focusing on staying present and mindful as much as possible…..not just
ho-hum ‘present and mindful’ but really PRESENT AND MINDFUL! I’m working on watching the rise and fall of emotions that occur throughout my day, week, etc. I’m
doing this because I know that the more mindful I am, the better I am able to understand how stress runs my reactions, my relationships, my perspective… my life! And since I’m human in today’s labyrinth of life …I’ve got
stress!
I had a bit of an epiphany recently that I wanted to share. We
were visiting friends, you know the routine….our children play, we cook
dinner and catch up, a little laughter, watch the kid, put on a show
for us, a little more laughter, talk about the fun we had throughout the
year, followed by more laughter. On our way out, we hug goodnight and head home with our children fast asleep in their PJs. I suspect it’s like this for most families.,,really not that unusual as holiday behavior goes.
So, where’s the epiphany? It came on Sunday morning. The children were downright cheerful at breakfast still glowing from their previous night of fun. My husband was sharing a laugh with them too. I also felt happy, but it was so much more than that. I realized that during those 5 or 6 hours of fun, I was completely stress-free. No timetable to meet, no urgent issues to attend to, no thoughts about my never-ending to-do List… just a window of time where life was held at bay while my mind hovered in fun and friendship. On a certain level, I think of it as ‘social meditation‘. During
that window of time, I thought and spoke only positive thoughts,
laughed until I had tears in my eyes and slowed down the pace of life. I suspect my whole family experienced this same feeling.
Who knows how many minutes I added to my life, and who cares really. In the end, I’ve come to realize that humans are social
creatures who, for whatever reason, wedge ourselves into such busy
schedules that we forget to relax and better manage our stress. In clinical practice, I’m hard pressed to think of a situation or condition where relaxation and reducing stress has not proven helpful.
The research on meditation and positive thinking is overwhelming. The challenge for most is adopting the habit and getting into a routine. After this weekend, I now consider my friendships to be high on my list of healing remedies.
Probably too much to write on a Thank You card, but I wish you and your friends can share the richness of this healing at your next holiday get-together and every social gathering in the years to come!
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