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How To Slow A Racing Mind – Background Noise

How To Slow A Racing Mind – Background Noise

By Charles A. Francis

Background noise is another major source of mental agitation, and much of it is unnecessary. Often when we’re driving home after a busy day at work, we’ll turn on the radio in our car to help us unwind—all the while, still thinking about work or things we need to do at home, such as checking on the kids or making dinner.

When we get home, we might turn on the television while we settle in, not really paying attention to what’s on. We usually do this unconsciously to drown out the constant chatter in our mind. What we may not realize is that this background noise is agitating our mind even more, and when it becomes too much, we might pour ourselves a drink to help us relax.

Some people play the radio or television while they work, thinking this will help them concentrate. The reason this seems to help is because the extra noise prevents uncomfortable thoughts from rising to the surface, but the background noise only creates more agitation.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with watching TV or listening to the radio. The problem arises when we simply use them as background noise. Of course, we should also use some discretion concerning what we watch or listen to. Remember, whichever seeds in your mind you water, those will be the ones that grow.

I would suggest turning off the radio or television (or any other entertainment device) when you’re doing something else. This will help you concentrate on what you’re doing. Try it for a week. I think you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.

Copyright 2013 Charles A. Francis
All Rights Reserved

Charles A. Francis is the founder and director of the Mindfulness Meditation Institute. The Institute is dedicated to providing people with the tools they need to realize their full potential as human and spiritual beings through the practice of mindfulness meditation.

How To Slow A Racing Mind – Too Many Commitments

How To Slow A Racing Mind – Too Many Commitments

By Charles A. Francis

Most of us are unaware that our daily activities are the primary sources of our mental agitation. Once we become aware of these sources, we can do something about them. So when people ask me how to stop their minds from racing, I tell them to start by taking their foot off the accelerator.

Some of us have too many commitments in our lives. Every waking moment of our day is packed with activities, and we never have time to rest. We all want to be productive because it gives us a sense of accomplishment and purpose. The problem with having too many commitments is that all the activities agitate our minds so much that it becomes increasingly harder to slow it down. This makes it harder to think clearly, therefore, lowering our effectiveness and productivity.

To address this problem, I suggest making a list of all your activities and commitments, including meditation. Remember that your spiritual development is important to your family’s happiness, because it will enable you to truly be there for them. Then prioritize your commitments according to how much they contribute to your and your family’s happiness, and give up the least important ones to make time for your personal needs, such as rest and meditation.

With many of our commitments, we have no choice in the short-run. We can’t quit our jobs or abandon our families, but we can consider more carefully what we truly need to survive and be happy. For example, do all our material possessions really make our family happier, or do they take us away from our loved ones? With mindfulness, we can determine the real sources of happiness and strive to incorporate them into our lives.

Copyright 2013 Charles A. Francis
All Rights Reserved

Charles A. Francis has studied the practice of mindfulness with Zen Master Thich Nhat anh, and teaches mindfulness meditation through clear and simple instructions. He has over 17 years of experience helping people find true happiness and inner peace with the practice. Find out more about Charles and the Mindfulness Meditation Institute.

How to Slow a Racing Mind – Sources of Mental Agitation

How to Slow a Racing Mind – Sources of Mental Agitation

By Charles A. Francis

Do you ever find it difficult to slow down your mind? For some of us, a racing mind is a serious problem. When we’re agitated, we have no control over our mind, and it becomes extremely difficult to meditate.

An agitated mind leads to stress and a whole host of health problems, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. It even disrupts our relationships and sleep.

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem. No matter how fast your mind is racing, you can learn how to cultivate a calm and serene mind, and the good news is that it’s a lot easier than you might think. The only catch is that you have to be willing to take a few simple suggestions.

Sources of Mental Agitation

Some people have the misconception that they need to calm their minds before they start meditating. They often think that they’re “the type of person” who just can’t sit still. Having a calm mind is not a matter of who you are, but rather what you do.

To understand why our minds get so agitated, it would help to understand a little about how they work. The primary mechanism by which we perceive the world is through our five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell). These are our receptors. They are connected to our brains and send us raw information about what is taking place around us at any given moment.

Each time our senses are stimulated, our brain reacts by trying to interpret the signals it receives and tries to determine the proper response. In other words, each stimulus triggers a thought, either conscious or unconscious.

