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Mindfulness - Magic or Madness?
Emma Dredge • February 12, 2021
Mindfulness. Who has time for Mindfulness?
With 20 years in the corporate world under my belt - from high pressured sales roles to managerial positions, and to running my own business whilst raising a family, I feel I have a pretty good handle on the stresses we face in the corporate world and in life in general.
In recent years I started to hear about Mindfulness - this historic but now revolutionary way to reduce stress in our lives, and a way to live a more contented, happier and calmer existence. My initial thoughts, and those for many years to follow, were that I seriously didn’t have time for this. How could Mindfulness possibly inject serenity into my frantic world of school drops, scraped knees and board meetings? How could sitting still help when the last time I sat still was in 1997 when I sprained my ankle? Ten minutes of meditation? Not for me. Give me 10 minutes extra in bed and I’ll take that.
These were the fleeting opinions I held about Mindfulness; fleeting because I couldn’t relate to them and also because I didn’t have time for such frivolous thoughts. I was far too busy doing deals and parting my warring children.
But then I broke. I felt exhausted. Not the usual exhausted but really, really exhausted. I was permanently on red alert, with my mind and body in a constant state of fight or flight. I felt weepy and weak and the aches and pains that surged through my body were becoming relentless. But I didn’t listen to the signs and I continued to work, to rush, to block and hide from unwanted thoughts. My life was busy, I didn’t have time for this!
I was convinced I had an illness that was making me feel this way and insisted, in between meetings, that the doctor test me for every known illness known to man that might explain my fragile state. The results: acute stress, depression, and anxiety. In disbelief I argued the prognosis. When I could fight no more I knew things had to change.
After talking it through with my doctor I turned away from prescription drugs and turned towards Mindfulness. I took to it like any good corporate veteran would and read books, watched You Tube videos and listened to Ted Talks, I attended courses on Mindfulness, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Hypnotherapy and Timeline Therapy and became qualified to teach them all. I had to understand how and why it worked before I could allow myself to let it work.
And wait for it, to my GREAT surprise, Mindfulness has worked for me. However, this was only once I’d got over my judgemental views that I had to be a sandal-wearing monk who meditated for two hours a day. Once I had worked out my own flavour of Mindfulness things fell slowly into place.
It isn’t a magic pill, and it doesn’t work overnight. It can also be scary to get up close and personal to yourself; realising how little time you spend living in the present moment can bean eyeopener for sure. But overtime Mindfulness has reshaped me for the better. I can still attend Board meetings, do the school drop, and don my killer heels and rock a suit, but my awareness of my body and thoughts has changed, I now know where my mind is and can choose whether it remains there. I now know what my body is telling me, and I listen.
Am I all those things that Mindfulness promised? Am I more content, happier, calmer? Some mornings I still yell at the children. When someone is driving slowly and I need to get to a meeting I still get cross. I still feel anger, sadness, fear and guilt.
However, the difference is now I feel them and know I am feeling them. I am no longer lost in my frantic mind. I also seem to be more relaxed and have a lot more fun – not a side effect that the Mindfulness experts promote but it certainly has been the case for me!
I have learned that my mind is wonderful and that my life is too.
So, I don’t think Mindfulness is madness. For me it has certainly helped me find my magic. Talking to friends, family and colleagues I’m convinced that most of us need a little help to reconnect with our own magic, and need to be more mindful in both our working and personal lives. Make some time to look into it and give it a go.
Find your own flavour of Mindfulness and make it work for you. (including wearing your killer heels whilst meditating if you like!).
