Mindfulness

[+Sherapy]

58 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

DE means doing things in the easiest, simplest, fastest and most effective manner possible which is correct. Considering I'm a machinist that's important.  

You bring in a great point, how paying attention, or being fully present plays a significant role in mindfulness and does lead to efficient. 
 

Yet, simple isn’t easy.
 

For me, for example: on my current job paying attention or attending fully to the moment or being present has helped me learn effectively and efficiently the first time or go around. It has been a process over time and the first thing brought to my awareness I was struck behaviorally how unorganized or fully invested I was in paying attention (meaning my attention was all over the place), not unlike the example in the video you provided where we habitually do things on autopilot including how we learn and assimilate new things and how CBT ( cognitive behavioral therapy ) accessing  the brains plasticity to change this, something as simple as eating mindfully, or moving the video recorder under the bathroom sink—paying attention. 
 

This comes from a  certification course I took on Mindfulness provided as an add too. Your thoughts? 

“What are the roles of attention and the present moment in mindfulness? Attention focuses our awareness on a specific experience (Western, 1999). This process can be compared to the operation of a flashlight. Attention is like the light from the flashlight that illuminates a specific area, making that area “conscious” to the one who is holding the light.

When it comes to attention there are two different elements at work:

1. The one which demands attention and
2. the one which regulates attention.

External stimuli (such as noise, a handsome passerby, or an advertisement on TV) as well as internal stimuli (such as feelings, emotions, or thoughts) may demand our attention. For example, when we suddenly hear a loud bang, our attention goes directly and automatically to this sound. The same is true for internal stimuli. Thus, a worrisome thought can also draw our attention and distract us from what we are doing.

When our attention is drawn by a loud bang, we can decide to maintain or refocus our attention on what we were doing before. This process is called attention regulation and is a specific form of self-control. According to some researchers, attention regulation is the most important form of self-control. This is because attention plays a central role in all other forms of self-regulation, such as the regulation of emotions, impulses, and thoughts (see, for example Baumeister, Heatherton, & Tice, 1994).

The extent to which we are able to regulate our attention is strongly related to well-being and is a strong predictor of happiness, satisfaction in social relationships, being resistant to temptations, and academic performance (Duckworth & Seligman 2005; Kelly & Conley 1987; Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone 2004). The good news is that control of attention can be trained (Tang et al, 2007; Oaten and Cheng, 2006) and we will address this process during this course.

Mindfulness teaches us to focus our attention on the present moment, the now. Although this sounds easy, we often just do not live in the moment, but rather focus our attention on our thoughts or the content of our thoughts. When we look back at the previously discussed dichotomy of the elements at work here, our thoughts would belong to the first category—they require attention. Mindfulness reflects the second category—applying mindfulness exercises trains attention.

In line with this, studies show that mindfulness training improves attention and self-control (Tang et al, 2007; Fetterman, Robinson, Ode, & Gordon, 2010; Chambers, Yee Lo, & Allen, 2008; Zeidan, Johnson, Diamond, David, & Goolkasian, 2010). Learning to detect when attention wanders and strengthening our capacity to monitor thoughts and behavior are crucial aspects of successful self-regulation (e.g., Carver, 2004).”

 

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Sherapy

[+Sherapy]

52 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

https://www.mrflamm.com/uploads/2/2/0/0/2200902/exterminator_-_burroughs.pdf

About page 27 is where it's found.

Wonderful. Thank you. 

[+joc]

2 hours ago, Sherapy said:

What is your perspective on life and what specifically do you do to relate to others that gets you there?

My life resolves around my business and my family.  As it relates to business, my business philosophy is that the main reason for a business to exist is to help other people.  A business must make a profit or it cannot sustain itself to help others...but the main reason is to help other people.  So, I listen to my customers and let their problems become my solutions.  If I'm running late, I call or text because this also helps them.  The main goal in business is to help.

