How mindful are you? [Archive] - Simple Living Forums

View Full Version : How mindful are you?

Sad Eyed Lady

6-9-11, 10:22pm

I want so much to experience more of being in the moment, to be mindful, but most of the time I find my mind rushing ahead to the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing...........Time goes on by and I haven't been aware, I haven't slowed down, and I feel like I am missing out. Just wondering how others do in this day to day. I am not particularly speaking of "quiet time" or prayers or meditation, just mindful day to day living.

Tiam

6-9-11, 10:39pm

Oh, it's one of my biggest challenges, my hugest goal, and I don't usually succeed at it at all.

Mrs-M

6-9-11, 10:40pm

Fragmented and on overtime best describes how mindful I am. Much like you SP, I too find my mind always rushing, always surging, to the next thing, but somehow I never feel as though I'm missing out on anything. But there are times when I'll witness something and think to myself- "so glad I seen or noticed that".

I do think it's a sign of the times and reflects the busyness of our culture and society, little time for anything aside from the basic necessary elements that curtail who we are. That old saying- "take time to smell the roses" sure rings true with this one.

You know what I find most interesting of all Shalom, whenever DH and I getaway from it all for a few days, life seems to slow down again. It never lasts for very long, but I will say, while it lasts and exists, it sure is nice. I find myself noticing and seeing and feeling more than I ever do, and in turn I find myself at ease and peace within.

jania

6-10-11, 9:36am

I've been on vacation this past week (stayed home the whole time) and really found myself living in the moment. I wasn't spending any time making plans, thinking about the future or mulling over happenings from the past. When I was cleaning out the gutters, that's all I did. When I was reading a book, that's all I did. I had envisioned using this week to try and get my life figured out (I'm really getting too stressed with my employment situation) but instead I found myself just letting my mind rest. It was great and I felt very peaceful.

Mindfulness started slipping away yesterday as I began thinking about work again, getting prepared, thinking about what I would have to do when I got back. As I write this post I realize that much of my "un-mindfulness" comes from trying to plan my future time effectively. While on vacation I had plenty of time and so wasn't thinking about how I could get everything done. During my work week I'm constantly thinking about not only getting my work day lined up but also planning when to do grocery shopping, running errands, etc.

I do spend time after work each day doing some yoga and formal quiet sitting. My hopes are that through the practice the skills will slowly leak into the rest of my life, though so far it hasn't proven very successful.

catherine

6-10-11, 10:02am

I have really gotten better at it. I started by reading Thich Nhat Hanh. I'm driven by the quote in Our Town that is my auto-signature. I dread getting to the end of life without having lived.

You have to stop yourself as often as you can--using a mindfulness bell if necessary--and STOP. Go through each sense and stretch it. REALLY see. REALLY hear. REALLY smell. REALLY touch. Then say a prayer of gratitude and move on.

Do this as often as you can. Start once or twice a day--when you wake up and then go to bed. Then expand it to in the middle of the day, and then more and more.

Draw. Journal. Walk slowly and mindfully. These things help keep you in moment.

I stay away from TV and old TV movies--they're the past. I don't think much about my own past--that's one great thing about journalling--if you write stuff down, that gives you permission to remove thoughts from your mind and press them between pages.

I eliminate worry--that's the future. When I worry, I say the Serenity Prayer, or read the Gospel--the famous passage about "do not be anxious." I put myself in God's hands.

If I'm super busy, I remember that I can only do one thing at a time. So I try to enjoy that one task, and let the others be--until I get to them.

Over time, you feel that the present is taking up more presence. I don't know how to explain it, but it's an expansive feeling.

But, it certainly does take practice. I'm not there yet either--it's my daily goal, but these are the ways I try to improve little by little.

flowerseverywhere

6-10-11, 7:37pm

Tenngal

6-10-11, 7:56pm

I really need to work on this. Sometims I am on "auto pilot" when driving to and from work, missing my turn, etc. I've always tended to be a planner and make plans on my way to work for the workday and home chores on the way back. Also still on edge from the storms we had on April 27th. Yesterday a small thunderstorm was on the way and I felt very nervous. Same with hearing all the constant news about the economy and wars. I need to enjoy life and quit dwelling elsewhere.

redfox

6-10-11, 8:14pm

HAHAHA! One moment I'm mindful, the next I'm not... at least that I've noticed...