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HARD WORK gets you to where you want to be. HARD WORK = money. HARD WORK = success. These are the beliefs that took me through school and into my corporate career. I soon discovered I had an insane amount of energy for work (I am a Generator, its in my Human Design go to https://buff.ly/2HboqCD to find yours). After a heart-breaking divorce from my 10 year job, a toddler at my feet & a baby barely out of my belly I did what I knew how. I worked. HARD. And it worked. Success followed. Money followed. But what I began to realise was that the energy to work hard only lasted whilst I was REALLY into something, that when I wasnt ALL IN then the energy that carried me through came from reserves that could and did run dry. I KNEW I wanted something different. I KNEW that this life I had no longer fit. I also 'KNEW' that I had to continue. (Quitters never prosper - another belief I liked to beat myself up with). Many of you know what happened next, burnout & depression. Now that was HARD. I no longer believe in hard work, I believe in joyful work. Please learn from my mistakes and don't let your old beliefs and conditioning lead you to burnout, depression and a miserable existence. So, let’s take a look at some limiting beliefs examples that may be holding you back in life: I am just not good at X If she/he would only X, then I could finally Y. I’m just unlucky. When I’m ready, I’ll finally be able to achieve X. I never have the time. I don’t deserve X That’s just the way I am. Recognise any of these? What are beliefs? A belief is a thought we take to be true. It is a state of mind in which confidence is placed in something. We create beliefs about ourselves, other people, the world we live in and the reality we experience. But since beliefs are thoughts that we hold as truth, we need first to understand the thought and truth behind the belief. Beliefs can keep us stuck in unhealthy or unhelpful patterns, they can impact negatively on your relationships, work, lifestyle and levels of joy. If the compass of our beliefs are pointing in the wrong direction then it can lead to a life that feels hard and heavy. Where do beliefs come from? Beliefs come from your sensory inputs being triggered. It’s a cause and effect. You experience something that happens. You give that event meaning and it sows or reinforces neural connections in your mind. What if you started to look at the beliefs you hold and strip them back? In this free workbook, we’ll work together to recognise limiting beliefs that are holding you back, and how to overcome them so you can become the best version of yourself and live a life full of joy, passion and fulfilment. Get your copy here: https://buff.ly/3OVagrq
It's all going to end terribly!!!!!!!! So many people are caught in the catastrophising loop. Something happens and your mind takes you to a place when all the worst outcomes occur. Understandable I guess in the current climate, it is all pretty catastrophic but feck it all gets a bit much doesn't it? When you find yourself in this pattern there are some things you can do: 1. Grab a piece of paper and write down all those bad outcomes that you are spending your energy worrying about. 2. Read back over it and call yourself out on the stuff that really is bullshit. How likely is that scenario? How realistic are you being? 3. With what is left from the bullshit cull work out if you need/can take any action. Can you get some training on that piece of work you messed up? Who can help you right now? What can you do about it? 3. Change the picture. What if the opposite was true? What if it all worked out? See that there are many possibilities available. 4. Speak to someone - talking out loud can really help put some perspective on things. 5. Breath - clear your head, get outside, run, walk, do some yoga. Get out of your head, into your body & into the present moment. And if it really is shit get some help. Don't suffer alone. People really do care.
7 Easy Tips To Prevent burnout So many people are a breath away from burnout. They are working too many hours. They are not taking breaks. They are not getting outside. They are not exercising (or exercising too much!) They are drinking more than usual. They are sleeping badly. They are waking up early. They are worried and anxious. They are spinning a million plates. They are holding the weight of the world on their shoulders. They are looking after everyone else's needs before their own. Here’s the reality if you get burnt out: No-one gets cared for The work won’t get done And most of the stuff you are worrying about will become irrelevant If you are feeling like burnout then take stock NOW. Here are 7 simple tips to prevent burnout.
Journal Prompts to Manifest Your Dream Day. Doing something you love is an incredible way to be living your version of an awesome life. Imagine waking up every day, feeling happy, inspired and ready to go? Knowing that you are doing the one thing that doesn’t feel like work and getting paid to do it… I am a realist, I know that we often take a job that suits us at the time, that pays the bills and keeps us fed and clothed, there were times in my life (and for many others) it felt there wasn’t much of a ‘choice’ when it came to taking on a job, sometimes we do it out of necessity. Perhaps you’re in a role that you once loved but that has now become stagnant, unfulfilling and just pretty un-awesome. I know you want to make the most of your life, and that means at some point you have to stop settling and making do. It's one thing to pay the bills, but it’s a completely other thing to give up on a life you love. And so, I ask you, what do you really want your awesome day to look like?
