September e-news
Dr Suzy Green
Spring has sprung! It's time to come out of hibernation, put the uggies and woolies into storage and start planning for a well-earned summer holiday. Having a trip to a seaside location to look forward to can also help you focus on any outstanding goals. Review your goal list for the year and tick off your achievements and then make a plan to complete any outstanding actions by the end of the year. You might also like to email me for a listing of common energy drainers that can be addressed in order to give you more vitality!
Last month I provided you with a list of challenging questions that you could use to challenge and replace any ANTS (automatic negative thoughts). If you have committed to practicing this skill you might find your mood has improved and you are less frustrated, disappointed or upset than you have been for a long time. If not, it's a matter of continuing to practice the skill until you literally think differently. Don't be too hard on yourself though as old patterns of thinking can be strongly ingrained (via neural pathways in our brain) and may take time to change (via the creation of new neural pathways). Consulting with a registered psychologist who is trained in CBT might also assist in helping you to develop good thinking! Go to www.psychology.org.au.
Another important skill to assist you to think differently, feel differently and behave differently is to learn to be more mindful. Increasing mindfulness enhances our sense of well-being and also assists us to behave in the manner we desire, rather than falling back into unconscious and habitual ways of reacting.
This month I'll provide you with an overview of mindfulness and provide you with some simple suggestions as to how you might start to experience the benefits of being present.
Month 9 - Increasing Mindfulness - Part 1 - A little less "doing", a little more "being"!
Unless you have recently joined the growing bunch of "sea-changers" or "tree changers" in Australia (23% of Australians have downshifted in the last 10 years! - Australia Institute, 2003), you are probably like most of us "busy-bees" who are juggling work, relationships, families and other commitments with little time to relax and just BE! Many of us are very good at "doing" and although we know that striving towards meaningful life goals is associated with high levels of well-being, we also know from research that time spent just "being" is as equally important to our well-being. You might like to reflect for a moment on your ratio of "doing" to "being"?
We all know how important it is to integrate regular exercise into our weekly timetables however how many of us are as committed to regular relaxation or meditation practice? Like any new behaviour change, having a rationale for making change is extremely important - so read on!
This Month's Action Plan - "Be Here Now"
Mindfulness is most commonly defined as the state of being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present. Recent research has shown that the enhancement of mindfulness through training facilitates a variety of well-being outcomes.
Most of us rush around busy or in a state of constant distraction with the many tasks we have to complete every day. Learning to "be here now" can impact on our well-being in a number of ways.
Firstly it requires us to bring our attention to what is in front of us. This can help us savour the situation or person more fully. Think about your efforts to spend "quality time" with your kids and how you can easily be drawn back to thinking about the many other tasks you have to complete. Being in the present can stop us from taking things for granted and can help us to focus on the "little wonders" of our daily lives that give meaning to the daily grind.
Additionally, many of us spend time ruminating on the past - reflecting on things that went wrong or regretting actions we did or didn't take. This can too often lead to frustration, disappointment or sadness.
Alternatively many of us are totally future focused and put our happiness and well-being on hold while we strive madly towards another material possession! Others pursue trivial pursuits that have no link to our magnificent obsessions. Either way, spending too much time in the past or in the future can prevent us from being in the "present" and enjoying the only time we have - the time that is available to us NOW!
This month I would encourage you to simply attempt to stay in the present. Each time you notice your mind shifting to the past or future or onto other activities that are not related to what is currently in front of you, bring your attention back to the here and now. Notice the difference in how you feel? Try it as a behavioural experiment, in psychologist speak!
If you are really keen to learn more, there are many books and CDs available that will teach you mindfulness meditation. If you are in Sydney, I can highly recommend a mindfulness meditation course run by John Barter (John is a psychologist and also lived as Buddhist monk for 10 years). John also has CDs available - see well-awareness.com.au.
Next Month...
I will continue with my discussion of mindfulness and the benefits of being present.
Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them. Alan Watts
Dr Suzy Green
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