Living in the Moment

I have taken some classes in dialectic behavior therapy. The foundation, the cornerstone, the main principle of DBT always comes back to one thing: Mindfulness. To be mindful is to be in the present moment, truly experiencing whatever it is you are choosing to do, mindfully. For instance, writing this blog can be a mindful exercise, if I focus on what I am writing rather than thinking 3 sentences ahead to what I am going to say. I used to have a few things I did for mindfulness. I wrote in a journal, I painted (not well at all, mind you) and I made jewelry. I would even venture to say that baking and cooking used to be mindful activities for me. But then I started getting paid for my baking and for my jewelry. And somehow, it ceased, or at least lost some of the shine, of being a comforting, enjoyable activity. You always hear people tell you “do what you love and you will never work another day in your life.” Well, based on my experience, I don’t know how true that is. I mean, I love to bake. I love, more so than the aesthetic perfection of a well-decorated cake, the total bliss I feel with that first bite of the perfect cheesecake. Maybe I am just rambling here. Lots on my mind and trying to figure it all out.

Let’s end this post with a mindfulness exercise from the book “1001 Ways to Live in the Moment”:

# 324 Be a true friend. If someone in your life has an annoying habit, such as lateness or untidiness, step out of the cycle of criticism and accept their flaws. You’ll create inner space in which to appreciate their good points, and gain more peace of mind.

And how about one more….

#3 Knuckling Down. Spend a few minutes doing this simple exercise in mindfulness- that is, full attention to experience. While seated, empty your mind and hold your hands palm down as if about to do some typing. Now look closely at your knuckles. Get to know them so well that you’d recognize them, from the patterns they make, in a close-up photograph. Pick, say, three main ID features. You might ask, what’s the point of all this? Well, you’ve been concentrating on a specific task using your powers of observation. During this time you’ve not been thinking about anything else – you’ve not been worrying about either past or future. You’ve learned something – however small – about yourself. And, you’ve gained a little practice in living in the moment.

Namaste.