Category Archives: Uncategorized

First, check out our new webinar on “Mastering Your Mind”- it’s all about how our minds are really powerful and really “problem-focused”. Once you learn a bit about how your mind works, practice “defusing” from your thoughts by labeling them. Labeling your thoughts as judgments and descriptions is one good way to get distance from them. To take it a step further, see if you notice any themes in your thoughts that come up throughout today: are these familiar “stories” that keep you stuck? Come up with a name for that story- like the “I’m too depressed” story- and practice labeling it when it shows up! And then, of course, return to being present so that you can #MakeTodayMeaningful!

Sometimes when we are having a conversation with someone, we get pulled out of the present moment. For example, maybe a memory shows up based on something you are talking about. Or maybe your mind starts some distracting commentary about the conversation you are having. You’ve probably noticed that it’s really easy for our minds to get drawn back to the past or propelled forward into the future. It’s also very common to get so focused on our own internal experiences that we become disengaged from the conversation. This can cause us to miss important details of what the other person is saying and makes it difficult to really connect in a meaningful way with them.

So your challenge for today is to be present together! In your interactions with others today, whether it’s virtually or in-person, see if you can be present and really pay attention to what they are saying. Notice if having a conversation with intention is different than how you might normally interact with someone.

If you get pulled away by an internal experience (e.g., memories, thoughts, emotions, physical feelings), that’s ok. Just silently acknowledge to yourself that it happened, and try to re-focus on really being present with the person you are talking to.

One great way to get present is to practice noticing your breathing. Breathing is one thing we do constantly, but often subconsciously. Take a moment today to stop, and without trying to change anything, just notice:

• the pacing of your breath (fast or slow)
• the depth of your breathing (shallow or deep)
• how your body moves as you breathe (your chest/belly rising and falling)
• the sensation of air flowing in and out of your nose (cool in, warm out)
• the sound of air as you inhale and exhale

If you get distracted by external noises or internal thoughts, just acknowledge that they pulled your attention away, and refocus on your next breath.

Get present today by trying the following exercise:

At some point today, pause what you are doing and connect with the present moment. Name 5 things you can see in your environment. Then, find 4 things you can feel with your hands. Next, identify 3 things that you can hear. Now, explore 2 things you can smell. Lastly, bring your attention to your mouth and see if there’s 1 thing you can taste. At the end of the exercise, notice what it was like to notice these things.

You’ve probably heard of mindful eating before and maybe you’ve tried it out from time-to-time. Today we’re asking you to experiment with another way to practice mindful eating. First, find a food item that your mind has a lot of “good” judgments about- like candy, sweets, or a savory snack. Then find a food item that you typically don’t experience a lot of cravings for- maybe carrots, celery, or some raisins. Try mindful eating with the “good” food item first: notice the descriptions and judgments your mind gives you while you smell, taste, feel, hear, and see the food. Some of those senses we don’t always use while we are eating, but you can find ways to get all 5 involved for this exercise! Notice the descriptions (5 senses observations) and judgments (evaluations about those 5 senses observations) your mind gives before you put the food in your mouth, while you are chewing, and after you have swallowed. Really slow down this experience and see if it’s different from your experience when you are normally enjoying this food. Now, try this same practice of mindful eating with the less appealing food item. Again, pay attention to the difference between descriptions and judgments that your mind gives you. After you have finished those two exercises, reflect on the difference in how you engaged with each food item. Was mindful eating easier or harder for one food compared to the other? Was there a difference in the number of descriptions or judgments your mind made for either food item? Was it hard to tell the difference between descriptions and judgments for one food item compared to the other? Did you spend an equal amount of time mindfully eating both? Keep a diary of this practice and try it again at your next meal. The purpose of mindfully eating in this way is to assist you in separating your descriptions from your judgments so that you can loosen the power that your “judgments” might have on your behavior!

Here’s a great hands-on exercise that demonstrates the 3 A’s of willingness! Are you “willing” to take on the Ice Cube Challenge today?

Today’s challenge references The ACT Matrix (Polk & Shoendorf) from Webinar #2. See if you can keep track of your fraction of “Towards” vs. “Away” moves each day. Think of these as percentages of the day. How much of your day are you spending moving towards what matters vs. away from pain/discomfort?

Use the Valued Living Fraction worksheet under Webinar #2 to track this over the week and see if you are in control of your van or if you unknowingly have shifted into autopilot. Knowing your fractions will help increase your awareness and prevent those pesky passengers from sneakily taking control of your wheel!

Feeling like your emotions are whipping up a “stuck storm?” Use the S.T.O.P. handout under Week #2’s webinar to help ground yourself using a willingness approach and get back on course for pursuing your values.

Visual reminders of our values can serve as a helpful way to connect with them each day. If you are feeling crafty you can create a vision board by using cut outs from magazines or newspapers and gluing them to a sheet of paper. You can also create a virtual version using web images or clip art and then printing it out.

Rather than pictures or words of specific material things that you hope to gain, pick things that symbolize valued qualities. For example, if you value family- pick things that symbolize why family is important to you and what kind of a family member you want to be (e.g., caring, supportive, loving, etc.) You can include values for as many domains as you want (e.g., family, friends, romantic relationships, work, health, self-care, etc.)

Post your vision board in a place where you will see it every day (e.g., on your fridge, on your bathroom mirror, next to your bed). Each day when you wake up, look at it and set your daily intention based on one of the values you included.