There are four main sources of mental agitation: 1) Too many commitments, 2) background noise, 3) painful memories, and 4) worrying. There are short-term solutions for dealing with too many commitments and background noise. Painful memories and worrying will take more time to overcome, but they will resolve themselves through a regular meditation practice.

Copyright 2013 Charles A. Francis
All Rights Reserved

Charles A. Francis is the founder and director of the Mindfulness Meditation Institute. The Institute is dedicated to providing people with the tools they need to realize their full potential as human and spiritual beings through the practice of mindfulness meditation.

Filling the Well of Your Mind, Part 2

Filling the Well of Your Mind, Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Healers, service providers, entrepreneurs or anyone who gives of themselves will get depleted if they don’t take time for self-care and replenishment. That’s why conferences and retreats are so important. Not only do they offer people new tools, but symposiums help attendees remember why they do their business, rededicate to their vision and get excited again. They’re able to network with people of like mind and get re-energized.

Those who get so busy that they can’t slow down will soon exhaust their stores of motivation. This is when burnout occurs. They drain their reserves and eventually have to stop and restock. It’s similar to a muscle that’s been over-exercised and over-exerted. That muscle will get weak and need to be rested before using it again.

The same principle applies to your mental state and optimism. If you don’t keep feeding your mind with positive ideas, you’ll soon consume your reserves. That’s why you need to always read uplifting books, watch motivating videos, and listen to inspirational audios. They continually pour enriching ideas into your mind, sparking more upbeat perspectives. Meditation or mindfulness will also get you back in contact with your enthusiasm and creativity.

Here are some suggestions to stay motivated if you have a particular goal you’re striving for:

  • Find articles about the benefits of that goal, like I did for my walking program, and read them daily.
  • Read inspiring stories about how other people have achieved the same goal you’re seeking.
  • Keep a daily journal about how you’re doing, what you’ve accomplished, and how you feel about it.
  • Write down why you’re doing it for yourself, and look at it daily.
  • Find someone who can encourage you and keep you on track.

By following these simple steps, you’ll notice you’re able to stay on track and accomplish your goal. You have to keep “filling the well” of your resources to keep your mindset positive and your passion alive. When you do, you’ll find a consistent source of energy you can use to achieve your dreams.

Affirmation

I realize that I need to keep myself motivated and inspired. Because I deserve to live my dreams, I commit to myself and make the effort to keep my attitude upbeat. I am Divinely guided to the right way of staying enthusiastic about my goal. When I nourish my inner self, I reap enormous benefits.

Copyright 2013 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Better Living through Mindfulness – Univ. of Utah News

Better Living through Mindfulness – Univ. of Utah News

March 07, 2013 – A new study from the University of Utah shows that individuals who describe themselves as being more mindful have more stable emotions and perceive themselves to have better control over their mood and behavior throughout the day. Higher mindful people also describe less cognitive and physiological activation before bedtime, suggesting that greater emotional stability during the day might even translate into better sleep. The study results will be presented later this month at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society.

Read the rest of the article at U Study Connects Traits of Mindfulness to Emotional Well-Being.

Let Yourself Shine

Let Yourself Shine

When you let your light shine, you give others permission to let theirs shine, too. You raise your self-esteem and your light shines brighter as you deliberately share your light with others. Learn 3 easy ways to brighten another’s path by letting your light shine.


Copyright 2013 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Make The Effort To Change, Part 2

Make The Effort To Change, Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

My friend Lily read lots of self-help books, listened to motivational CD’s and went to personal development workshops and then complained that her life didn’t improve. When I asked her if she’d practiced any of the exercises in the books or CD’s or workshops. “No,” she said. “That’s too much trouble.”

To change, you need to participate and use the tools you’ve found. It’s easy to fall back into old habits. They’re familiar and comfortable, but they won’t provide you with a new direction. They won’t improve your life. There’s an old saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Negative thinking is simply a habit. People aren’t born to be pessimists, they learn to be that way. It can be changed with time, attention, and energy. One of the complaints of negative people is that it takes effort to be positive. It always takes work to change a habit, no matter what that habit might be.

Are you going to continue to float along with your old ways of thinking and doing things? If so, your life isn’t going to improve much. What are you willing to do to make it different? Think of one thing that you could start doing, and then commit to practice it every day. It could be meditating, self-hypnosis, being mindful, an affirmation, journaling or one of any number of other techniques and exercises that you’ve found over the years.

