Mindfulness

What is mindfulness? Simply put, you are mindful when you are aware of your thoughts.

When you become aware of your thoughts, you separate yourself from your thoughts. There are your thoughts, and here is you, observing them.

This is important because if you are unable to separate yourself from your thoughts, you can become controlled by them.

The brain has two main purposes. One is to control the autonomic functions to keep the body alive and healthy.

The other function is to create. It uses logic, memory and sensory input to create solutions for present moment situations. We receive these solutions in the form of thought.

The brain can also create solutions for situations which are not in the present moment, or even creation for the sake of creation, such as music or art. This is called ideation. When a thought arises in the mind, it arrives in a form understandable to humans, as mental sound, i.e., the voice in your head, images or mental movies. These scenarios of an imaginary future or past can develop an element of emotion because they are time-based.

Unfortunately, your body doesn’t know the difference between thought generated by a present moment situation and one of an imaginary past or future.

If you received bad news in the present moment, your body would react automatically with all of the physical effects of crying; tears, flushed complexion, increased respiration.

However, if you are watching an engaging movie and the main character is given bad news, your body will react in exactly the same way.

This is also true when you were think of an imaginary event of the future which causes you fear or one from the past which makes you feel regret. As these thoughts grow, they create a feedback loop between your body and your brain, resulting in a torrent of negative emotion.

There is a term for being controlled by incessant, distructive thought: insanity. Few would disagree that a person who walks around shouting at people who aren’t there is insane. But what does that make us when we mutter something to ourselves?

Insanity is a disease. And, we all on the spectrum.

The only way to end the cycle of thought is to become mindful, to bring your focus on the present moment.

If you are new to mindfulness, a simplest way to start is to try this short exercise. Sit comfortably in a chair, preferably somewhere you won’t be disturbed. Press play, then close your eyes.

Please know that you don’t have to sit with your eyes closed to be mindful. With practice, mindfulness and the present moment can be experienced at any time.

For you, the time before thought returned may have been short. Don’t judge yourself for not being able to maintain the mindful state for very long. The key is to make the switch from thought to no thought second nature. If you were in an unfamiliar darkened room, it might take awhile to find out where the light switch is. However, the more times that you turn the light on, the faster and easier it will be to find the light switch.

Find the switch that brings you back to mindfulness.