As it relates to my family.  Pretty much the same...anything anyone wants me to do, I am willing and glad to do it.  I stole the phrase from Chic Filet...It's my pleasure.  So, I guess one could say that 'helping other people' is a key ingredient in my perspective.  Helping other people solve problems reduces stress in their lives and that trickles down to reducing stress in my own life.  Communication is vital to helping other people and listening is key to communication, so I listen a lot.

I attempt to remain focused on the important things and not get bogged down in the weeds of life.   I think the saying there is, Don't sweat the small stuff.  But then again I don't sweat the big stuff either.  I have found that worry is a useless exercise that increases stress, so I don't worry about anything. 

Another thing I have found that reduces stress is not paying attention to the 'voices' in my head.  I.e.  Thinking that goes nowhere.  Working out scenarios for things, playing movies in my head about outcomes, etc.  I pretty much live in the moment.  And the key word in my dictionary is Can.  Yes, I can.   It just makes life so much simpler and simple things don't add stress to living.  

[Wistman]

There's also the notion that mindfulness can serve a deeper function, since the observer self can see in the moment, in sequence, how one acts and reacts with the world, without ego intervention.  In the moment, without commentary.  Noting especially our reactive feelings, unvarnished, helps us to understand the motives and fears that lead us to behave in the patterns that we do.  Often, in recollecting something that was not observed mindfully, our ego will massage the memory and thwart our own self analysis, which we have to know truthfully so that if need be we can help ourselves.

[SHaYap]

Let's look at the burning bush we are dancing around... 

Is the mind, I 

Or 

Am I, the mind 

?

~

[+Sherapy]

2 hours ago, joc said:

My life resolves around my business and my family.  As it relates to business, my business philosophy is that the main reason for a business to exist is to help other people.  A business must make a profit or it cannot sustain itself to help others...but the main reason is to help other people.  So, I listen to my customers and let their problems become my solutions.  If I'm running late, I call or text because this also helps them.  The main goal in business is to help.

As it relates to my family.  Pretty much the same...anything anyone wants me to do, I am willing and glad to do it.  I stole the phrase from Chic Filet...It's my pleasure.  So, I guess one could say that 'helping other people' is a key ingredient in my perspective.  Helping other people solve problems reduces stress in their lives and that trickles down to reducing stress in my own life.  Communication is vital to helping other people and listening is key to communication, so I listen a lot.

I attempt to remain focused on the important things and not get bogged down in the weeds of life.   I think the saying there is, Don't sweat the small stuff.  But then again I don't sweat the big stuff either.  I have found that worry is a useless exercise that increases stress, so I don't worry about anything. 

Another thing I have found that reduces stress is not paying attention to the 'voices' in my head.  I.e.  Thinking that goes nowhere.  Working out scenarios for things, playing movies in my head about outcomes, etc.  I pretty much live in the moment.  And the key word in my dictionary is Can.  Yes, I can.   It just makes life so much simpler and simple things don't add stress to living.  

Thank you for sharing, Question what tools do you use to counter your humanness? For example, if you do find you are worrying what tool do you use to bring yourself back to the present?
 

For me, I literally stop ask myself in this moment right now what is wrong if anything and I ask myself what can I do to fix it, if there is something I fix it and if I can’t, I let it go.

If I get overwhelmed or stressed, it does happen on occasion I use deep breathing to ground myself ( it also releases endorphins )and bring myself back to the present moment.

On the occasional times I can’t shut my brain off, it does happen I use the Buddha quote, “do not believe everything you think” or I use my Mala beads to chant my way out. 
 

I find that in allowing space for my humanness that is realistic and well rounded I do pretty good. 
 

I too use my work to practice loving kindness and compassion and my personal relationship to nurture my best self, it provides ample opportunity to challenge myself to keep my ego in check. 

[Golden Duck]

7 minutes ago, third_eye said:

Let's look at the burning bush we are dancing around... 

Is the mind, I 

Or 

Am I, the mind 

?

~

Aye.  Third_eye are you 'igh?

