365 -
Being happy with who you are is no small task. It seems that we are forever working to improve ourselves, get in better shape, get more intelligent, or lose some weight. We are very rarely content with who we are. Mindfulness wants you to find happiness and contentment not with who you want to be but with who you are today. As a man constantly looking for self-improvement, I find that concept hard to accept. I came into this practice with the idea that it was somehow going to make me better or more able to deal with stress. In reality, I need to be happy with who I am to improve and find my true self. I can only do this by letting go of the expectations I have and accepting what is.
Mindfulness Journal - May 8, 2021 - Day 40 of 365
I’ll be honest; I’m struggling to make mindfulness the priority that it needs to be. While I am continuing to get time each day to focus on meditation, it’s often last-minute or as I get time. This is not how I want this to be, nor was is it my intention when I started working on this practice. Given this, I need to make a change. I want this to be a priority and a part of my day that I look forward to, get up early for, and something in which I find value. I believe that morning is the best time for me to find the quiet I need to be successful, and therefore I need to find a way to ensure that I get up and be present.
Mindfulness Journal - May 7, 2021 - Day 39 of 365
Moving from meditation and mindfulness being just another task that needs to be completed to an opportunity for peace and clarity can be a shift in mindset that makes the practice much better. Learning to appreciate the time you can spend in meditation, allowing thoughts to come and go, and finding the blue sky beyond the clouds is an essential part of the journey. I am working to both find the time to complete the task and appreciate the time I have when I have it.
Mindfulness Journal - May 6, 2021 - Day 38 of 365
Taking the time to learn and practice mindfulness is teaching me so much about myself. I’m learning how impatient I’ve been in my life, how little attention I pay to the essential things in life, and how much attention I pay to inconsequential things. Even though I get out of bed every morning and start my day, I spend much of the day asleep, unaware of what I am doing or why I am doing it. Mindfulness helps you live each day as if you are awake for it rather than sleeping through it. You can focus on the moment at hand rather than all of the moments to come.
“Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” - Henry David Thoreau
Mindfulness Journal - May 5, 2021 - Day 37 of 365
How many times have you missed a crucial moment unintentionally? For example, you took the time to go to your son’s baseball game but then failed to see his great defensive play at first base because your attention was on your phone or in a book or talking to another parent. If you are anything like me, this happens far too often. It’s innocent and not intentional, but the fact remains that you missed an opportunity to share in the excitement because you were not present in the moment. Mindfulness helps bring you back to the present and stay there, focused on what you are doing, not everything else. Being present makes your moments more meaningful and your presence more powerful.
Mindfulness Journal - May 4, 2021 - Day 36 of 365
The purpose of mindfulness is not to empty your mind of all thoughts and somehow find peace in your emptiness. Instead, the purpose of mindfulness is to be with your thoughts, allow them to come and pass by, acknowledging them, and returning to your home base without becoming attached to your ideas. There is a difference between these two and finding that difference is one of keys to finding utility in the practice.
Mindfulness Journal - May 3, 2021 - Day 35 of 365
An essential aspect of my mindfulness practice is to improve myself for the benefit of those I love. For my wife, I’m working to be a better husband. I want to be more patient, compassionate, and present in the things we are doing. For my kids, I’m working to be a better father. I want to be more present in what they are doing and be a better role model for living a meaningful life. For my coworkers, I want to be someone they can trust and a good friend. Each day during meditation, I focus on these people and hope to become a better version of myself.
Mindfulness Journal - May 2, 2021 - Day 34 of 365
Today was a long, but awesome, day. Spent some time with my parents and my family and just had fun. It was a nice break, felt like a true weekend. Too foten we are so busy that we fail to notice that life is passing us by, that we are missing the things that should be the most important to us. Family, friends, and laughing. MIndfulness has helped me understand that being present for these moments is the sinlge most important thing you can do.
Mindfulness Journal - May 1, 2021 - Day 33 of 365 Keeping an open mind going into meditation is an important part of mindfulness. If you approach your meditation sessions with expectations or desired outcomes, you will find it difficult to be successful. Rather, keeping your mind open to whatever comes will allow your sessions to be more positive and deliver better results.
Mindfulness Journal - April 30, 2021 - Day 32 of 365 Today’s meditation was longer than I’ve gone before and I really enjoyed the extra time. While it was only 5 minutes longer than yesterday, the extra time was nice. It allowed me the time to focus and let the distratections move past. Overall, a good experience.
Mindfulness Journal - April 29, 2021 - Day 31 of 365 As I continue to grow in my mindfulness practice, I am coming to learn that mindfulness does not require a place, it does not require a particular time, and mindfulness does not require a special chair or a fancy pillow. Mindfulness can come to you anywhere you are and can take you to anywhere you need to be. You can be alone, or God Himself can join you in your meditation. There are no limits and no restrictions. Everything you need can be found in your focus and your breath.
If you are restricting yourself to the correct location, time, or setting for your mindfulness practice, you miss a crucial aspect of mindfulness; mindfulness will meet you where you are.
Mindfulness Journal - April 28, 2021 - Day 30 of 365 Today’s meditation was fascinating in that I was very aware that I was feeling anger and anxiety, but I was unsure why. When I have anxiety, it washes over me in waves and builds, wave-upon-wave, until I can feel it crashing down over me. It’s suffocating and uncomfortable. I haven’t yet figured out how to let this cloud of anxiety and anger pass. I can’t see the blue sky when this wave hits.
I was listening to an audiobook today, and the author said something that I think is related to my troubles today. He stated that he finds most troubling two types of anxiety: worry, anxiety about the future, and regret, anxiety about the past. These are the things I most frequently find myself getting anxious about - the future and the past. Unfortunately, these anxieties prohibit me from focusing on the one thing I can control and shape, the present.
