Marvelously Mindful
Ready to be Marvelously Mindful?
Mindfulness brings our awareness to the present and just allows our thoughts, feelings, and sensations be- without judgment. How often do we find ourselves distracted by everyday worries, fears, or discomfort? There is a good chance it’s more than what we would like to admit. Don’t despair! There are ways we can bring our minds back to a peaceful place. We do this by practicing mindfulness.
The importance of Being Non-Judgmental
One of the most important aspects of mindfulness is that it is non-judgmental. That is, we do not evaluate our thoughts or feelings as being either “good” or “bad.” We just let our thoughts, feelings, and body sensations happen. We create a neutral place where our thoughts can just be seen and heard without placing “shoulds” or “coulds” on them.” For example, a judgmental thought might be “I should be working right now instead of taking a break.” This thought places a judgment on our behavior and elicits feelings of shame. An example of a mindful replacement thought might be “I am letting myself crochet for the next 10 minutes and then I will get back to work.” Now you try it! Do you think the following thoughts are judgemental or non-judgmental: “I wish I could finish this paper sooner!” “I am such a bad football player, I should have scored that point,” “Uggh! I am so tired right now.”
Practice Making Neutral or Non-Judgmental Statements
If you said that those were all judgemental, you would be correct! Now, let’s practice making them into neutral or non-judgmental statements. Examples might be: “This paper will get finished, it may not be right away, but that is okay.” “I did not score that point, and that is okay.” “My body is tired right now and I will find out why when I get a chance.” Do you feel the difference between the judgmental and non-judgmental thoughts? I know that just writing the neutral statements already makes me feel better.
In a similar way to our thoughts, our feelings can be brought to the surface in a non-judgmental way. Whether the feelings are “good” or “bad,” a mindful stance allows all feelings to sit at the surface and be acknowledged without being judged. Feelings such as dismay, astonishment, pressure, overwhelm, nervousness, worthlessness, value, courage, annoyance, disappointment, appreciation, sensitivity, powerlessness, and inspiration are all treated the same. They are all allowed space to just be felt.
Similar to emotional feelings, our bodies also have physical sensations that come to the surface. Examples of physical sensations include tight, tingly, relaxed, trembly, drained, cozy, constricted, comfortable, or grounded. Just notice and acknowledge these sensations- don’t judge them as “good” or “bad”! Now that you know what it is to be mindful, how about building your mindfulness skills for stress- reduction?
Helping You Become Marvelously Mindful In Your Everyday Life
Marvelous Mind aims to help those struggling with their thoughts, feelings, and bodies in various ways including individual therapy and group therapy. We will also be hosting our brand new Marvelously Mindful series on social media (Facebook and Instagram) to help our Marvelous families become mindful in their everyday lives. This series aims to offer tips and strategies that can be used to bring our minds and bodies to a more non-judgemental place in order to live a more mindful life. Check it out!