By choosing to make one small, consistent difference in the course of your life, you’ll begin to break up the inertia that’s gripped you. Each day that you follow through with your choice will take you in a new direction. You have the power to change your life. You just need to work it.

Affirmation

I have the ability to change my life. All the power of the Universe is available to me to create new ways of thinking and new beliefs. I now decide to use the tools that I’ve been given to create new habits that are more beneficial for me. My life will only improve if I choose to change it. I take charge of my life and commit myself to my well being.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Tools For Change

Tools For Change

Reading self-help and personal development books, and listening to CD’s of them, is helpful to expand the awareness of the possibilities for yourself. It also can uplift you and put you in a more constructive mindset. But if you don’t start using some of the tools that you learn about, the improvements won’t last long. You need to create your own foundation so that you can build a strong structure that can withstand the winds of storms.

Here are a few techniques for you to begin with, if you need to start somewhere.

  • Meditation – Studies show that meditation actually changes the structure of the brain. It establishes a sense of well being, allows us to think more quickly and make better decisions, along with a whole host of other positive results.
  • Mindfulness – This type of meditation means that you just remain aware of the present moment. As with meditation, it changes brain structure, reducing fear, improving memory and productivity.
  • Self-hypnosis – This is a process of communication with the inner mind that can change ideas at level where they were programmed. It can reduce stress and anxiety, help change habits, grow self-confidence and improve all sorts of physical issues.
  • Cognitive techniques – This technique instructs you how to become conscious of negative ideas and change them. It’s effective for improving depression, anxiety, and negative self-talk.
  • Journaling – Studies have shown that when you write about your feelings, your situations, or your life, this can improve the way you feel physically and mentally. It helps the mind to reprocess the information at a deep level and builds inner resources.
  • Affirmations/self-talk – When you change the way you talk to yourself, you change the way you believe and behave. It helps increase optimism and is a key to stress management.

Choose one of these to begin practicing consistently and you’ll notice an improvement in your life in a very short time. It will give you the tool you need to hold onto when life gets a little bumpy. You’ll get through the challenges much more smoothly when you have been making time for your personal development.

Your Personal Efficient Biofeedback Instrument

Your Personal Efficient Biofeedback Instrument

Are your shoulders ever tense? Do you ever clench your teeth? When you’re entering an uncomfortable situation, do you ever have butterflies in your abdomen? All of these just show that your body is an efficient biofeedback tool. It shows you what you’re thinking and feeling, even if you aren’t aware of it.

Whenever you’re stressed, your back muscles will tighten up in preparation to handle the threat. You may not even know that you’re stressed until you check in with your body.

Mentally or verbally rehearsing an argument after the fact may cause an upset stomach. It may not be happening in real life, but that doesn’t mean that your body doesn’t respond as if it’s happening now.

When you’re worried about something, you may unconsciously frown and furrow your forehead. You may even get a headache from tense neck muscles.

Your body shows you what you’re thinking about. Start listening to what it’s telling you. Check in with your body, and ask yourself, “What am I thinking about?” “What’s going on?” This will give you an indication of where your focus has been driving you.

Next, ask yourself, “What needs to change?” Stress, upset, anxiety, worry just keeps you immobilized. It cuts you off from creativity, inner resources and your problem solving abilities.

As soon as you redirect your attention to what you can do improve things, you instruct your subconscious mind to begin accessing those resources. Your subconscious mind will change its direction and begin seeking a solution. You can help it along by taking time to consciously relax. That will give it more energy to do its work.

The next time you feel out of sorts, reconnect with your body. It’ll give you all the guidance you need.

~ Linda-Ann

BlogTalkRadio Interview – Reduce Stress By Developing A Positive Mindset

BlogTalkRadio Interview – Reduce Stress By Developing A Positive Mindset

I was honored to be interviewed by my friend and colleague Cathy Severson from Retirement Life Matters for her first BlogTalkRadio Show. We had a great time doing it.

Stress is a fact of life. Some stress is beneficial, but too much can be harmful. Much of the excess stress that people experience isn’t due to a situation, but how they interpret it. Changing what a person tells themselves about the experience to something more positive reduces the stress. When they’re able to develop a more positive outlook about life in general, their health and well being actually improves.

Listen to internet radio with Retirement Life Matters on Blog Talk Radio