As we explore our mindset (see our introduction here) you perhaps are beginning to see just how important mindset is for not just your mental health but your outlook and general happiness in life. But the improvement of our mindset is not something that is going to happen overnight. It takes conscious effort and daily practice to break old habits and form new ones. Like any goal, success isn't going to happen overnight nor is it something that you win like a trophy and never have to try again. You will have good days and bad days and that is just to be expected. What is important is that you keep pushing towards improving your mental wellness. To aid in this we have put together a quick mindset meditation that can be used in a variety of ways. For someone new to correcting their mindset or for someone coming from a long history of toxic mindsets, this can be used every morning upon waking up or even on the daily commute. For those who are more advanced or have less of a bad mindset habit to break, this meditation can be used any time you find yourself in a negativity spiral that is affecting your life.
Breathe and Take Your Emotional Temperature
To begin, get yourself in a comfortable position, be it in your bed, your meditation space or seat in your commute. Now just breathe. No distractions, no podcast, music, emails, just breathe. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Give yourself 5-10 minutes of this. If you practice mindfulness and do a breathing exercise here, this is perfect, otherwise, just breathe. Once you have given yourself this five to ten minutes of mindful breathing it is time to move to the next step. Ask yourself how you feel about this day. Are you excited, bored, stressed, anxious? Are you exhausted before it even started, or eager for it to begin? Get your temperature on how you are feeling about today. If your feelings are negative, ask yourself why. Are you anxious about a presentation or a confrontation? What is the best possible result that could happen for the day? Give yourself time to visualize the best possible result for the day that you are hoping for.
List One Thing You Are Grateful For
Once you have reset your thoughts for the day, as much as you can of course it is natural to be concerned over certain days, it is time to move to the next step. List at least one thing you are grateful for. If you have a gratitude journal, this is a great time to start writing in that, but if you are driving or otherwise occupied, just listing one thing you are grateful for today is enough. If possible, make the thing you are grateful for related to the part of your day that is giving you concern. For example, if your concern is dealing with a confrontation you wish you wouldn't have to deal with, look for something in yourself that helps you with these things, like your patience, or empathy or ability to look at a situation in a neutral way.
Set Your Intention and Breathe
Now that you have focused on what your concerns are for the day and found something in yourself that is your strength against this concern it is time to set your intentions for the day. You will succeed in the thing giving you trepidation, you will do to the best of your abilities and everything will happen exactly how it needs to happen. If things do not happen exactly how you imagine it is because there are other forces at work you couldn't control. Despite this, you were able to take charge of your day and face it with strength instead of fear. Once you have finished setting your intention just let those thoughts float away while you return to your breath. The same breathing we started this exercise with we will finish it with. Continue to breathe like this as silent strength until you get to your destination or you feel ready to start your day.
As with any practice, this will take time to perfect. It is also not uncommon for all the worries and concerns to come flooding back once you are done with this meditation, if this happens refer back to your intention and what you are grateful for. Know that with a positive mindset and strong intention set, the day will go in the best possible way it could go. There are no mistakes, only negative ways of viewing events. Know that this day will be exactly what you need in your life to become a stronger and more successful version of yourself. Reach out to us with your comments and questions at info@bullionite.com.