So what is Wise Mind? If you’re a Star Wars fan, you will remember that the Jedi knights had access to “The Force”, information that seemed to come from a higher or wiser source. Actually we ALL have access to this Force! Once you learn the basics, you just need to practice with those light sabers!
It is easy to ignore our intuition, or what our senses pick up. It’s common to mistrust whatever we experience emotionally. One client said he drank five cups of coffee a day just so he could focus but instead he got very anxious and paranoid. No wonder he had panic attacks! That made it impossible for him to function as an attorney and run his own business. He had to find his way back to his own natural energy and strength.
Step one is, just notice your surroundings. Use your senses- look at the colors, smell what’s brewing, feel the air on your skin. Maybe there’s an object you would really like to pick up and examine! Try being HERE, in the present moment, without slipping back into thinking about what you have to do next.
Then notice if you are having any judgments about what you’re taking in- does that fancy pen in front of you remind you of a boss you didn’t like? Is it hard not to go into a story about it? Is it making you daydream about your new office with a different boss, and a new pen on the fancy new desk? It’s so easy to get distracted.
How about this: just gently bring your mind back to the present and “just the facts” about the pen- that it’s black, that it’s half empty, that it’s lying on the edge of the desk, etc. Then just take a breath. The pen is just being a pen for now, and that’s OK. Your mind gets to simplify, just focusing on this one thing. And that can be a big relief! Stress seems to drop when you practice with Mindfulness in this way.
Step 2 is to keep practicing. Come back to your body and your senses whenever you spin out and feel overloaded. In that way, the Wisdom aspect of your mind has more time and room to get some insight into all the information that comes at you every moment. Things start to connect and make sense.
Coming back to the Here and Now can help you deal with life on more realistic terms and curb that anxious mind of yours. I’m not saying this is easy. Think of it as weight lifting for your mind- good for you and well worth the practice. In this way, your inner stress management expert can grow from a ninety pound weakling into a muscular Ally. Accessing “The Force” helps you appreciate and tune into your innate wisdom-right now.
