Mindful Awareness

It had been a long time since I went on a run, but yesterday I broke the ice and took a jog. The busyness and joys of being a new dad had distracted me from some of the healthy habits I had developed as a single young man. I did not push myself too hard; I followed the ins and outs of my breath and noticed the sensations of muscles tightening and lengthening throughout my body. I admired the towering evergreen trees, swirling white clouds and splashes of blue in the sky, as I noticed the squish of soggy, decomposing dirt and pine needles under my shoes. This was a lovely winter evening run in the Northwest!

The mindful observation described above is a central technique for deepening the experience with an activity and bringing compassionate awareness, where self-judgment could easily creep in. Instead of falling into critical habits of the mind such as, “You are so slow and unhealthy,” I turned my bare attention to the sensations within my body and the sights around me.

Likewise, the mindfulness practice was an antidote for worrying. Instead of spending my run thinking about future to-do lists, I was able to actually enjoy rest and relaxation from the run. I paid attention, was in the present moment with curiosity, non-judgment, awe and acceptance, and that transformed the experience into joy instead of a chore.

Some activities can be challenging to turn into a habit. Nevertheless, whether harmful or helpful, habits are ingrained into the fabric of our lives. Our habits become instinctual, like grabbing a cheeseburger in between picking up the kids and paying the bills. Habits can be hard to change when we are on autopilot, but they can be changed. When we structure the content of our lives to be in alignment with our deepest values, the motivation to change becomes much easier.

We are intrinsically motivated and energized by clearly seeing what is most important to us. When we combine this clarity in values with mindfulness, we also clear out self-judgments that would otherwise leave us feeling stuck in the mud. With mindful awareness, we slow down knee-jerk reactions and become free to pursue that which makes us healthy and happy.

Habits with food are a specific area that can quickly leave us feeling sluggish and stuck. Beyond that, without eating whole foods that span every color in the rainbow, our bodies are left without the nutritional building blocks it needs to feel good, fight off disease and think clearly.

Alternatively, when we do have the right nutrition and moderate activity, our bodies can deal with everyday stress and illness. Mindful awareness clears out worries about failure and brings us into the present experience, more able to choose habits we want. The outcome is ultimately greater freedom.

Try It Out

● The next time you are active, repeatedly bring your attention to the sensations within your body or the sights and sounds around you. When your mind wanders, bring attention back to your present sensory experience. No other mental chatter is necessary.

● Take a moment to write down the things that are most important to you and choose one that feels most exciting. Set an intention to make this value a priority for one hour.

Ian Chittle, M.S., LMHC

Harbor Wellbeing

thechittlehomestead/ianchittle

#health