Usually we spend thinking much more time than you need in fifty or a hundred times more. So by default, it creates a background stress and the feeling of congestion. We can no longer enjoy everyday actions — for example, the process of dressing, or a walk in the Park.
The sensation of the present moment abides in the mind as something valuable, but that can be postponed. Published a translation of the article of the author of the blog Raptitude is about how to direct attention to the real world and not thinking about them.
A couple of weeks ago, on Sunday, I went to visit a friend to watch the Oscars. I decided not to talk mentally with himself all along the way. Lately I often spend such microexperiments, slowly entering a state of complete presence in the here and now for very short periods of time. Can I, for example, to keep your mind focused on what's happening while washing dishes? At the end of each exercise I wish when I return to my normal state of General stupor.
I set myself the task within the 30 minutes that took the ride home my friend (including time in store) to keep my attention focused only on the events surrounding real life and can not afford to engage in mental dialogues. So I decided to take some time to put aside the words and watch the rest.
It worked. Talkative part of my brain almost stopped, and I'm the 600th time realized how the world is beautiful in substance and full of harmony — when I manage to take a break and not talk or think about it constantly.
Ideally, I would have spent my life in this state: when you're just watching the progress of things, and nothing happens, it doesn't matter. All in itself is very beautiful and curious, and if there's trouble, you're already in the best state of mind in order to cope with it. A particular feeling that you don't need to be in any other place — and you realize how much it rarely.
The most remarkable property of this presence — a peace that extends to the world around us. You can still hear the noises of the city and the motors of cars, but the loudest stimulus subsided — that is the usual mental commentary.
I have always been in this state, but it has always come more spontaneously. After described a recent experience I realized something quite obvious: the more you practice, the more often it will happen.
I know that many are experimenting with the fact that purposefully live in the present moment. Perhaps you, like me, went on a spiritual quest themselves, have experienced the intense presence "here and now" and discovered the incredible benefits of this condition. You may have read "the present" or Wherever You Go There You Are, have experienced an Epiphany about how much value lies in this particular moment, and felt how after that, everything changes.
Only that the state somehow fails to hold.
The sensation of the present moment abides in the mind as something valuable, but that can wait for later — as well as lay the intention to get in shape or learn to play the guitar.
The experience failed because I went on a conscious effort to feel the moment and stay in it. That is, I agreed not to waste energy on verbal intervention, implicit or explicit, yet the fact does not appear good reason. And it had influence on my experience. So why not agree to do so constantly?
Because the words protect us from those parts of reality that we don't like. You don't have to open up emotionally towards the object, which has already begun to analyse, give definition or evaluation. To remove a word from a specific point, you have to accept the fact that you will take all the details of the experience, without judging or evaluating them. Most of us have not acquired appropriate skills.
And we give in to the usual course of thinking about how things should be ideally, or how it would when a different political party in power, or that we would have to respond to that guy, or how did it manage to rise in price travel on the bus for a few seconds now turns into nothing more than a pale background for our thoughts. It's a bad habit, and we practice it all the time.
Usually we spend thinking much more time than you need in fifty or a hundred times more. So by default, it creates a background stress and the feeling of congestion. We can no longer enjoy everyday actions — for example, the process of dressing, or a walk in the Park.
Of such trifles there is the majority (99%+) of human life. They can be quite noticeable and something to be enjoyed, if the mind stops to talk constantly. Imagine how life becomes 90 times more enjoyable! We miss the pleasure, letting the note default to hang on an internal dialogue.
Stress comes to us not from the external world — the world is much calmer than it seems. This becomes evident as soon as you stop to think. The thinking brain is constantly switched on the chainsaw, which takes any object in the tree. Just give him a reason to Rev, and it will crumble. The brain is designed to solve the problems — that's why he wants any object.
In most moments of life we do not need to do anything — just observe. There is no need neither analyze nor calculate, but the mind still wants to do it. The thinking brain is a tool and we must learn to defer, if necessary (i.e. almost always). We will be in a huge win if you're just going to think less, and you need to postpone a tool that already too often used.
A complete list of skills for "real life" would be too long to fit in one article. However, we have a very clear starting point:
the path to the present moment starts with attention to concrete, physical items. Your body, your clothes, the air, the background sounds, the surface on which you stand.
Physical objects exist only in the present. Focus your attention on something physical — that is, on what really happens.
The mind starts chattering as soon as he appears for this reason — and it appears almost any time, except in the following situations:
a) You are busy with something that requires attention to physical objects. That is why people like sports with a risk of life, getting back to reality (otherwise you die). For the same reason we watch movies: sitting motionless in front of the heavy screen, the rest of the situation is sinking in the dark, well arranged history capture our imagination, and the speakers are blaring at full power.
b) You develop habits to return your mind to something physical as soon as I noticed that he started to work on something abstract. He can only work over the thoughts, and everything else is part of the present.
Your thinking brain has the magical abilities to divert attention from the present. It can describe circles around you. But he will not be able to keep you from the practice to pay attention to what you really want to direct it — that is, in the real world.
Pay attention to the moment — this is a fairly simple skill that can be learned, and which subsequently becomes a reflex. Easier than trying to do it all the time, and choose to practice a certain part of your daily routine. Set realistic goals and progress gradually. For example, I started with washing dishes. Then I added to the short list of activities walking and putting on clothes — doing this, I focus on the present moment.
If you don't understand how to do it, just focus your attention on specific parts of the body. As soon as you notice that attention is again switched to the certain words inside your head, return it to the body.
If you've never read "the present", I heartily recommend. I'm sure most of my readers this book already. Those who have read it — read it again. During the time elapsed from the first reading, you probably grew up, and this time you will perceive the book in a completely new way. To audio summaries of the work of Eckhart Tolle, in my opinion, even better.
The basic skill of switching attention to something there are a million of applications: to temper the cravings, to crush in the Bud in a bad mood, to prevent the offense, to do more work and so on. This is the easiest for learning the skill of all that you ever wanted to buy.
P. S. And remember, just changing your mind — together we change the world! ©
Source: theoryandpractice.ru/posts/10592-um