Why you should spend time with yourself

"Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming" 

- Thich Nhat Hanh on The Nourishment and Healing Path

Image by MabelAmber from Pixabay

Is it really necessary to live in over indulgence?

These past five years I have come to understand how living simply is one of the keys to happiness within yourself and a joyful life.

The above quote comes from Hanh's book The Art of Living, and it is one of his Five Mindfulness Trainings. These five trainings are paths. Not paths TO happiness and freedom, but paths OF happiness and freedom. The paths should help bring us happiness while we are on it, but I do think that it is a process. As I am currently going through it, I can attest to this. 

Why Mornings Are So Important

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

I love mornings.

You know that feeling when you get your new pen, or notebook, or new shoes? The way it feels when you first start using it? You can’t stop admiring it and you vow to take care of it and never get that pen chewed up, or that notebook bent, or those new shoes too dirty.

Mornings are like that to me. I especially love cool mornings. They feel crisp, fresh, and best of all they’re quiet.

Each morning is the beginning of a new day, and I don’t want to ruin it. Mornings determine (for me) how the day will be, and if I start off early with something I enjoy then the rest of the day will be delightful.

Addicted to Excessive Thinking

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

You're having a difficult time being in the moment. 

You want to be able to shower and remember whether you shampooed your hair yet.

You want to be able to enjoy making your iced coffee without thinking of everything you have to do.

You know that you think too much and that you are addicted to excessive thinking. 

There are times you get so overwhelmed with your thoughts that you break down and cry.

You have realized that it is who you are, and you just need to accept it. 

Yes, it is difficult to accept something you don't like about yourself, especially something that makes you feel so emotionally drained. But you know that once you accept it, you will be better suited to work on it and pay better attention to the moment. 

Realizing that this is who you are would be the first step. Now what? 

Love and Take Care of the Child in You.

“When you are no longer caught in specific images or appearances, you can see things more clearly. You can see that the little child is still alive in every cell of your body. It is possible to listen to and take care of the little boy or little girl in you at any time. You can invite that child to breath with you, walk with you, and enjoy nature with you.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh in The Art of Living.

I’m currently reading The Art of Living and I’ve come to a part that reminded me of what a very close friend of mine once told me “take care of the little girl down deep inside you. Not just accept her. Love her. She needs your love as you needed your moms love.” I grew up with a very critical and judgmental mother, and even though I am not living with her now as an adult I still receive that from my self. I learned to criticize and judge myself. Where is the self-love?

Let’s bring out the little child in us, the scared child, the criticized child. Let the child talk to you, what is he or she saying? Listen. 

Accept without criticism, tell the child “you are good enough.” 

Genetically, and in the way we grew up, we carry our parents in us. We are our parents. Talk to the child as your parents, through you your parents speak.

Enjoy the Present Moment

Dreams can often times serve as reminders of what we need to pay attention in our lives.

The other night I dreamed of my son. He was about 2 years old, and he came running to me with his arms open. I can still feel the way his little arms wrapped around my neck, the warmth of his tiny body, and his soft cheek against mine. Sweet baby. When I awoke I let that image and feeling linger in my mind.

We must remind ourselves in the midst of our busy schedules, and even now during this pandemic, to enjoy the moment we have with our children, because we won't get it back. Being in the moment and enjoying it, is something I am currently working on.

Many of us are living either in the past or in the future.

To quote Eckhart Tolle in The Power Of Now:

“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”

This moment is what we have. Let's immerse ourselves in it.