Mighty Frugal

6-10-11, 10:24pm

I'm just like jania. Always planning because I (apparently) have so much to do!! I am the planner/organizer in our family. I am a working mother so have little down time.

When I was single without kids I was more aware and mindful and I would love to recapture this. Thanks for the tips catherine, and I love your siggy quote. Can you tell me about the don't be anxious passage?

Tammy

6-10-11, 10:43pm

...When I was single without kids I was more aware and mindful and I would love to recapture this. ...

This is one of the great things I have found again since the kids are all out of the house. I'm working harder than ever, overtime, multi-tasking .... but when I get home it all stops and I'm in the moment again. There are seasons in life when mindfulness is just more elusive, and I'm not sure we can do a whole lot about it. We just accept each season as it comes, and that in itself can be a way of being mindful.

catherine

6-11-11, 7:09am

I also started reading Thich Nhat Hanh as well and got involved in a Yoga studio am around a lot of mindful people. This has been enhanced by moving to a Vegan diet, riding bikes and using as little energy as possible, all to be mindful of the earth we live on and respectful of others.

I also went to a lecture from him

http://shyamdas.com/about/

and I read a book by Peter singer that was all about true giving www.thelifeyoucansave.com (http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com) all about ending world poverty

Wow,flowers, we're birds of a feather--Thich Nhat Hanh--and Peter Singer made also me think in a whole new way--with his book Animal Liberation, and also through his philosophy of giving. One of the most interesting ethical arguments was the one he made in a New York Times article about our responsibility with regard to world poverty--you're probably aware of it.

The analogy he gives in that article has stuck with me for years, it's so mind-blowing... do you know of it?

Bob is close to retirement. He has invested most of his savings in a very rare and valuable old car, a Bugatti, which he has not been able to insure. The Bugatti is his pride and joy. In addition to the pleasure he gets from driving and caring for his car, Bob knows that its rising market value means that he will always be able to sell it and live comfortably after retirement. One day when Bob is out for a drive, he parks the Bugatti near the end of a railway siding and goes for a walk up the track. As he does so, he sees that a runaway train, with no one aboard, is running down the railway track. Looking farther down the track, he sees the small figure of a child very likely to be killed by the runaway train. He can't stop the train and the child is too far away to warn of the danger, but he can throw a switch that will divert the train down the siding where his Bugatti is parked. Then nobody will be killed —but the train will destroy his Bugatti. Thinking of his joy in owning the car and the financial security it represents, Bob decides not to throw the switch. The child is killed. For many years to come, Bob enjoys owning his Bugatti and the financial security it represents.

He says that every time we hoard material possessions for our own "security" rather than giving to a reputable charity, we are aiding and abetting the starvation of people across the world. Pretty startling.

flowerseverywhere

6-11-11, 7:50am

Catherine, I am aware of the passage. His philosophy really changed how I think. Especially since he has found organizations that actually use their money to help the poorest of the poor, kids born with cleft palates, people who are blind but it can be corrected with $50 worth of medical care- and how little money that is to most of us. I think we are all aware of the Gates foundation and how their immunization push has let millions of children not be maimed or killed by preventable disease. Money for deworming and getting clean drinking water also saves untold misery of children.
Another interesting fact was that sometimes people at the bottom of the wage scale were actually more generous. And the fact that most aid that the US gives does not actually reach the poorest of the poor. Many rulers and their posse have become rich on US aid.

for years I have eaten little meat but the decision to go vegetarian was an ethical one as our factory farms have overtaken the meat production in the world that has health benefits as well. Also, it takes way more calories to produce 2000 calories of meat then if the veggie calories were just eaten. We could end world hunger.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the more mindful I am of the little decisions I make all day every day the more I feel centered and aware. I am not going to save the world by eating the way I do or driving as little as possible but if there are thousands doing what I am it will make a dent. And as more people become more aware it could become a movement- and the world will be a happier place for it. I know I am happier, more at peace and I worry less about the future, much of which is out of my control.