The Mindfulness Habit, by Kate Sciandra

processing, even when you may not realize it is—daydreaming is thinking, too!

You read: reports for work, books, magazines, blogs, and websites.

You talk: conversations with friends, coworkers, and the guy who makes your coffee.

You think: solve problems; remember lists, numbers, or errands; and keep track of your toddler, your schedule, and maybe everyone else’s schedule too.

Even when you don’t believe you’re thinking, you are. You have a mental commentary running, and often you are completely unaware of how much of it is going on. For two or three seconds, close your eyes, and do nothing. What do you notice? It only takes a moment to hear the jabbering, the running commentary that permeates our thoughts almost all the time.

This busy, hectic mind contributes significantly to creating the state we’ve come to refer to as stress.

Not only is the hyperactive brain tiring, but that busy mind often keeps you awake at night, and sleeplessness makes everything difficult as you function less efficiently and less effectively while being short-tempered and physically uncomfortable.

Let’s face it, life can be hard. Evolution prepared us to live in a world where our causes for worry and panic were about whether we could find enough fruit or roots to keep us alive, and whether we could outrun that tiger. Now we worry about our 24 Chapter 1