12-Sep-2018
By Kim O’Neill, CEO, On the Line
William Shakespeare famously said, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”.
Let’s face it, life has its ups and downs, and its struggles. And no matter who you are, at some stage in your life you are going to experience a relationship breakdown, death of a loved one, being made redundant or unemployed. Just LIFE. And during these life events you’re probably going to feel fear, anger, resentment, grief, loneliness and a whole lot of other feelings and emotions. Maybe all of them at once.
We deal with our thoughts and feelings in both healthy and unhealthy ways. Some of us abuse ourselves, judging and punishing ourselves for our perceived failures and shortcomings. And so we suffer.
The good news is, research now acknowledges that mindfulness practice, or paying attention non-judgmentally moment to moment, can really make a difference to your life and your levels of contentment or happiness. It’s not a magic pill, or a quick fix, but it does work and it changes your life for the better!
Like learning any new skill or training for a marathon you need to practice. Start with small goals and build up to establishing a daily meditation or sitting routine.
There are a couple of basic aspects to mindfulness practice:
- Focus your attention on the breath.
- Recognise or notice what’s happening in your mind and body.
- Allow whatever comes up, or the thoughts that come into your mind, to come and go without judgement, resistance or grasping.
Remember… You are not your thoughts, and you don’t have to believe them.
More information on mindfulness
https://mensline.org.au/blog/what-is-mindfulness/