The primary goal of mindful breathing is simply a calm, non-judging awareness, allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go without getting caught up in them.
- Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight. - Bring your attention to your breathing. - Imagine that you have a balloon in your stomach. Every time you breathe in, the balloon inflates. Each time you breathe out, the balloon deflates. -Whenever you notice that your attention has drifted off and is becoming caught up in thoughts and feelings, simply note that the attention has drifted, and then gently bring the attention back to your breathing.
0 Comments
The distortions below are definitions and examples of ways of thinking and by understanding what they are, it may be easier to stop that continuous mindset or retrain your brain to think in a more positive or realistic manner.
Magnification and Minimization: Exaggerating or minimizing the importance of events. One might believe their own achievements are unimportant, or that their mistakes are excessively important. Catastrophizing: seeing only the worst possible outcomes of a situation. Overgeneralization: Making broad interpretations from a single or few events. Magical Thinking: The belief that acts will influence unrelated issues. Personalization: The belief that one is responsible for events outside of their own control. Jumping to Conclusions: Interpreting the meaning of a situation with little or no evidence. Mind Reading: Interpreting the thoughts and beliefs of others without adequate evidence. Fortune Telling: The expectation that a situation will turn out badly without adequate evidence. Emotional Reasoning: the assumption that emotions reflect the way things really are. Disqualifying the Positive: Recognizing only the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive. One might receive many compliments on an evaluation, but focus on the single piece of negative feedback. 'Should' Statements: The belief that things should be a certain way. "I should always be happy." All-or-nothing Thinking: Thinking in absolutes such as always, never, or every. For those struggling with Bipolar or really anyone at all, this is a really good resource that reviews unhelpful thinking habits. I think a lot of the time we think that the thoughts that enter our brains have a hold on us, when really the choice is ours. Once we begin to recognize these unhealthy thinking styles, then we can change towards a healthy lifestyle change. FYI this is so hard. I fit into every single one of these categories, but I'm fightin' one thought at a time.
What is Bi Polar? Watch this video to get a closer scientific understanding of what Bi Polar is, how it impacts the brain and what parts of the brain it impacts. If you are looking for a more emotional, day to day understanding of Bi Polar 2, watch the ted talk video below.
|
AuthorSometimes we just need a little nudge in the right direction. Archives
March 2019
Categories |