The Mind Reset TM

Use this reflective exercise to gain a mindful perspective on your anxiety, overwhelm, frustration, shame or confusion to bring clarity and greater emotional wellbeing.

You can do this any time, but it is really helpful to do it regularly for a while. Here is how.

Wake yourself up a bit earlier than usual. Get a cup of tea and find a calm, private, comfortable space. Set a timer for 10 or 20 minutes.

Use a large, attractive note-book with pull-out pages kept especially for this purpose and a favourite pen. Turn to a clean page and simply begin to write.

On the page, dump first whatever is uppermost in your mind. Then dump all your concerns, fears, frustrations, anger, sadness, anxieties, grudges, judgements, self-judgements, angsts and dilemmas as they arise. Write fast, without stopping, without censoring and without checking back. Keep writing until you dry up or your time allotted comes to an end, whichever is the first. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, full sentences or if you can’t read the writing.

If you find yourself pausing, bring your awareness to your body, notice any discomfort here and write about it. Notice any feelings and the cause of them and any connections you make. As you continue to write out all your mental clutter you may notice that you are becoming aware of a more mindful perspective on your thoughts.

After your allotted time, pause.

Now imagine that a wise and kind friend – someone that you trust and respect, who knows you very well and likes you, is sitting opposite you. This can be someone real or imagined, someone alive or who has passed away, a fictional character or some sort of spiritual guide or even your own wise self. They have been listening to your thoughts.

Write out what they would tell you. How they see you, what they think you need and what they think you should do.

Now tear out the pages you have just written, destroy them, and start your day.

This is a practice recommended in many self-help books on mindfulness* because it is such a useful tool for quietening your thoughts and becoming calmer and clearer.

If you do find that you are repeating the same old stuff day after day and you cannot find a healthier way to see things then get some support from a skilled practitioner or someone else that you feel happy to talk to and you trust to give you wise counsel.

TM Absolute Specialists 2018

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