I’ve been practising mindfulness more than ever recently. I think it’s so important, especially when I’m very busy as it helps me stay focused and not end up with lots to do and doing none of it. I recently learnt a new technique which is helping me more than I ever thought it would so I think its only right to share it.

mindfulness

noun

• the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
• a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

A river of thoughts

Experts estimate that we have 60,000-80,000 thoughts a day. So imagine your mind like a river, with these thoughts just flowing down it like water, ocassionally one of these thoughts will pop up to the surface just like a piece of debris or a stick and if you leave it then eventually it will float back down. The problem is, when a negative thought pops up, many of us don’t leave it, we pull it out and start dwelling on it, analysising and critising it. Before we know it our calm flowing river has turned it to a raging current and our minds are all over the place unable to find any focus.

We all have the power to let the negative thoughts flow down our river without pulling them out when they pop up to the surface, you just gotta change your focus to something else, a task, call up one of your friends, go and make a coffee just something to allow you to let that thought pass without pulling it out of the river. The more you can allow the thoughts to pass down the river, the easier it becomes. You are in control of your thoughts, don’t let them be in control of you!