To control or be controlled, that is the question.

 

To control or be controlled, that is the question.

I used to feel like I was being controlled by an external force that really wanted me to suffer.  Upon reflection I see how imprisoned I was by my own lack of awareness.  My primitive brain was calling all the shots and saw danger everywhere. This led to chronic and severe anxiety which crippled many aspects of my life. I lived as a slave to my own paranoid and deeply fearful self.  You see I did not realise that I had a choice.

I will never forget the day I awakened to the realisation that “I was not my thoughts”.  This became the first day of the rest of my life.  It changed everything.  It led to many questions.  Who was I then?  What are these thoughts and where are they coming from? What if I could then change them? So, I did! 

What happened next is quite incredible.  I challenged these negative thoughts, I adopted a more positive mindset, even though I did not always believe it at the start.  It was like a game.  I noticed that as I changed my thoughts, my emotions would also change and as a result I could be and do things I would only have dreamt of prior.  This was powerful.

It took a while and slowly but surely the anxious force softened and became quieter.  It no longer dominated the show.  I became stronger than that pesky voice.  Now I do not seem to worry about things especially things that I cannot control. My mind is at ease.  It is such a freedom and one I wish for everyone.

Now I recognise how debilitating and unhelpful automatic patterns of thought and behaviour can develop so easily.  This way of being can be simply something we accept as “just who we are”.  I thought it was just who and how I was.  I was wrong.  Your brain can change, you can change. 

It is our habits that define what we become. Assess your daily habits and routines.  Become aware of your thought patterns and behaviours.  If there is something you are not quite happy about, change it. One step at a time. Sometimes we all fall off the wagon but just pick yourself up and put one foot in front of the other. 

Mindfulness is about being aware.  It is only when we become aware that we can make changes and adapt to a happier and healthier way of being.  Its never too late to find your Inner Happy.

 

 

Mindful use of Time 

There are 1,440 minutes in each day. On average we spend between 360 – 480 minutes of that time sleeping or perhaps, should I say that we would benefit from getting that amount of sleep each night. That leaves approximately let’s say about 1,000 minutes for the rest of what we need to do for our life’s requirements.

There can be a sense or thought of “I never have time” or “There’s not enough time in the day” you know the feeling. I’m sure you have been here with me at times and then what about the “Where did the time go” or “ I can’t believe it’s been a year already.”

“Time’s flying” yes you can resonate with me, can’t you !!.  Have you ever thought of it like this, every day you have the same amount of time, you cannot add in more time, you can’t take away any time and a sure fact - you can’t carry it over to the next day as it’s already gone, yet how much of that time do you just aimlessly waste away on non-beneficial things like social media (Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat or whatever the new social media trend is), overthinking, staying in bed late, gossiping, frustrated, angry and so on.

Now before you go “Here we go another Tech free warrior spouting on!” I am by no means saying that technology and social media are not beneficial, sure this is probably where you are reading this blog from right now on some platform. What I am saying is, it does have a place most definitely and it is an amazing tool, however, it does have its drawbacks. It can have a sort of habitual pull for us where it becomes the first thing we turn to instead of just doing nothing. 

Doing nothing you say? Well, that’s not productive or beneficial you may say, doing nothing is a waste of time or boring!

And then you have all the other things you have to do, you work or have children to organise, feed, etc or housework and all those day to day things that need your attention too.  Sure it’s no wonder you have no time!

My point is this, if time was money and you had to spend it all each day because you couldn’t carry it over, I’m sure you’d find a way to spend it wisely so why not also use some of your time wisely for your own benefit. 

You see the other thing is that our minds are overactive all day with the many thoughts, deliberations and dilemmas that the mind it comes up with.

If we use our understanding of mindfulness and meditation and various different techniques we can actually reduce these and become more productive and the use of our time could be more beneficial and useful. Less overthinking, less stress, less anxiousness, which are all of benefit to ourselves.

How do we do it ?

It all begins with awareness and attention and you will be sick of hearing this over and over again. That is what being mindful is, “Being Aware” simple yet hard at first, but with practice, it gets easier.

Wherever your attention is will determine how you act or feel or both.

Tips

 Plan (Plan your day/week allowing time for you, including quiet time, meditation or chill out time)

      Begin with your attention. (What are you focusing on?)

    List your priorities (What needs to be done today or now. Where do I need to focus my attention first? What do I need to say no to?)

     Take one task at a time and complete it fully, 100% and then move onto the next task

      Stop Multitasking. It is not beneficial or productive.

Check us out on facebook “Mindfulness Schools Ireland” or on our website www.mindfulnessschoolsireland.com

Some links below you may find interesting

https://www.verywellmind.com/multitasking-2795003

https://www.apa.org/research/action/multitask

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810013000792

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100319210631.htm