[SHaYap]

2 minutes ago, Golden Duck said:

Aye.  Third_eye are you 'igh?

Breakfasting , and coffee...

~

[+Nuclear Wessel]

4 minutes ago, Golden Duck said:

Aye.  Third_eye are you 'igh?

Aye,

I 'igh 

[+Sherapy]

17 minutes ago, third_eye said:

Let's look at the burning bush we are dancing around... 

Is the mind, I 

Or 

Am I, the mind 

?

~

I am that I am...

[SHaYap]

Just now, Sherapy said:

I am that I am...

Popeye the sailor man 

*toot toot*

~

[+Desertrat56]

I like the idea of "Do Easy".  I have been practicing it in some parts of my life for a long time.   For me it is writing down as I work, what I am doing, what time I started and when I finished or got interrupted so that updating my timesheet is easy.   I sometimes miss writing something down and have to waste time looking through emails to remind myself what I did.  Another thing is doing  my work in a way that is easy to read, understand so that if someone comes to change or fix something later it is easy for them (often that someone is me 2 years later).  

Another thing I do that makes my work life easier is keeping notes, sometimes I have to go back and explain to someone what I did or how I fixed something and that might be 2 days or 2 months later.   In my personal life I do some things like in the video Xeno shared, like keep my clothes picked up.   And I do what Sherapy suggested from her class, take care of the clothes first.   I don't have time to get everything done every week so having habits that don't cause things to pile up more than they do helps and I suppose that is mindfulness.  

I think meditation is helpful but not required, at least not the sitting still and stilling your mind. You can meditate while you are doing the dishes, or sweeping, sewing, crocheting, painting etc.   But mindfulness is not something sustainable, there are distractions, emotional responses to some trigger, misunderstandings in communication, thought loops, that can take you "out".  It is normal and we have to be kind to ourselves.   Feeling like we have failed because we didn't live up to some ideal is further away from mindfulness than anything.   

 

[+Sherapy]

18 minutes ago, third_eye said:

 

~

19 minutes ago, third_eye said:

Popeye the sailor man 

*toot toot*

~

Excellent question my friend. 

[+Sherapy]

31 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

I like the idea of "Do Easy".  I have been practicing it in some parts of my life for a long time.   For me it is writing down as I work, what I am doing, what time I started and when I finished or got interrupted so that updating my timesheet is easy.   I sometimes miss writing something down and have to waste time looking through emails to remind myself what I did.  Another thing is doing  my work in a way that is easy to read, understand so that if someone comes to change or fix something later it is easy for them (often that someone is me 2 years later).  

Another thing I do that makes my work life easier is keeping notes, sometimes I have to go back and explain to someone what I did or how I fixed something and that might be 2 days or 2 months later.   In my personal life I do some things like in the video Xeno shared, like keep my clothes picked up.   And I do what Sherapy suggested from her class, take care of the clothes first.   I don't have time to get everything done every week so having habits that don't cause things to pile up more than they do helps and I suppose that is mindfulness.  

I think meditation is helpful but not required, at least not the sitting still and stilling your mind. You can meditate while you are doing the dishes, or sweeping, sewing, crocheting, painting etc.   But mindfulness is not something sustainable, there are distractions, emotional responses to some trigger, misunderstandings in communication, thought loops, that can take you "out".  It is normal and we have to be kind to ourselves.   Feeling like we have failed because we didn't live up to some ideal is further away from mindfulness than anything.   

 

I love this part, and great point it can be misleading to portray ourselves as anything more than we are first and foremost human and it is a big part of the picture. I think these human moments, stress, getting stuck in our minds, forgetting, etc give us the opportunity to practice self kindness, compassion, empathy and there will be times we won’t take the opportunity. Lol etc. etc. 

 

I also think that meditation doesn’t need to be formal, the idea for me is to incorporate it into my waking life. Like you, this can be a lot of things, walking my dog, folding clothes, sweeping, yoga...

