Being in the moment, telling the choir in our minds to stop singing!!!

Being in the here and now, not yesterday, not tomorrow. Just HERE NOW! That is my mindful.....

LOL Evelyn, I'm learning it and will give you a hand if you want!

I'm in group therapy with it once a week and learning alot.....

Do you remember that it's alot about being present in the moment? The mindful part of it is anyway....there is alot to it and we are just skimming personal effectiveness skills now.But I thought I'd mention it and share what I know! It sure helps me alot....God knows I need it! lol

They are:
# (1) Emotion Mind,
# (2)Reasonable Mind, and
# (3) Wise Mind.
1.Emotion mind occurs when our thoughts are being controlled by our emotions. If the emotions are fear, or anger they may keep our thoughts so volatile that we have trouble being reasonable.
2.Reasonable mind is when we can think logically, be rational about what is occurring.
3.Wise mind is the interception between emotion and reasonable mind. Wise mind is part reason and part emotion and what makes us know were in this mind is often a sense of intuition. It can sometimes be described as that aha moment.

When I experience wise mind, I have a sense of stepping back from the situation. Like I might look at a person and be able to see how theyre struggling, but Im not taking their struggles personally. Rather, I have a sense of compassion that makes me want to be validating toward them.

Heres an example: I have a relative who is extremely self-centered. When I talk to him he goes on and on talking about himself. Occasionally, he might ask me a question, but he never remembers the answer. The only times he remembers what I have told him is when I talk about him. For many years, I took this personally. I thought he didnt really care about me at all and only wanted an audience.

Then one day it hit me. He was talking, but I had put up a bit of an emotional shield because I was tired of being disappointed. I suddenly saw how sad it was that he couldnt listen to me or anyone else, that his self esteem was so damaged that in all his social encounters he tried over and over again to prove that he was okay. I could understand what that felt like and I saw him with more compassion and didnt get caught up in caring about whether he ever listened to me.

I saw his desperation and without thought or effort, I began to be more validating.Instead of walking away wounded, I congratulated him for his achievements. When he talked about problems, I didnt give him suggestions or advice, I just said, That must have been very difficult for you. He stopped trying to pull a response out of me and said. Thats right. It was. Im glad you understand.

That realization and acceptance without taking it personally is an example of wise mind.
I hope this helps. Brian

Damn Brian.......awesome job!!

Well Evelyn screw me! Ask Brian!! lmao

ROTFL..................I hope it helped.

Sure did and I think it will help alot of others on the boards too Brian!

If we can the thing that you mentioned into play, every day, with just one situation, it may just be one less panic attack ya know!! lol

To me, being in a mindful place is a place of non-judgment. We observe, but do not judge.

When I put myself in my mindful place, I am able to sit on the floor or other comfortable spot, clear my mind, observe what is going on without judgement. For me, it is like putting myself into a trance-like state, and when I am finished, I feel less stress and much more centered. I often do the same thing during the day when things get a little crazy.

I hope you find your mindful place. XOX