Mindfulness Daily Check-Im July 21 2017

Hi everyone today How has your day/night been going? Today I thought of doing the check-in on worrying. We all do it-some do it a little and some this really affects our daily lives. It can impact on everything we do, we think, and how we interact with others as well as percieve things in society. So lets focus a bit deeper......

No one likes the way constant worrying makes us feel, so why is it so difficult to stop? The answer lies in the beliefs, both negative and positive you have about worrying. On the negative side, you may believe that your constant worrying is going to spiral completely out of control, drive you crazy, or damage your health. On the positive side, you may believe that your worrying helps you avoid bad things, prepare for the worst, or come up with solutions. You may even believe that worrying shows youre a caring and conscientious person.

Negative beliefs, or worrying about worrying, add to your anxiety and keep it going (much in the same way worrying about getting to sleep often keeps you awake). But positive beliefs about worrying can be even more damaging. Its tough to break the worry habit if you believe that your worrying protects you. In order to stop worry and anxiety for good, you must give up your belief that worrying serves a positive purpose. Once you realize that worrying is the problem, not the solution, you can regain control of your worried mind.

Now lets learn some mindfulness skills to help us relieve/lesson some of our worries

Create a worry period Its tough to be productive in your daily life when anxiety and worry are dominating your thoughts. But what can you do? Telling yourself to stop worrying doesnt work I know this, at least not for long. You can distract yourself for a moment, but you cant banish anxious thoughts for good. In fact, trying to do so often makes them stronger and more persistent. You can test this out for yourself. Close your eyes and picture a pink elephant. Once you can see it in your mind, stop thinking about it. Whatever you do, for the next 60 seconds, dont think about pink elephants! How did you do? Did thoughts of pink elephants keep popping in your brain?

Postpone your worry If an anxious thought or worry comes into your head during the day, make a brief note of it and then continue about your day. Remind yourself that youll have time to think about it later, so theres no need to worry about it right now. You can do this!

Ask yourself if the problem is solvable If a worry pops into your head, start by asking yourself whether the problem is something you can actually solve. The following questions can help:

1.Is the problem something you're currently facing, rather than an imaginary what-if?

2. If the problem is an imaginary what-if, how likely is it to happen? Is your concern realistic?

3. Can you do something about the problem or prepare for it, or is it out of your control?

Using mindfulness meditation to stay focused on the present is a simple concept, but it takes practice to reap the benefits. At first, youll probably find that your mind keeps wandering back to your worries. Try not to get frustrated. Each time you draw your focus back to the present, youre reinforcing a new mental habit that will help you break free of the negative worry cycle. Believe in yourself that you can do this. And we all are here to help one another

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