Do you take your 15 minute walk daily? How do you feel when you can't squeeze it in? How do you carry the mindfulness into your day and into your reactivity? I'm really curious about that!
Yep, trying to do this daily and the walk has been the key to getting me to do it. I used to just try to do it at home. I told my IC how I was struggling to fit it into my routine and that my mind was too busy thinking about the days activities to really get into it. Sometimes it was so busy that I decided it wasn't worth it and talked myself out of it. She suggested taking a walk and going to a different place - adds purpose and takes me away from the routine. The quality of my practice has improved immensely.
Since starting the new routine I've not skipped a day. Even when I have skipped the walk because of the weather, I have still made time for practice. By connecting the action (mindfulness) with a problem I want to work on (reactivity) I am much more motivated. Doctor's orders, ya know?! Thinking about it the other way, it turned a somewhat intangible action (DO NOT react) into a more tangible one (DO practice mindfulness). Total mind shift. I distinctly recall thinking: OK, I can do this!
I use the Headspace app on my iPhone and he throws in a few ideas about continuing mindfulness during the day. I still need to work on this. I do feel like I am calmer at work but it's hard to know as day to day activities vary a lot. I guess I'm not looking for daily improvements though. Based on the research, if I commit to mindfulness practice, the rest will follow.
Great to see that you've looked into a class already!
H 37 Me 36 Together 15 years Married 5 years No kids BD Apr 2014 H moved out 2 Jun 2014
