Watch Your Mental Weather

Feel the freedom of noting your thoughts and emotions, then releasing them as they shift like clouds in the sky. 1

BY MARK BERTIN

Our mental habits can be both useful and far from useful. In order to tell the difference, we first have to notice them. While practicing mindfulness, we guide ourselves out of reactive stress mode and pause. From there, we observe how we think more clearly without judging ourselves as flawed for whatever we find. We can set new intentions moving forward with ease and even a little kindness.

In this practice, we sit for a moment and note thoughts as they come and go, just as we might lie back in the grass on a warm autumn day and watch the sky. Later, you may choose to problem-solve or run with a creative idea you had during this practice. But for just a few minutes we let it all slide, give ourselves a mental rest, and observe the thoughts as they pass by.

Take a few minutes right now to observe your thoughts. 2

As thoughts surface, ask yourself: Is it true?

Negative thoughts might arise: I’m not good enough to handle this. Or, If I don’t get my act together I am not going to get a promotion. But, are those things true? So much of what feels fixed or permanent turns out to be assumption, conjecture, or fantasy. After you’ve asked yourself Is this true? of a particular thought, see if you can then gently let the thought go.

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Note the directions your mind tends toward. Are there specific storylines you tell yourself? Or thoughts? Are you bored? Are you hungry? Are you thinking about the past? Are your thoughts about the future? 4

Become aware of storylines, then note them as habits. Let go of your thoughts. Touch in and then gently let them roll on by.

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