Mindfulness Practice Series - #3 Awareness Through Writing

Journaling for self

Bringing awareness to the present moment can be challenging. Our brains are very good at analyzing and judging every little thing that happens to us. Perhaps a more difficult exercise for the brain is to simply notice things without attaching to them.

We have all heard of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation; but sitting still in a lotus position for an hour straight is a lot harder than it looks. (Both for your body and your brain). Here is a simple way to bring your brain to a place of peace and presence. It involves writing your present experience down.

Awareness through writing:

Grab a pen and paper - or type on your device.

Have a seat and close your eyes. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Tell yourself that you are ready to spend the next 5 minutes committing to the present moment.

(Set a timer if you’d like).

Look around, listen, smell the air… What is happening?

Don’t put any effort into what you write. Simply list what you are experiencing.

What sounds do you hear?

What do you see? What do you smell?

What are you sitting on? How does it feel?

What is the environment like? What is the temperature?

What do your clothes feel like against your skin?

Write a list. Refrain from adding any judgement. (It’s cold. I hate it when it’s cold. A dog won’t stop barking - that’s so annoying.) Write only what IS - not your reactions to what is.

Espresso drip

As I write this I am sitting in Anani (A coffee shop and juice bar in Gulfport, FL)

Music plays at a medium volume from speakers overhead.

The espresso machine hisses. There is a tinkle of coffee cups as a drink is poured.

Someone places their order. I hear the snap of a plastic lid being placed onto its plastic cup.

The air is cool - air conditioning battling the growing summer heat outside.

Toast pops up out of a toaster.

I see a stack of magazines, a few books on a multi-tiered shelf. An ornate navy blue couch and matching armchair sit empty.

The table I am sitting at is round and white.

My iced coffee is starting to sweat.

The barista walks by to deliver the drink she was preparing.

By recording what your senses are noticing - your brain must take a pause. (This is the break our spirits long for; the moment of presence where real life resides.) It takes a moment to write down each experience and in this moment your brain has something to focus on. The brain LOVES to have purpose and projects to complete. When we provide our brain with awareness of the present we pull it away from whatever trivial worries it was focused on before (does your grocery list really matter RIGHT NOW?)

Some people find it easier to tune into the present and to meditate when they have some action attached to the practice. In this case using your pencil or your keyboard gives you a “task” to occupy your otherwise easily-distracted mind.

Test it out. Try sitting quietly for 5 minutes and mentally noticing what is happening without writing it down.This can be much more difficult because all the thoughts you have (unrelated to this exercise) can be really distracting.

Figuring out which mindfulness practices are the best fit for you is important. There is always a way to bring yourself into a place of presence. Many people are discouraged when they first start to practice because they think “This is hard. I must be doing this wrong.” Let your practice be practice. There is no striving involved in mindfulness. Rather it is a letting go, and a return to presence and to peace. You can do it!

Written by Maeby Lopez, LMHC: Professional Organizer and Wellness Advocate