What's the Message? Part 1- Increasing Awareness

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

                                                                                                         -Buddha

The first step toward creating a more positive mindset is to increase awareness of negative messages.  We can do this by becoming more mindful. To be mindful is to be fully present and aware of one’s own state of being in a given moment.  When we increase our mindfulness, we increase our ability to recognize when we are taking in information.  It is common for many of us to hear the radio, but not actually listen or to watch the television/computer, but not see the true content.   Technology can provide background ‘noise’ which fills the quiet space conducive to mindfulness.  It is important to remember that whether we are conscious of the information our brain is taking in or not, it is getting in there and impacting our thoughts/feelings about ourselves and the world we live in.

An effective way to begin practicing mindfulness is to focus on the senses.  We ‘sense’ in the moment, not the past or the future.  Throughout the day, we can stop for one or two minutes and do a sensing ‘scan’.

 Here are some questions we can ask:

What am I hearing? Try shifting this sense from the immediate environment, like the room, train car, or automobile you are occupying to the broader world outside.

What am I seeing?  Am I gazing into the distance without focus, staring at a computer screen, or seeing images in my mind of a past experience or a place I would rather be at the moment.

What am I touching?  Be aware of the physical points where your body makes contact with the material world, such as thighs resting on the chair seat, elbows on armrests, etc.  Try closing your eyes and sensing your feet (ideal situation- to be shoeless with feet planted flat on the ground) then continue upward through the body. 

What am I smelling?   Be aware of the smells around you by identifying them without judgment. 

What am I tasting?  If applicable, savor the flavor of whatever you are eating/drinking by slowing down and identifying each step- i.e. the fork/container touching your lips, chewing, swallowing, etc.

It important to keep in mind that there is no ‘right’ way to be mindful as long as we increase, by some degree, our awareness of the present moment.  Once we are aware, we can then reduce negative messages in order to make 'room' for more positive information.

In the next chapter, we will look at ways to reduce our intake of negative messages.