Topic Tuesday//How can I be mindful when I have a mindFULL//Tues. 20 March. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

I did a meditation workshop and the instructor told us that the practice wasn't about sitting cross legged for hours trying to empty our minds. She said that we could enjoy micromeditation which could be something as easy and quick as notiing and appreciating an interesting cloud formation.

So mindfulness can come in all shapes and sizes too. Savouring the taste of a food. Inhaling a preferred scent. Really noticing the effect it has on you.

@Former-Member That meme super made me giggle.

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean about feeling you need to "do" mindfulness all the time. My understanding is that mindfulness isn't something we "do" but rather, it is a way of being. I think this is a point that is often lost - we talk about mindful activities a lot (e.g. focusing on our breathing, listening to the sounds around us etc) and thus it can come across as though mindfulness is something that we "do" rather than a way of being in the world.

I think time and doubt are the biggest factors against me utilising mindfulness techniques @Former-Member. Time because often I'm in a rushed world and simple things like breathing are often taken for granted. The second factor, doubt, is because when I am hit with the big overwhelming feelings, I doubt something as simple as noticing my breath will help me. I want a quick fix, I don't want to sit with these feelings at all. I want to run as far away from them as I can...so therefore avoid.

@Marie7, like we said to @Shaz51 earlier, sometimes just having an interest in mindfulness can be a big first step. By being here and reading, getting involved and learning you are helping yourself which is a great win.

To me mindfullness does take more effort but it is worth it. I could gobble down a piece of cake and enjoy it or I could savour each bite in which case, I would derive a more enriched sensation.

@Queenie I super love playing my violin mindfully. The super cool thing about my violin is that it sounds bad if I have any tension in my body (i.e. the bow bounces). Thus it's like a form of biofeedback - the way it sounds immediately tells me if I have tension anywhere and then I super focus on relaxing my body.

Thats a great perspective @Phoenix_Rising - like @soul said as well, for a lot of people 'doing' mindfulness can sometimes bring up thoughts of people sitting cross legged and being able to breath and focus for extended amounts of time.

I think as people learn about mindfulness (myself included), start to understand and try mindful activities, they can start to see that it is a way of being and not a 'chore' or thing to try to 'do'. Maybe it is down to the process of how we get to mindfulness - the between of 'doing it' and 'being it'? I've said do a few times there didn't I!

I agree @Phoenix_Rising however for those who have not 'done' mindfulness, there has to be a starting point to understand what the 'mindfulness' actually is, and how to do it. I think that is what is meant when we talk about 'doing mindfulness'.

To me, it is indeed a way of life, but I've been 'doing it' for over 50 years now, so it's sort of second nature, except when it isn't. It's those times that we need to come back to the 'how do I do this again?' question.

Like when the waves of despair are washing over me, I'm being mindful of those waves and of the despair, but I can't, don't want to, stay in that for very long, nor do I want it to negatively affect others who might be witnessing it. I like to keep my waves of despair to myself, for the most part so as not to overwhelm or inadvertently hurt others.

This is why I'd like some strategies on how to come back to the 'how do I get my mindfulness back when I'm in despair mode'?