Practicing mindfulness when you are transitioning through changes is a powerful experience.
It is known that the brains of human beings have what’s called “Negativity Bias.” Our brains are built in a way that they act like teflon with positive thoughts, and velcro with negative thoughts. One way to change this is through mindfulness.
What’s mindfulness, exactly?
The dictionary definitions are, “The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something” and, “A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.”
Mindfulness is achieved through ongoing practice and “intentionality” (being deliberate or purposeful).
If you’ve lost your job, or your spouse, or your health, etc., you are in new and unfamiliar territory. Transition can be a tough time because we human beings tend to like the familiar. For this reason, a time of transition can easily be interpreted as negative, and be disorienting, to say the least. Practicing mindfulness helps you recognize when your brain has attached itself to a negative thought or story and allows you to have the choice to replace it with a positive one.
Choice: That’s the key. You can’t always control what’s “out there” (circumstances), but you can control your reaction to them. It may not seem like you have a choice, but on some level in some ways, you always have some choice in every situation. Practicing mindfulness allows you to become aware of those choices and exercise them in the most positive ways.
When you’re in a transition, it’s especially important to use compassionate communication and change the negative thoughts to positive ones. In other words, don’t beat yourself up that you’ve caught yourself being negative — or you’re just feeding the cycle.
Create positives and you’ll attract more positives.