Karly's Long Road: Mindfulness

I read a great article this week in Ladies Home Journal. I have never read Ladies Home Journal before, but you'd be amazed at how many people leave magazines on the plane that I get to keep and read for free!

It has been a long time since I have had to cite my sources for a paper or something, but just so I am not breaking some law I will tell you the information I am going to paraphrase is from Ladies Home Journal March 2010 issue. The article is Life is Good...Don't Miss it! By Catherine Newman. (I know any good librarian would never initial my bibliography with that info, but it will have to do...did anyone else have to get them initialed by the librarian before you could had it in?)

Anyway, I love this article. I reminded me to not take life for granted.

It talks about the condition of modern life: hurrying, multitasking, and making so many connections in a day that we don't realize how disconnected we have become. I know I will be talking to Lukas about his day, but my mind is thinking about what I have to do next. I am not really connecting with him. How many times has Nick come home from work and I say, "Hi...how was your day?" but really I am doing something else at the same time and not really listening.

Chris Germer, Ph.D, says we need to remind ourselves, however corny it may sound, that this is it. This is our life. We need to be IN every moment. You may be playing a game with your kids, eating with your spouse, walking outside, doing the dishes, etc. But really, life is only a series of these little moments! And when we rush through them we are in danger of missing the whole thing!

There is a new practice to help us focus on the present moment, called "Mindfulness". It can help to treat ADD and compulsive eating, stress, anxiety...and more! That was always one of my biggest problems when it came to eating. Mindless eating. That is why WW teaches you to track the food you eat. It makes you think about every time you go to put food in your mouth! You would not believe how many extra calories you can eat by taking a 'bite here' and a 'bite there' with mindless snacking. You are eating --- but not tasting the food, or enjoying it, or paying any attention to the quantity.

There is a seven step plan to help you be more Mindful of the present:

Be here, Now

Do less multitasking, get more done

Slow Down

Take a deep breath

Unplug - from technology (once in a while)

Pay attention to the triggers that remind you to be mindful

Let yourself be happy

This article struck me in two ways: eating and day to day.

Like I said earlier, if I am not being mindful of what I am eating I will eat more than I want and things I didn't want to eat! But also when I am eating the right foods I try to focus on it and really taste it, savor it, and enjoy it. If I don't it will be gone before I know it, my points are gone, and I don't feel like I ate at all.

I am really trying to be more mindful in my day to day life too. I want to really listen to Lukas when he tells me about his day. I am trying to stop what I am doing when I hear Nick come home and go hug him and talk to him. When I am kneeling on the bathroom floor, waiting for Slade to "pee in the potty" I am trying to just be there, with Slade, and enjoy that moment with my son. I know I have a lot of room to improve, but being aware is the first step. I know before I know it, the things that can drive me crazy now --- like kid messes, boys fighting, little smart mouths --- will be what I miss when they are gone. I want to enjoy this wonderful time of my life.

We took they boys to Mc Donald's on Friday to let them have one of their favorite meals and play. I usually get bored and want to go before they do, but I really tried to just be in this moment and enjoy watching my boys have fun. Nick and I helped Slade play basketball and had a blast doing it, while Lukas ran around with the new friends he made there!