The Forest Through The Trees

In a therapy session, when I find my mind drifting, I remind myself to focus on one thing. One thing the client is saying or doing. If I can center all my attention on one thing, even for a moment, it will pull me back in. And I am, again, attending to the client. I'm in their world.

The past month has been a challenge, personally, and I find my thoughts wandering in and out of session.  This happens to all of us. We are influenced and distracted by thoughts, emotions, fears, etc. on a daily basis. As employees, spouses, parents and friends. One of the philosophies of being a therapist is "know thyself". And as I am aware of a shift in my focus, I am once again reminded of this important mantra.

Without observing yourself, our perceptions of the life we are living and our sense of self is skewed. Our emotions take over, and our ability to remain self aware is greatly decreased. I was on a teeter-totter today, yes...a teeter-totter. And in between my moments terror at the thought of sending my little client shooting out of her seat like a rocket, I realized how "knowing thyself" is much like a teeter-totter. Emotions balanced with self awareness. Tough. A balance between well being and personal integrity. Even tougher!  I read in another blog..."Even if we’ve gone off the beaten track, once we’ve found ourselves, we may still be in the woods, but we’re no longer lost."  Being a sucker for analogies, I had to include it!

There are several ways to increase your self awareness and find your path, but mindfulness is (relatively) easy and can be done anywhere.  It's a process of open attention to the present. You let your thoughts, feelings, and sensations pass before you, observing them fully. The key is to be aware of them, not to judge them. When emotions (any emotion)  seem to be teetering too much in one direction, for a minute, a day or several days, mindfulness creates center and totters you back out.  Obviously, more practice makes perfect, but even a quick check-in can help you focus and possibly be the catalyst needed to change your situation.   

 

Here are examples of mindfulness:

 

Notice Five Things 

1. Pause for a moment
2. Look around, and notice five things you can see.
3. Listen carefully, and notice five things you can hear.
4. Notice five things you can feel in contact with your body. (E.g. your watch against your wrist, your trousers against your legs, the air upon your face, your feet upon the floor, your back against the chair etc)