In the face of breaking headlines, it can be quite difficult to avoid negative thinking. Have you ever woken to find yourself dreading the coming day or expecting the worst? There is a saying that emotions love themselves. Negative thinking makes negative feelings and negative feelings bring on more unpleasant thoughts and feelings. Now, the goal is not to ignore the negative…let’s be honest, there are a lot of unpleasant, scary things going on right now. However, the goal for Mindfulness practice today is not to ignore anything. Rather, it is to stay in the present moment so we do not invite negative thinking or get locked into negative thinking. It is not helpful and it can paralyze us or derail us.
When you say, “Today will be terrible” or “Oh no another bad day,” or ,”What bad things are going to happen today?” you are not in the present moment. You are predicting the future. More than than that, you are actually tipping the scales towards having a bad day. When you say “Ugh, another day,” you are telling your brain what to notice. You then selectively notice the unpleasant or painful. It is not that those things aren’t in the mix. For people who miss visiting their loved ones, or those who can’t see their therapists, for clinicians worried about their clients, and for administrators faced with new and unprecedented challenges there is sadness, fear or exhaustion for sure. But, when we prime our brain to only notice those things, then it is negative experiences and feelings that will make up almost all of our day.
So today’s mindfulness practice is to practice staying in the present moment. If you can use the guided practice link below, please do so,
If you cannot, simply make it your practice to see things clearly in the present moment. See everything without filter. Notice everything without labeling or judging. If you do this, you may still be challenged or miss someone or resent the responsibility you face, but you will not be locking yourself into staying that way for the entire day. Take a breath and you will see the next moment more clearly. You will be more effective and you will likely have a better day.
My wish is for you to have your best day.
Peace.
Michele Galietta
