Balanced Living
Finding balance in everyday life
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Do Something Different
Have you ever thought about how much of what you do each day is automatic?
Many people are living their lives on auto- pilot. They do the same things every day; talk with the same people, go to the same grocery store, drive the same way to work and watch the same TV shows.
People tend to be creatures of habit. Familiarity creates routine, which fosters a sense of security and control. If people know what to expect their anxiety is reduced.
One of draw backs to living life on auto- pilot is that it prevents people from growing. It can kill the excitement of relationships and prevent people from experiencing fun in their lives. It prevents people from trying different things and taking some risks, causing people to be stuck in a monotonous life.
Breaking routine and creating a life of new experiences requires a conscious effort. Many people spend very little time living in the moment. They are either lamenting about their past problems and negative life experiences or they are living a life of anticipation of the future, which generally creates a feeling of anxiety. When people focus their attention on one thing that is happening in the moment they get more satisfaction out of every second that passes by. It brings their consciousness back to being alive rather than an unconscious existence when living on auto-pilot.
In addition to developing mindfulness awareness, do something different every day. Take a different route to work, cook something you have never made before, listen to a style of music that is unfamiliar to you, or watch an educational TV show rather than the usual sit-com.
Ask yourself what you would normally do in a certain situation and do the opposite. Rather than spending an evening watching TV, go for a walk or a bike ride. Your body may need to physically adjust if you become more active but when done in moderation, and with a mindfulness focus, the benefits are both physically and emotionally beneficial.
Every second you are faced with different choices. You can either make choices consciously or react automatically. You can create a life of enjoyment full of experiences or fall into a routine of existence. The choice is yours to make.
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Meditation and Mindfulness
Meditation is a process to become aware of your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It is a way of being, not a technique. It is about allowing yourself to be exactly where you are and as you are, and the world to be exactly as it is. It makes you more aware of your actions and thoughts in the present moment. Any action performed with attentiveness is meditation. Attentiveness is nothing but to be fully aware and conscious while participating in any kind of activity of your life. To be in the present moment or to be mindful, while performing any action is meditation.
Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment,” mindfulness allows you to recognize your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as they arise without getting stuck in your usual, automatic reactions.
Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life, a way of taking charge of your life, a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you — consciously and systematically working with your own challenges and demands of everyday life.
In contrast, you’ve probably encountered moments of “mindlessness” — a loss of awareness resulting in forgetfulness, separation from self, and a sense of living mechanically.
Restoring within you a balanced sense of health and well-being requires increased awareness of all aspects of yourself, including body and mind, heart and soul. Meditation is about paying attention, and the only way in which you can pay attention is through your senses, all of them, including the mind.
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Mental Health Foundation - Mindfulness
