Blog Post
Mindfulness
- By Amy Jo Claffey
- •
- 07 Nov, 2018
- •
Get out of the vague and into the sensory details
You know that free-floating anxiety that makes you feel a slight-to-overwhelming sense of dread or impending doom? You know that slow burn of depression that robs you of your ability to jump up and get things done?
WELL I HAVE HELP FOR YOU!!!
I'm not even kidding. This works.
Here's how:
Step 1: Feel anxious or depressed.
Step 2: Decide you must be hungry.
Step 3: Decide you must be lazy.
Step 4: Decide you are the worst person ever.
Step 5: Decide all your bills are due and nobody loves you, how could they.
Step 6: REALIZE YOU ARE ANXIOUS OR DEPRESSED!
Step 7: Oh, right. I remember now.
Step 8: Begin every tactic known to humankind to ignore anxiety and/or depression.
Step 9: Disengage from your surroundings. AKA dissociation.
Step 10: REMEMBER AMY JO'S ARTICLE ABOUT MINDFULNESS
Step 11: Frantically log on to lostacorn.com and find the blog page and this blog
Step 12: Be amazed that you got back here in your state.
Step 13: HERE IS THE REAL MINDFULNESS STUFF:
A. Take a deep breath. Now take a deeper one. Now take the deepest breath you can.
B. Now THINK ABOUT everything around you.
C. Notice every smell. I often do this while I'm out doing the duck chores. And so I notice the fresh, sweet smell of the straw. The musty smell of the duck poo I haven't cleaned up yet. The wet smell of the fall leaves after the rain. The smell of the breeze in the mountains.
D. Think about every little thing you can see. The fur baby. The soft fur on the fur baby. The tone of the color of the fur. The wet nose, how it glistens. The floor. The color of the floor. The coffee spill you missed. Your cup of coffee. The way the cream swirls on the top. Okay, you get the idea. I want DETAILS.
E. Listen. Listen to every little sound. The distant sound of a bird calling. For me, it's a Stellar's Jay pretending she is a great big eagle. So cute. Listen to the ducks talking quietly to each other. Listen to the breathing of the living being next to you. Listen to the hum of your computer.
NOW YOU ARE GROUNDED.
Take a few more deep, deep breaths. Now, move into what you are doing, while staying in this state of mindfulness. As you sweep, think about every dust particle. Think about the sound of the broom swishing. You're just about to notice something very big about yourself that YOU DIDN'T KNOW.
You live in avoidance. That's where you dwell, baby. Um-hum. Pretty much the minute you start with Step 1, you go straight into thought avoidance. It's like, la-dee-da I'm not really here la-dee-da. It doesn't work, but by the goddess, you have been doing it without really being aware of it pretty much since you were in grade school.
Stay in Step 13 as long as you possibly can. It is LIKE MAGIC, I tell you. You pay attention to details around you, and like magic, the anxiety and/or depression lightens up a little, then a little more. Oh sure, it's going to come back, hello, this is US we're talking about, but RELIEF. Oh my GOD it feels good.
WELL I HAVE HELP FOR YOU!!!
I'm not even kidding. This works.
Here's how:
Step 1: Feel anxious or depressed.
Step 2: Decide you must be hungry.
Step 3: Decide you must be lazy.
Step 4: Decide you are the worst person ever.
Step 5: Decide all your bills are due and nobody loves you, how could they.
Step 6: REALIZE YOU ARE ANXIOUS OR DEPRESSED!
Step 7: Oh, right. I remember now.
Step 8: Begin every tactic known to humankind to ignore anxiety and/or depression.
Step 9: Disengage from your surroundings. AKA dissociation.
Step 10: REMEMBER AMY JO'S ARTICLE ABOUT MINDFULNESS
Step 11: Frantically log on to lostacorn.com and find the blog page and this blog
Step 12: Be amazed that you got back here in your state.
Step 13: HERE IS THE REAL MINDFULNESS STUFF:
A. Take a deep breath. Now take a deeper one. Now take the deepest breath you can.
B. Now THINK ABOUT everything around you.
C. Notice every smell. I often do this while I'm out doing the duck chores. And so I notice the fresh, sweet smell of the straw. The musty smell of the duck poo I haven't cleaned up yet. The wet smell of the fall leaves after the rain. The smell of the breeze in the mountains.
D. Think about every little thing you can see. The fur baby. The soft fur on the fur baby. The tone of the color of the fur. The wet nose, how it glistens. The floor. The color of the floor. The coffee spill you missed. Your cup of coffee. The way the cream swirls on the top. Okay, you get the idea. I want DETAILS.
E. Listen. Listen to every little sound. The distant sound of a bird calling. For me, it's a Stellar's Jay pretending she is a great big eagle. So cute. Listen to the ducks talking quietly to each other. Listen to the breathing of the living being next to you. Listen to the hum of your computer.
NOW YOU ARE GROUNDED.
Take a few more deep, deep breaths. Now, move into what you are doing, while staying in this state of mindfulness. As you sweep, think about every dust particle. Think about the sound of the broom swishing. You're just about to notice something very big about yourself that YOU DIDN'T KNOW.
You live in avoidance. That's where you dwell, baby. Um-hum. Pretty much the minute you start with Step 1, you go straight into thought avoidance. It's like, la-dee-da I'm not really here la-dee-da. It doesn't work, but by the goddess, you have been doing it without really being aware of it pretty much since you were in grade school.
Stay in Step 13 as long as you possibly can. It is LIKE MAGIC, I tell you. You pay attention to details around you, and like magic, the anxiety and/or depression lightens up a little, then a little more. Oh sure, it's going to come back, hello, this is US we're talking about, but RELIEF. Oh my GOD it feels good.
