My beautiful and wise friend Cindy sent me an email a few weeks ago.
She registered for a 31-day mindfulness summit and thought I might be interested. It was free – as long as you watched each video the day it was posted.
I’ve been experimenting with mindfulness practices lately – particularly mindful eating, so I signed up.
We met for breakfast a few days ago – and I had to admit I didn’t watch a single video. It was day 15 of the summit. Sigh.
That night, I bought the all access pass and watched the first video.
The benefits of mindfulness and meditation are innumerable. If drug companies could turn mindfulness or meditation into a pill and make a profit, we’d see adds for it splashed everywhere. And the side effects – nada!
Then why are we so resistant to practicing mindfulness? Perhaps we think it means chanting OM while sitting cross-legged on a cushion in a monastery.
Truth is – mindfulness is quite accessible and can be easily integrated into our daily lives.
Stay with me.
Our brains are hardwired to pay more attention to negative events.
Psychologist and brain researcher, Dr. Rick Hanson explains this concept beautifully.
He says…
Our negative experiences stick to us like velcro, while our positive experiences slide right off like teflon.
Researchers have found it takes numerous positive experiences to overcome a single negative one.
Think about it. What do you tend to stew over at the end of the day?
- The friendly interaction with your coworker?
- The kind woman who held the door for you?
- The sweet text from your love?
- Or the rude checkout clerk at the grocery store?
You can train your brain to focus on the good. This is especially important if you tend to stew over the negative stuff – and then eat as a way to cope.
Here’s how (without having to sit for one single second in meditation).
At the end of every day (or anytime you like), take a moment to think about at least one good thing that happened that day. Write it down. That’s it.
This Cherokee parable sums it up brilliantly…
“One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside of people.
He said, ‘My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment, and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth, and compassion.’
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf wins?’
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Which wolf are you feeding?
XO ~Robyn
I work with fun + smart + courageous women who want a healthier body AND a more delicious life! No calorie counting required. Simply click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.
Robyn Spurr is a Once Obese Chick, Eating Disorder Survivor, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss.
She helps women learn to manage their emotions without food and reach their healthy, natural weight without all the diet craziness.