Where to begin? Start with awareness
When you want to understand what is really happening, when you know you need to make changes but don’t know where to start, when you have a decision to make…
Start with awareness.
Think of your brain as working with two different parts.
· The observing or ‘watching’ mind
· The ‘busy’ mind that is full of thoughts, feelings, ideas and images
Most of the time you are caught up in the busy part of your mind — thinking, reasoning, remembering, judging, analysing and making plans.
You can start to grow awareness by paying more attention to the observing part of your mind. Think of the observing mind as the blue sky, while the busy part of your brain is like the weather.
The observing mind (like the sky) is always blue, never changing and always just there. In contrast, the busy part of your mind is constantly experiencing storms, rain, hail, sunny weather, wind and change. Even where there is damaging weather, the blue sky remains unchanged and unaffected — clear and calm forever.
The observing mind (like the blue sky) is always just there and just notices.
If you are noticing something you are thinking, feeling or doing, you are building awareness of that activity. Typical noticing thoughts might include: “Here’s a feeling of frustration,” “I notice I’m beginning to feel stressed,” “Here’s that thought that I’ll mess it up again,” “I’m noticing that I’m thinking about that situation again” and “I’m starting to eat again.”
It's the noticing that builds your awareness.
Notice that noticing has no judgment (there is no right or wrong) and no analysis (there is no reasoning).
When you notice what is happening inside your mind, you can better understand your behaviour and make room for unwanted thoughts and feelings rather than fight or do problematic things to escape, avoid or get rid of them.
What you can do:
Practise noticing:
a) Stop what you are doing for a moment.
b) Take a deep, slow breath.
c) Observe – Notice (with interest and curiosity) any thoughts, feelings or ideas.