I use the practice of being mindful, or being present, very often now. At first, it was a really helpful tool for me to quiet ruminations, quiet my mind and identify my true emotions. It's also been a wonderful tool to enjoy the little things that I, we, take for granted everyday.
Today, it went something like this... . I had to travel for work today about an hour and a half away into the countryside of where I live, a part of the historic Flint Hills. Perfect time for practicing being all present. My destination was a very small town I had never been before, that's always exciting for me. As I drove I tried to notice and take in everything I was seeing. I looked for the little details in things like the bare trees and the different colors of the bark, or lack of, which made some of them stand out stark white against yellow fields dormant for the winter. The road, after we turned off the highway, turned into what looked something like a quilt because it had been patched many times here and there. And it kind of sparkled. The road was lined by barbed wire fences, some told their age by the fact that the posts were old tree limbs, crooked but evenly placed. There were farm animals here and there next to old farm houses, some not so old. As I drove I felt the heat from the truck heater blow over my hands and the feel of the steering wheel. I purposely noticed my breathing and how I was feeling. Content, calm, happy to be experiencing a part of this big world that's in my backyard so to speak. All the while, I'm at work, on my way to our job for the day... .
There have been many times over the past two years in particular where I have reminded myself to stop what I was doing, or thinking, to become present and be in the moment. Times where I was upset or sad, I would practice this technique to center myself. It's impossible to hold two thoughts at the very same moment so this helped me redirect exhausting ruminations, my mind needed a break from those. Stopping and making myself look around, literally, notice details of my surroundings and notice my physical reactions to my emotions helped me redirect my thoughts. Which of course, brought my focus back to myself and how I could change old, unhealthy reactions.
Here you will find more in detail how helpful this tool can be:
TOOLS: DBT for Non Borderlines- Mindfulness Anyone else using this practice as a part of their recovery?
