Mindfulness

CATEGORY: PERSONAL

Why:

Mindfulness is a powerful set of tools to notice the state of our minds and create greater focus, among other benefits.

Warm-Up:

What is on your mind right now other than this conversation?

Exploration:

Our minds are like monkeys, always jumping around, easily distracted. When do you tend to get most distracted, and what do you do about it? Mindfulness is a set of ways to notice what our minds are doing, which then gives us the power to focus or get unstuck. Some people do sitting meditation, others take walks or runs, listen to a mindfulness app, or lie down in bed and watch their wandering thoughts. However you do it, whether a regular practice or just when you're feeling distracted, mindfulness is a powerful way to refocus and feel more calm and aware. Can you imagine ways to try it in your own life?

Additional Resources:

It can be pretty frustrating to have a “monkey mind” sometimes, especially when it gets you stuck in thoughts or emotions that are not helping you or anyone else. So people have come up with lots of ways to try to control their monkey mind. One of the most powerful ways is meditation, which is a form of mindfulness. Mindfulness just means learning how to be aware of the present moment, noticing what’s happening in your mind and around. With practice, this lets you notice when you’re getting stuck in the same thoughts or negative emotions, so you can do something about it. It can help you feel more peaceful, calm, and happy.

Here are two short videos to introduce meditation, made by Headspace, a popular mindfulness app:

Getting Started

Changing Perspective