WEEK THREE
Welcome back to Mindfulness Monday! If you’ve been following my mindfulness journey so far, you know that I’m using the book Mindfulness – An Eight-Week Plan For Finding Peace In A Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman. Each week has a different focus, with meditations related to that focus, as well as a Habit Releaser to help us get rid of old habits that don’t serve us well.
Unfortunately, my update for this week is that life got in the way and I just couldn’t devote the time or attention the meditations deserved. Since this is to chronicle my journey rather than just tell you what the book is all about, I can’t honestly give an opinion on Week Three of the book yet so I’m repeating it this week and will give my update next Monday. I did start out with my meditation practice right after my Quiet Time this morning, so this week is off to a better start with it and hopefully I’ve found a time that will be less likely to be interrupted by, well, life. :o)
Since I didn’t have an update for you this week, I thought I’d check out a few articles on Mindfulness and share some of those with you. The first two look at how Mindfulness is defined, and the third article, from the American Psychological Association, looks at the Benefits of Mindfulness. Though many studies have shown numerous benefits, there are also potential pitfalls for some people, and these are addressed in the article Mindfulness Is the Hottest New Trend — But Should It Be?
A Few Interesting Articles
https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/ What Is Mindfulness? by Mindful staff
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-matters-most/201711/3-definitions-mindfulness-might-surprise-you 3 Definitions of Mindfulness That Might Surprise You by Ryan M. Niemiec Psy.D
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner.aspx What Are the Benefits of Mindfulness? by Daphne M. Davis, PhD. and Jeffrey A. Hayes, PhD.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/click-here-happiness/201711/mindfulness-is-the-hottest-new-trend-should-it-be Mindfulness Is the Hottest New Trend — But Should It Be? by Tchiki Davis, Ph.D.
I’m sharing my journey, hurdles and all, so that I can stay accountable and share what I’m learning in case it might be helpful to you. As with everything, it’s important to thoroughly check out any wellness program and consult with your physician before you embark on it. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another, and in fact, could make things worse.
I’m sorry I “failed” last week but hope to do much better this week. I hope you find the above articles helpful. Please let me know what you think of them!
Blessings,
~Terri
Related Posts
Untying the Knots – Learning to Relax with Mindfulness Meditation
I don’t see it as a failure. Just a part of your experience.
Thank you! I’m learning to be more kind to myself, but I was disappointed that I didn’t do what I needed to in order to do today’s post. 🙂
After reading the Psychology Today article, I was struck by how commercialized the ancient practice of mindfulness has become. There is no doubt that a self-study approach to mindfulness meditation can be difficult to accomplish without a teacher who has practiced it. Anyone having difficulty should find a Buddhist study group in their area–ones with Vipassana in the name use mindfulness meditation as their daily practice, but any Buddhist group will have a teacher(s) skilled in the technique. There is no need to become a member, the instruction is given gratis.
Thanks so much for the advice Ellie!
I like how you maintain your power and say life happened and instead of chucking the whole thing… OR starting from day one, you will start the week over. Nice. I will check out a few of the links you posted. ~k.
Thanks Kim! You may be especially interested in the article by Tchiki Davis. I know you wrote about the link between PTSD and fibromyalgia the other day, and she specifically mentions PTSD.
!!! ~k.
I certainly wouldn’t say that you ‘failed’ by not fitting in your mindfulness exercises. It’s like saying I fail when I don’t do my physio exercises. Sometimes you just can’t fit it all in.
I am trying to just ‘sit’ as part of my quiet time for 10 minutes whilst I have a cuppa outside. Ten minutes is manageable (although sometimes I still struggle to sit still) and I certainly don’t do anything fancy. Rules and procedures don’t seem to work for me, although I’m sure I have little rituals (ie. a cuppa that signal it is time to be quiet). My ten minutes of sitting is more like a ‘pause’ where I check in on myself, listen to my thoughts, my body, the birds, the weather and to God. It’s manageable which makes me feel like I can succeed over the long term with this.
Thank you Sarah! I think it’s more that I feel I’m failing the folks who are checking in to see how it’s going….. Thanks for the comparison to the physio – that kind of puts it in a new light. One of the lessons I’m learning with this is that I need to stop being so hard on myself. I love that you’ve found something that works well for you and that you can maintain long-term. Thanks for sharing!
You have not failed at all, I have found it difficult to keep reading the book too. Somehow life gets in the way. 😊
Thanks Elaine! I’m just going to have to be flexible with this experience.😊My main concern is just letting you guys down…. I did manage to do my morning meditation again today, so I feel better about it. I think I may have found a time that works better for me.
You will never let us down Terri, even if you give an update once a month. Don’t put pressure on yourself ❣️
Thank you – you’re too kind!
Not kind, just honest 😉
There is no failing. There is continuing on the best we can. 😀 Take are!
Thanks Resa! That’s definitely the way I need to look at it! Take care also my friend.😊
There’s no such thing as “failure”.. only learning! 🙂
Thanks Christy! That’s my results-driven side talking.😊I just didn’t like not having an update for you guys. Blessings to you!
((Blessings)) <3
Hi Terri. You are doing great. I admire your honesty. I checked out the last article which makes some very valid points about PTSD. I feel it is always good to check things out with a health care professional before embarking on something new. PTSD needs to heal at its own rate. Have a lovely week. 🌼
Thank you so much Brigid. I agree with you about checking with your health professional before starting anything new, especially because you could inadvertently cause yourself more harm than good. I always run things by my doctor first. I even took one of my books in recently and had him pick out which exercises were good and which ones might exacerbate my hip problem. I hope you have a lovely week as well!
Its great to have such a good doctor. I have a lovely gp too. 😊