You’re mindful of it all when your mind full of it all….. 🦉
A couple of months ago the goal was to get back to the “old me” back to my essence i felt….. i look back at some of my entries and just literally laugh out loud. The power of information and mindful consumption like i usually emphasize cannot be overstated. Growth outward and within should be something we all strive to achieve and stagnation should be a crime really. sometimes i feel like getting rid of some those old entries because i feel the naïve point of references and views i have had in general and also the somewhat targeted subtle but not so subtle entries however in the same breath, going back to those entries and identifying different train of thoughts and systems of beliefs presently only points in one direction 👉🏾 Growth. This wouldn’t be possible without mindfulness being an integral part of my life in the last 9 plus months. Not saying I’m all the way where I’d like to be but it’d be a disservice to my journey and myself not to recognize progress and how these lifestyle changes have had an impact on my overall wellbeing. Confident isn’t exactly the word I’m thinking of to describe how I’ve been feeling lately but it’s just like a BOLD energy and aura I’ve been tapped into lately, i feel extremely poised, bubbly, effervescent, sanguine, buoyant, bright, brilliant and overall calm even on days when things around me might be not-so “Insert any adjective above”, i don’t go on overdrive with my “emotional” and overly deliberated thought processes and I’ve really just let go of a lot of things alongside situations that don’t serve me in ways that are profitable and It’s been incredible to say the least. Even when I lost Zeus earlier in the month, I didn’t let my emotions take the wheel like I’d normally do. I was calm, negative maybe but I definitely didn’t project and came out of that situation with a learning experience
Letting go gives a sense and feeling of freedom and that honestly is a prerequisite for happiness!
“Now” is the shortest moment of our lives
Funny how my introduction to mindfulness was actually as a fallout of research on meditation. my intent was to just dive into the practice of meditating but along the way i picked up a hidden gem. sometimes we know certain words and their application in theory but we don’t entirely realize the strength of them in their practical element. Mindfulness is a daily commitment and continuous effort to be in the present moment in every single activity even down to your breathing. crazy right?😂 doing stuff not in reflex or autopilot mode but being in tune with every active sense you have while doing these “habitual” things like breathing, eating, walking, sitting, thinking, talking, washing dishes, doing laundry, brushing your teeth, drinking water…. i could actually go on and on. More times, these things are done on autopilot mode and absentmindedly also because we “have to do them”
Ever walk into a room or the kitchen and totally blank out on why you even walked in?🤦🏿♂️ these are indicators of how clouded our minds can get while “multitasking” and being outright overtaken by our thoughts.
“I’m being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There’s no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves. — Thich Nhat Hanh
It’s all about routines ♻
If there's one thing I've picked up along the way; it’s how important having a daily routine is and how incorporating new things into these routines become innate after successful repetition and a resolute intention. our bodies and minds thrive on routines tailormade for us. Having no routine is actually a routine if you deep it. i honestly don't know how i functioned just winging it so to speak, just in and out of the day as it comes not necessarily being oblivious of happenings but not quite in tune with myself and said happenings if that makes any sense. Like I'm here but not really here (Absentminded is the word) A daily routine for a while now has put my overall state in a better frequency and I'm pretty happy with the events lined up on this channel. Like i mentioned earlier, they are tailormade to meet my set goals so it can’t cut it for everyone but that doesn't also negate the fact that routines can be flexible and you really just have to cultivate the willpower to see these things through and tweak them for the long run and greater good.
When i say routine, it doesn't have to be things that are so exacting/stringent they limit your creativity and it also is not limited to the bogus, evident things we have lined up for our daily. Routines can be incredibly subtle and intangible. it can be a way of thinking, speaking to yourself, facial expressions that in turn have a domino effect on the larger picture which is the vibration and energies you emit. Routines should give allowance for new practices that help us adopt healthier habits, lower stress levels, improve our relationships, increase our creativity and knowledge like i mentioned earlier, become more focused, productive and in control of our minds and bodies.
Without delving too deep into explanations, here are some general practices i feel any and everyone can benefit from after continuous practice. You are allowed to try and fail multiple times trust me, i have and still falter on these things occasionally but the victory is in getting back to them with a more determined attitude and the feeling my guys is absolute bliss
Mantras and Affirmations
Prayers and mantras are really synonymous to me, uttering a word, phrase or sentence from a place of belief and conviction does a lot more than you'd believe. after praying conventionally like we've all been taught to, my mantras come into play next. It usually is a couple of personal lines “May I be” followed by impersonal generalized ones “May you be” thrown out there into the universe while i picture faces and names i'm affirming these reverberation of energies to. There's a more in-depth and scientific explanation into how they work but i really am not that far into the science of it. it’s just the little things i do like starting and ending my day with them that make a whole difference to my disposition and how my day goes! Affirm positive things into your lives and those you truly care about, it doesn't hurt to.
Meditation and Exercise (Time in nature)
Meditation has become somewhat commercial and If I'm being honest, i don't have the range to break down what meditation practices are all about seeing as it’s very diverse and I'm still in the learning process of what kind of meditation works for me. i have tried out mindfulness meditation and that so far has been working really well, i have this room on clubhouse i dedicate 10 minutes of my morning when my mind is most at ease to join and engage in this guided practice with other people and i also do it on my own these days. i enjoy it a lot and those 10–20 minutes (depending on how I'm feeling) make a whole difference to me. Mantras like i mentioned above are also a type of meditation practice you can take a look at.