3 tips to support you in gaining career clarity so you can finally take the leap in finding your true happy
The more I commit and sink into a life with JOY at its centre the more joy I find. Don't imagine that I skip around laughing and smiling at everything, my kids incessant arguing, housework, financial gripes and the challenges that life throws my way of course work to bring me down. BUT I chose JOY as a way of life. I CHOOSE joy every day. I love setting people on this path because I know it's available for THEM just as it is for me. Joy is just a choice away. Don't waste you life 'ticking by'. Just existing isn't enough. You deserve more. You deserve a life filled with joy and excitement and feeling good. Start you on the path to finding your joy. Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectawesomelife #onelife #projectawesomelife #choosejoy #lifecoach #joycoach #inspiration #motivation #dothething
I loved my career. I spent over 20 years developing my skills, nurturing my contacts and bettering my skills. I worked for companies that I 100% backed and gave my all too. I created my own business that I was so proud of that I could have burst. I adored it all. Until I didn't. That gnawing sense that this wasn't where I should be any more. The whisper that became a yell to do something different. It was terrifying. It wasn't just a way of earning money (although this was a massive factor), it was who I was. It had been my lifes work. How could I walk away? And what the f*ck was I going to do instead? I took the leap, followed the whispers and the nudges. It hasnt always been easy but even at the toughest times I have no regrets. I have this ONE LIFE and I made ME my project. I wanted to live an AWESOME LIFE. Not just a safe, mediocre existence, doing the same thing over and over again in the hope that something would change to make me feel MORE. If you feel the whisper, the call, the yell to do SOMETHING whatever it is YOU CAN DO IT. It may not happen overnight, it may not be super easy, it may not even work out but trust me it is so much fun trying and it beats a life of boredom and regret. DO THE THING. #projectawesomelife #onelife #liveit #whynotyou Come join me on Facebook: https: www.facebook.com/projectawesomelife
Do you know what you want? Do you know what your version of an awesome life looks like? Do you know what makes your heart sing? Your head buzz? Your senses tingle? I didn't know for such a long time that I got stuck. And being stuck made me ill. So I got clear - how did I want to live? What make me feel alive? What brings me joy? How did I want to show up in the world? I love meeting new people, I also love time alone. I love getting outdoors, I also love having a nice home to rest in. I love adventure, I also love the comfort of the familiar. I get bored doing the same thing and find the challenge of something new exciting (also scary but I do it anyway!) I like to rebel against the norm. I like to do 'hard things' that seem impossible or unlikely. Above all else I want a life of EASE and JOY. No more pushing, grinding away at things that no longer fit ME or the life I want, no more settling, no more 'existing'. I wanted a life lived ALL IN! No regrets! Getting clear on what I wanted out of MY awesome life was the first step to really living my version of an awesome life. It is simple once you know how. Be really honest with yourself and what YOU want. Go deep. Find your truth. And then take steps each day to live THAT. Come join me on Facebook: https: www.facebook.com/projectawesomelife #projectawesomelife#onelife#lifecoach
It really annoys me (not very mindful - I know, I know!) that Mindfulness and meditation seems surrounded by such competitiveness and snobbery. This is meant to be a reachable and achievable route to happiness and contentment for everyone, yet it seems that unless you are at one with the planet, spiritually awakened and a master yoga practitioner then you aren’t really allowed to claim you are mindful or that you meditate. Why the hell do I need to meditate for an hour a day to achieve a mindful state? Now don’t get me wrong, I have studied at length the mind and Neuroplasticity (the capacity of the nervous system to develop new neuronal connections) and I get that the mind is a muscle and the more you work it the better shape it gets into; think of squats and your butt for an analogy: MORE SQUATS = FIRM ASS, MORE MEDITATION = FIT MIND… ….but what gets on my wick is that for beginners to Mindfulness, the idea of sitting on a mat, legs crossed (lotus position anybody?) with your hands held in a certain way (Mudra) can make you feel a bit silly. I know for me it certainly did and still does to a certain extent….Why does my hand position matter? Why do I have to cross my legs? Can I not be mindful or meditate whilst sitting on the sofa? I have read that Mudras help with energy transmission through the body, palms down makes energy flow through the body, palms up makes it flow out to the world – but really all I want to do is chill out, give my mind a rest from its chatter, achieve a little perspective, work the brain muscle so it can focus better when needed and notice the lure of negative spiral thinking when it comes along. I am not in any way against spiritual connections, awakenings or enlightenment, bring it on I say, but I am against putting off the layman meditator with a list of rules and regulations. I have always been a bit of a rebel so to me, feck the meditation snobs and the Mindfulness gurus and just get stuck in! My straight up, no nonsense simple hints for Mindfulness: Slow down Take it in Treat others well Treat yourself as you would treat others Thoughts are just thoughts. Is it a useful thought? If not, move on. My straight up, no nonsense simple hints for meditation: Sit however you damn like. Do bear in mind if you love sleeping in the foetal position and curl up in bed to meditate the chances are you will fall asleep, so sitting somewhere at least where you can be fully awake is a good starting point. If you do fall asleep then you obviously needed the rest. Enjoy! Put your hands where you feel comfortable. End of. Start small and put no pressure on yourself to build up further in the first few weeks (or months if that’s what it takes). One minute. Two minutes. It’s all good! Your way is fine. Keep doing it. Ten minutes a day is meant to be the basic target to reach for as a beginner, but if you can’t manage that who cares! Just do what you can. Some weeks I am full of zen and as mindful as Yoda, other weeks I can barely sit still for 15 seconds. Do I feel less mindful because of this? The answer is quite simply NO! I will be running some Mindfulness and mediation challenges in the group on a regular basis but they are in no way going to put pressure on you, it’s going to be a fun exercise where we do what we can and discuss the wins, fails and everything in-between in a safe group of likeminded, non-snobby peeps who wouldn’t mind having a go at learning something new, that may just take them a step closer to their version of an awesome life. Join my Facebook Community here: https://www.facebook.com/projectawesomelife
