My Best Self 101 Blog
When I got home, I felt like a brand new person. My situation was the exact same—my homework did not magically do itself and my work was still stressful. However, I was changed. My whole perception of the world seemed to shift more positively, and I felt so much resolution that I could accomplish even the hardest of tasks before me. I attribute every ounce of this change in perception to taking a few moments to mindfully focus on gratitude.
Mindfulness is more than sitting in a dark room and breathing with your eyes closed. Mindfulness is the quality of our moment to moment awareness. Now, don’t get me wrong, this quality of awareness needs to be cultivated! It’s not going to just pop up willy nilly because you decided you wanted it to! It all starts with a few minutes of focused attention each day.
Our mind is like a stage. Thoughts come and go every second of every day, and as directors of the entertainment, we get to decide which thoughts deserve the spotlight and which ones don’t. As we put the spotlight on more deserving thoughts, we’ll be able to emulate greater happiness in a world that might feel as though there aren’t many things to be happy about.
David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, said, “We all have moments of suffering, but we can either be broken by those moments or we can be broken open by them.” Just like the plants and seeds in the field, we too can be broken open to create new life, new joy, and new hope by the fires that seek to destroy us.
Yoga is a very popular form of exercise, and once you experience the benefits for yourself, it’s easy to see why. Coupled with good nutrition, yoga can help you fall asleep faster, alleviate chronic pain, and reduce stress and anxiety. But can you still practice yoga effectively while social distancing or quarantining? Thankfully, the answer is yes.
When you pay attention and nourish the positive emotions, they will come back more and more often. Experiencing both positive and negative emotions is part of being human. It is important to recognize that nobody is immune to uncomfortable thoughts, and nobody is incapable of nourishing helpful ones so that they become more prominent participants in our daily lives.
Intuitive eating refers to a way of eating that promotes flexibility and freedom by relying on the body’s physical sensations of hunger and fullness. This approach encourages people to simply eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. It does not involve counting calories or cutting out food groups. Rather, it involves trusting your body to tell you what it needs.
