Mental Noting Is Useful in Meditation And Everyday Life (Day 25 of 30)
The simple act of mental noting, gently acknowledging what’s going on in my mind in very simple terms without any judgement, has been influential in reducing the mental chatter in my brain in the wee hours of the morning!
To my dismay, I have developed a habit of waking up like clock work at 4 am most mornings and struggling to fall back to sleep. The only way to fall back to sleep is to do some slow deep breathing and manage my monkey brain from getting too engaged in mind chatter. This is not an easy task and cultivating a deeper meditation practice has been essential to my success most days. If I’m not disciplined, my brain will naturally start thinking of everything I need to do that day. It loves to problem solve issues in my business too. To my surprise my brain is actually quite astute at this time in the morning, so at times I let it explore for a while. But I also need my precious ZZZZs! So if I’m not mindful of all this, I can stay awake until 6:30 am when the kids wake up. By then, I’m in sleep deprivation mode which is not how I want to start my day. And as you know, my husband and I are fanatics about getting a good night’s sleep for our mental and physical health (see my earlier blog on this). (And yes, I’ve thought of shifting my bedtime earlier but that is just not feasible long term with the rest of my family’s schedule).
My quest to be free of migraines in 2019 motivated me to focus more on meditation and breathwork. One aspect of that was using meditation apps like Calm and 10% Happier due to their convenience and ease of use (in fact it was my biofeedback practitioner that recommended using the Calm App to reinforce our body scan work together). If you have access to a daily meditation teacher that is wonderful. But if you don’t the apps do a decent job. What I love about them is that they reinforce everything that I’ve learned as a life coach in terms of bringing awareness to my thoughts and feelings, but it comes with convenience of being available to me anytime and in bite sizes. As a busy mom and solopreneur, having access to these varied and insightful meditations on the go whenever I need them is really wonderful and worth every penny.
So back to mental noting - one of my key takeaways from mindfulness meditation! It is the simple act of checking in and being present with oneself - almost so simple that many us miss it and forget about it after learning it the first (me included). What I love about it is the stripping away of most of the language and the use of single words (almost like mantras to me) to acknowledge whatever is going on in the present moment. It is almost as if you take away the language, you drop all the drama. What I find when I do this is it pushes aside all the mental chatter. That is how it works for me at least, until I can get centered on the breath again.
For example, when my brain starts going through my do list for the day and I’ll gently note to myself “thinking” and return to my breath. Recognizing that my brain was straying and thinking instead of focusing on the breath. Then I’ll note “rise” and “fall” of my chest as I breath in and out. If I get frustrated that it is taking me too long to go to sleep I may note “feelings” or the actual feeling such as “frustrated” and notice how frustration vibrates in my body. When it dissipates and the feeling is no longer compelling, I return to following my breath and note “in” and “out.” I like to keep the language more neutral and broad, but play around with it and see what works for you.. I remember one meditation teacher suggesting using only two terms “breath” vs “non-breath”. So any time my thoughts strayed to anything other than my breath I’d simply note to myself “non-breath”. 😉 Very neutral and non-judgmental. There is nothing wrong with thinking, but during a meditation we’re aiming to be present and give ourselves a break from the little thought dictators of our mind that are telling us to go here and there, do this and that… often unnoticed thoughts have great power in our lives, but when we become aware of them they lose their power.
I’ve started to use mental noting outside of my meditation practice as well. When I’m writing a blog or trying to focus on something and my mind strays off topic, I’ll note “off-topic” or “feelings”. It helps me to briefly acknowledge them but also let them float by as I continue my work. When that isn't enough or I’m having a more challenging day, I treat myself to mini meditation/breathwork “snacks” when needed. Five minutes is all it takes sometimes at my desk to reorient my day. It has done wonders for managing my headaches and has been highly effective in refocusing my brain when I start to feel stressed as a working parent.
My daily meditation and breathwork practice is a delicious part of my morning routine! As an urban dweller who wants to not only survive but thrive in NYC, I’ve found this practice be a highly effective addition to my self-care toolbox. I always feel calmer, relaxed, and grounded afterwards. I can’t wait to see where this journey continues to take me. You can meditate anytime, anywhere, and with any frequency. And if you fall of the wagon, it is never too late to jump back on. You just pick up the next time you can and carry on. There is no one judging you but yourself, so have your own back and give yourself a break!
~~
💫 Are you a career break mom looking to re-enter the workforce, dream big and design a future you love? I’m passionate about helping you get there. Sign up for a free consult to learn how you can get started on your relaunch journey today! Click here.
✨See you tomorrow for Day 26 of 30 lessons learned from 2019!
#selfcare #mindfulness #meditation #breathwork #breath #returntowork #relaunch #igotthis #backtowork #career #careerchange #careerwoman #thoughts #newjob #worklifebalance #personalgrowth #lifecoaching #mentalhealth #careercoach