Hey you…not you…the other you? Talk of getting to know or embracing your inner selves used to leave me wanting to stick my fingers down my throat (judgy me coming out perhaps?) but this is one of the core Project Awesome Life Tools in learning to have an awesome life. So breathe deeply and let’s take a closer look at those inner voices….I promise it will be worth it... So what is the inner voice? Typically your inner voice will be your own voice (although not always). It speaks to you in your head– your thoughts speaking out aloud to yourself– it may speak positively, negatively, nicely or horribly – for some its every now and then for most it is an ongoing ‘chitter chatter’ in your head (I’m an ongoing ‘chitter chatter’ type). Sometimes this ‘chitter chatter’ is inane and not hugely interesting - a bit like watching an episode of the Kardashians - background noise, holding little weight and not hugely influential to the way we live….But our inner voice often takes on a more imposing role, demanding we listen or going on so much that it’s hard to ignore. We are so used to hearing these inner voices that we don’t even realise what they are. We think they are just ‘us’, ourselves talking to ourselves and that they speak the truth – after all they are in our heads and so must be ‘ourselves’ and they must be speaking the truth. Why would we lie to ourselves? But the truth is these voices have been with us for so long we can’t differentiate between truth and lies, fact and fiction. Being aware of my inner voices has been one of the biggest parts of my learnings and is a great place to start in learning about Mindfulness and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Start by listening to your inner voice – notice when it pops up (its more often than you think) and ask yourself a few questions: What is the tone of the voice? What are they saying? Is it critical? Is it pushy? Does the voice give advice? If so what does it say? How does it make you feel when it pipes up? What does your body do when that voice speaks? Do you have different voices that arise in different situations, ie critical voice telling you are not good enough when you are at work, and a victim voice with your partner? Notice the differences, if you can, note them down and come up with a list of your inner voices and how they talk to you. At this stage you do not need to do anything more than be aware of them and notice what they are saying and how it makes you feel. If you can start doing that over the coming few days you will begin to notice the power of them reducing. Here are some of mine: Task Master Me – Oooh I do love to hang around with the ole taskmaster in my head, she normally moans if I am trying to rest and refers to me as lazy. She pushes me to take action ALL OF THE TIME. She is my list maker. Sometimes we get on great as she pushes me to do things and helps me keep on top of things but she often goes too far and drives me to take on more, do more and be more to everyone and everything. After a stint with her I normally end up with; Perfect Me – is one I’m pretty close to, and one I find most hard to recognise as she hides herself under my beliefs. For example, I have a belief from childhood that you should always do your best, work hard, that good behaviour and high standards are to be met and kept. Now this isn’t overly damaging in itself but, when ‘perfect me’ steps in to give her two pennies worth, telling me that things aren’t quite right, or its not quite ready, or its not 100%, it leads to procrastination, hesitation and inactivity! When she is around I tend to hold my head up and profess righteously that its not the right time/place/situation/feeling etc, etc. ALL of this takes me further away from my version of an awesome life! So I have learnt what ‘perfect me’ is, and although its tough to break habits of a lifetime, the more I do it the easier it becomes. Bitchy Me – ‘Bitchy me’ kicks in when I am usually tired or rushing – she is the voice that comments on others and usually in a non-positive way. Usually my head cocks to the side and my lips sneer a little or my head gives a little shake as I judge and comment with abandonment. Bitchy me can sometimes seem like fun (look at THAT! Ha ha) but when she turns on me its like been thrown into a ditch and kicked repeatedly. ‘You look like shit’; ‘You can’t carry that off’, ‘Who do you think you are?’. I have become pretty good at managing the outward bitchy me, the attitudes of mindful living have taught me that, but the inner one isn’t as easy to deal with, it’s an ongoing thing. Guilty Me – Guilt comes in many guises and believe me I have wallowed like a pig in shit in most of them. Guilt beats me up, she sucks me in and chews me up and very often doesn’t spit me out until I am a quivering wreck. Guilt is sneaky and makes me believe that I SHOULD feel guilty about the things I feel guilty about and that if didn’t feel guilty then I’m not worthy of the title of human. She is a fecker and I had a real problem with her a few years back. Now I know what she is there for it’s a lot easier to understand and I can sometimes even be pretty welcoming to Guilt, as she often gives me some insight I need (although other times I do just tell her to feck off!) Now at the risk of sounding like a loon these are just a few of the voices in my head (there are more!?) but the key isn’t who, what, where and how many ‘voices’ you have its about BEING AWARE of them and being able to stand back and view them as they are….thoughts, NOT FACT! Join my Facebook Community here: https://www.facebook.com/projectawesomelife
