Lived Experience Forum

[Phoenix_Rising]

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@BlueBaywrote:
@Lauzhow do you keep your mind empty when it's full of other stuff. You can't be mindful when it's full.

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@BlueBay Being mindful doesn't mean emptying your mind. It means focusing on one thing. If you are focusing on listening to the birds then you are focusing on listening to the birds. It's ok if thoughts of other things come into your mind. You just notice them and then turn your attention back to the birds. It's ok if your mind wanders a bazillion times. Each time it does, you just notice and then turn your attention back to the birds again. 

[Pepsimax]

@Adge tell me more about it

[Lauz]

Thanks for all your great perspectives here and welcome @Pepsimax, @Former-Member @Mizzle - that mind body connection is something we will look at shortly.

 @Teej you are not a goose! Mindfulness is a bit of a big term to get our heads around and everyone has different ways of seeing it. It can be seen to connect with anything in the present moment. We will touch on more of this as we go!

[Adge]

@TeejYour idea sounds right, I'm sure there's no contradiction in it...

Adge

[Former-Member]

@Teej When I have intrusive thoughts that disrupt things for me, and I am able to take the time to do so, I will sit with those thoughts, accept I have them and see if I can find out what they are trying to disclose to me so I can better not be affected negatively by them.

Unless it's something I need to more aware of for safety reasons, then the negative has a very real place. too. 

I use mindfullness as a matter of course in my daily activities unless I'm too overwhelmed by sadness.

[Pepsimax]

@Phoenix_Rising really explained well

[BlueBay]

Sorry my comment was stupid. I didn't understand it.

[Phoenix_Rising]

Hi @Teej,

You're not a goose. 

Our thoughts, feelings and sensations can very much be what we mindfully focus on. That's what I am doing when I'm riding the wave - letting the super giant feelings wash over me without fighting them or pushing them away. I've found that the more I fight them, the worse they get - like trying to swim against the current. When I'm riding the wave, I am being fully present in the pain of the super giant emotion. 

[Lauz]

There have been some really great examples here of mindful activities (which is something we will come back to) and some equally great perspectives on what mindfullness means to each of you. The feeling of needing to empty our mind can be a high expectation and as @Phoenix_Rising mentioned it doesn't necessarily need to be emptied - it could more be seen to connect better with something in the moment to slow that full mind down!

Lets move to the next point

Why does mindfulness help us? We have had some lovely reasons given already so lets keep going with that!

So, mindfulness in recent times has been found to:

• Help us to reduce our emotional reactivity
• Can help to lower the overthinking monsters in our mind
• enhance our creativity
• help with our resilience
• create a better relationship between you and your mind, helping feelings of loneliness. Breaking through the struggle we may have with liking ourselves.

Has anyone here found it helpful? Does anyone have any other perspectives on why you may like to try mindfulness? Or even why you think mindfulness could be helpful if you haven’t already tried it?

[Former-Member]

@BlueBay Please don't think that, your comment was not stupid at all! 

I'm wanting to know more about how to deal with those 'my mind is full of other stuff' times too.