I also let my mind run free at times too. I got the idea from Head Space a series on Netflix this little circle named Andy takes you thru guided meditations and one of them was just let your mind do it’s own thing for a few. 

Great post, thank you for sharing.

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Sherapy

[+Sherapy]

3 hours ago, The Wistman said:

There's also the notion that mindfulness can serve a deeper function, since the observer self can see in the moment, in sequence, how one acts and reacts with the world, without ego intervention.  In the moment, without commentary.  Noting especially our reactive feelings, unvarnished, helps us to understand the motives and fears that lead us to behave in the patterns that we do.  Often, in recollecting something that was not observed mindfully, our ego will massage the memory and thwart our own self analysis, which we have to know truthfully so that if need be we can help ourselves.

Well said.

[+Hammerclaw]

Thinking and meditation are fine things, but experiencing life in the actual, the tangible in real-time is just as important. We are physical beings living a material universe and should, insofar as it is possible, interact at that level as much as we can. Life isn't always quiet moments of peace and contemplation, cherished as those times are. There is much wisdom in contemplating the physical world around us. Nature is a most gracious teacher.

[+Sherapy]

5 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said:

Thinking and meditation are fine things, but experiencing life in the actual, the tangible in real-time is just as important. We are physical beings living a material universe and should, insofar as it is possible, interact at that level as much as we can. Life isn't always quiet moments of peace and contemplation, cherished as those times are. There is much wisdom in contemplating the physical world around us. Nature is a most gracious teacher.

Indeed, well said. A few moments of being fully present is truly awe inspiring.

 

[+Hammerclaw]

40 minutes ago, Sherapy said:

Indeed, well said. A few moments of being fully present is truly awe inspiring.

 

My wallpaper:

[+Sherapy]

1 minute ago, Hammerclaw said:

My wallpaper:

Beautiful, is this on your new computer. 

[+Hammerclaw]

5 minutes ago, Sherapy said:

Beautiful, is this on your new computer. 

Yes. It and similar images can be found under the search, "woman running on beach". It was a preinstalled option and I wondered where it was taken. It's on the northern tip of New Zealand on a beach on the peninsula north of the Bay of Plenty, I believe.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Hammerclaw

[+Sherapy]

1 hour ago, Hammerclaw said:

Yes. It and similar images can be found under the search, "woman running on beach". It was a preinstalled option and I wondered where it was taken. It's on the northern tip of New Zealand on a beach on the peninsula north of the Bay of Plenty, I believe.

It looks similar to the beaches where I am. Palos Verdes Peninsula has some of the most beautiful coastlines and beaches in the world. It never gets old to hike or drive the coast. 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Sherapy

[+Hammerclaw]

1 minute ago, Sherapy said:

It looks similar to the beaches where I am. Pails Verdes Peninsula has some of the most beautiful coastlines and beaches in the world. 

Same ocean, different hemisphere. California has more shoreline than most countries in the world.

[+Sherapy]

44 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said:

Same ocean, different hemisphere. California has more shoreline than most countries in the world.

I have heard this, but that there is a coastline in Australia that is as beautiful as Palos Verdes. I think I heard it from Psyche, I think it is where he rides his motorcycle. 
 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Sherapy

[+Hammerclaw]

17 minutes ago, Sherapy said:

I have heard this, but that there is a coastline in Australia that is as beautiful as Palos Verdes. I think I heard it from Psyche, I think it is where he rides his motorcycle. 
 

 

There are astonishingly beautiful beaches and coastlines all over the world. My screensaver changes everyday, often putting up beach scenes I'd swear were California that are from places like Spain, Portugal or Africa.

[+Sherapy]

6 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said:

There are astonishingly beautiful beaches and coastlines all over the world. My screensaver changes everyday, often putting up beach scenes I'd swear were California that are from places like Spain, Portugal or Africa.

I took this one day on a hike back when starfish washed up on the beach, before a bacteria wiped out the entire starfish population. It was magical, one trek Sean and I saw about 3 different species of starfish wash ashore as we walked the shoreline. 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Sherapy