Exercise on the other hand is something i recently got involved with a little over a month ago and it really is so beautiful and easily has become one of my favorite routines in the week. i jog about 3 times a week and i appreciate it a lot more when it’s bright and early in the morning. i love catching the sun just as its about to hit, streets quiet, little motor activities, you can hear the birds chirping and you see other joggers up and about too. i make sure i take pictures of the sun when it hits cos like i said - beauty! This has lead me to wondering how much of nature i really have not experienced, how many amazing animals I'd love to see in real life and just other beautiful sights and natural phenomenon i get to see only on a screen sadly. i have a bucket list in the works now and I'm really on a tourist mission 😅.
Exercise is important not just because of the beauty but ultimately for the sake of our health. it doesn’t have to be strictly outdoors, you can get a jump rope and do a little of that in your space. That counts too! get your heart racing, drink more water, eat more fruits. Just find a way to synchronize these little things into your routine so it doesn’t seem like a chore. it becomes somewhat like clockwork and at some point you start to feel weird when you don’t do them.
Mindfulness is a transformative practice that brings us back home to who we are before we are ever told who we should be — Jo Pang
Visualization/Imagination
The mind is easily the most powerful tool we have as humans. in my earlier entry on the law of attraction and manifestation, i talk about how important visualizing things are. It is an important step in attracting what you want. you need to have a mental picture of what, why and how you want what it is you want. Stimulating all our senses to the extremes; assigning what it is you want to attract to colors. I also spoke about how i say my mantras and picture faces of people and situations i want to manifest; this also is a process of visualization and using the imagination in productive ways. Believe it or not, it brings some calm and reduces stress levels. You hear people say “my happy place” well, you can visualize that happy place and it can equally have as potent an effect as the physical place. I think of food sometimes and when i eventually get into the kitchen to make what i have imagined, it goes soooooo hard for some reason. 👨🏼🍳😘
Visualize your goals; Visualization also helps create new pathways in your brain over time through a process called neuroplasticity. Say you visualize yourself getting a promotion at work and feeling excited and thrilled about it.
This image can help your brain start associating optimism and other positive feelings with the thought of a promotion, instead of feeling insecure about your chances of moving up.
“We suffer in our imagination more than in reality” — Seneca
Visualization is a compass into the future, it helps you imagine the best that can happen and allow negative thoughts to pass, it gives you a clearer picture of your goals and allows proper planning towards what it is you see.
As with everything, consistency and practice is key. Changes don't just start to happen after a day or two, give it some time and feel it happen. see the link below for my entry on the power of thoughts.
Re: The power of thoughts 26/05/21
Looking within (Self Love)
I have written on this particular sub a couple of times on this journaling journey. You simply cannot give what you don't have. it’s impossible. forget about the commercialization of this term and its unfound popularity in recent years, the concept of self love is as simple as it’s spelt; it is essential for mental wellbeing, fighting anxiety and depression. in this day and age, it should be a necessity and not a luxury. Give yourself some grace, compassion, slow it all down a bit and catch a breath. i will work on an in-depth entry dedicated to this beautiful practice in the coming months but for now, enjoy in the link below; my previous entry where i write on this a little bit
“How am I supposed to love, if I don’t even love myself?”
Take a break from the chatter
Social media and our cellphones are a literal drug! it’s slowly become a prominent aspect of society, how we get our information and largely how communication is done. it helps us stay informed and “connected” to our loved ones amongst a plethora of reasons we can justify staring at that screen for endless hours in the course of our day.
I'm not saying there's something inherently wrong with using social media, we go there for the information, jokes, to see what our favorites are up to, some even for business purposes but the minute it begins to affect your emotions, you start feeling drained, dissatisfied, the energy is negative and it’s more like a task should be an indicator to an overdose in my opinion. you don't need to disconnect entirely, there are several ways to detox and just take a break from the compulsive urge some of us have developed for being on these platforms. sometimes it’s just like a tick; we just pick up the phone for no reason at all and boom 💥 a three hour rabbit hole into the feed and mindless consumption of information that doesn't necessarily do our mental any good.
Mindfulness can be applied to various facets of our lives like i mentioned earlier, we can mindfully consume information on these platforms, pick and chose the kind of content we want to see more of. Stuff that drives our imagination and creativity in more productive ways not just gossip and who said what all the time. I’ve mentioned feeling out of touch/place in certain circles and conversations sometimes and it’s partly because those things and topics don’t really cut it for me anymore. i enjoy dark humor, music, Tv shows, video games, art and stuff of that ilk but i still pace myself on consumption of those things. Celebrity, gossip, other people’s money and things of that nature don’t really tickle my fancy so I’m always so damn lost when I’m in conversations of that nature. i might engage with you if i see it makes you so damn happy but just know the minute I’m just nodding and having nothing to contribute to the conversation then it’s a wrap. I’m not knocking anyone’s interest, nah! All I’m saying is; be intentional with consumption, stimulate your mind in ways you haven’t even considered before and you’d be surprised at the sort of things that you can take a liking to. don’t let social media dictate what you consume, it should be the other way around. Take a day, a week off, reduce your screen time, read a damn book, explore areas you haven't considered before and increase your vibration, have a wind down time from your devices. Apple legit introduced this feature for a reason! Learn to unplug and have a moment to yourself before you call it a night. Also, it shouldn't be the first thing you run to in the morning! Your time and attention are valuable resources, invest wisely.
Change requires action!
“So many people go through their lives expecting change when they’re doing the same things everyday. They feed all this positive energy via their thoughts, words and emotions but take no action which is vibratory in itself” — Vex King
I want to end this entry with just those 6 things, there's definitely a lot more we can do to live mindfully but those are good starting points. You can google these things and you'd see a whole lot backed with scientific research if you need a little more convincing.
Sending you Love, Intuition and grounding as you try to live a little more mindfully. Below are some videos off YouTube that might put things in perspective and also some files off my camera roll for your enjoyment. 🧘🏾♂️🙏🏾
Midè 🪶
We look at the world once, in childhood.
The rest is memory. — Louise Gluck
