6.12 | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

[justMehere]

"Those who are asleep, are in their own world. Those who are awake, share the same world."

Wow, I love this!

I am getting in the workshop late.

I have been trying to be Mindful for years and sometimes I am able (have to remind myself) and when I do, I am so much happier. Even just washing dishes can be less of a chore when I just relax and am not rushing to get to the next thing.

When I find I need a reminder, I close my eyes and listen- I hear things I was not even hearing with my eyes open. I feel- hot sun, cool breeze, etc. I smell. then I open my eyes and the sense of relaxation is rewarding on it's own. then it allows me to focus my attention on one thing or person at a time. It gives me calmness that does not come easily to me. I have always prided myself on being a multi-tasker, but finding that just creates stress.

Now I just drive in the slow lane, watching everyone whiz on by, knowing I will still get to my destination. 

[At Bay]

I really appreciate your opinion and the information will help me. Thanks for knowing what I was talking about. I almost deleted it a couple of times.

I'm out of the house for physical therapy for sciatica twice a week and I'll take note of how I'm feeling going there. I deliberately chose a facility in the next town instead of one 2 min. from my home, so I could really get away from the house.

There's a ladies luncheon I've been forcing myself to attend once a month. I know I need to enjoy being there. 

[marlo6277]

I really like this thread.  

Here's a website for people who need a little help getting started on mindfulness.  

www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

Marlo  xoxo

[justMehere]

That was so relaxing I almost fell asleep. It was awesome. I will do it again.

[qcarolr]

Love those waves - add a little visualization of being on the beach, lite breeze in my hair, warm sun on my skin, gritty sand under my elbows and bare feet, gulls calling overhead. Like a mini-vacation. And I opened my eyes with only 11 seconds to go on the 2 minute timer.

I sit with my gd6 each night as she drifts off to sleep - part of our little ritual after our gratitude prayers - listening to a water sounds CD. It is such a great respite from the day, and the chores that wait for me before I go to bed. Sometimes I am quiet and try to be mindful in a meditative, breathing kind of way. Other times I am just letting my thoughts drift about like clouds scurrying across the sky -  never knowing what the next one will 'look' like. Then, if I am sitting on the floor, I catch myself waking up an hour or more later having slipped sideways into the pile of stuffed creatures - skip the chores that night and just go to bed.

Thanks for offering this workshop. I look forward to stopping in.

qcr xoxo

[DeityorDevil]

DD - I really like this thread. 

Here's a website for people who need a little help getting started on mindfulness. 

www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

Marlo  xoxo

Thank you Marlo. As the workshop progresses, I have a bunch of different mindfulness exercises. It is kind of important to do them in order, so I'm trying to give a little time in between posting them, because the concepts kind of build on each other. Time is a pretty basic one. :}

[Aboutme2011]

I was at 1 minute 10 secs.

[DeityorDevil]

I was at 1 minute 10 secs.

Do you think that lines up pretty well with how you figure larger lengths of time, and planning your day?

[At Bay]

I had it timed about right--3 sec. (Had advantage since I used a timer for 2 hrs at physical therapy this afternoon.) Link is great and love the sounds of the surf as they remind me of Galveston, Tx.

Today I felt good after interacting with the physical therapist and her tech. I had no difficulty staying in the moment thinking about what each exercise was supposed to be stretching, keeping shoulders relaxed, stomach in, weight forward, etc. Willing myself to benefit from the work and think of nothing else.

[DeityorDevil]

Mindfulness Exercise 2: Objective Mindfulness

At it's best, mindfulness is a process of being involved and aware of the world around us, moment by moment, without filtering reality through judgments of events or ourselves. (Remember the definition we came up with? This is it  )

A simple way to practice, learn, or get more comfortable with being non-judgmental, is to practice non-judgmental observation. This is an exercise I do fairly regularly, and also recommend to people who are stressed or preoccupied with an internal struggle that is overwhelming them. I spend a lot of time with other drug addicts, and this can be a really helpful exercise for people early in recovery who are still getting used to having feelings and find them overwhelming 90% of the time, I know I did.

The basic principle of this exercise is to separate judgmental thoughts from experience. While it may seem kind of obvious and fundamental, it's easiest to start with the very basics and get used to being non-judgmental about things which already are fairly emotionally neutral. This is the "walk before you run" aspect. With the basics in place, more advanced mindfulness is much easier.


Ingredients

A neutral object. Pick something that doesn't have any emotional significance for you, like a water bottle or a shoe or a pair of headphones or something. (When I do this with my sponsee I usually have him use his water bottle.)

A timing device

You.

Practice:

Go to your comfortable place with your object and set it in front of you. Set your timer for 5 minutes so that you won't have to worry about how much time is passing.

Think about what your object looks like, the exact shape and texture of it. Are there any indentations, scratches, embossing, patterns, labels? What color is it? Take a few moments to observe and describe your object to yourself. Take time to touch it, and experience the textures, temperature, and surface of your object with your fingers. Does it have a smell of any kind? Do your hands touching it make a sound?  When your attention wanders (it will, this is okay) just bring it back to the object at hand. Try not to criticize yourself or stop your exercise.

Questions:

- What was your object?

- Was it difficult for you to sit and focus on one thing?