I am truly living in the moment

It is also quite useful when clients are fearful of experiencing certain internal stimuli such as negative emotions, thoughts, images, cravings, or pain. Mindfulness helps you develop a different relationship to your thoughts. Instead of engaging with them by, for example, questioning their validity, you note their presence (without judgment) and allow them to come and go on their own. The goal is not to eliminate the unhelpful thought or eliminate distressing internal stimuli--that is usually impossible and quite maladaptive. Instead, mindfulness helps you nonjudgmentally observe and accept your internal experiences, without evaluating or trying to change them. In other words, you learn to focus on the present moment while being open, accepting, and curious. There are several kinds of mindfulness. Here are three of them: Even if your little vacation is just a few quiet minutes in the garden, the quick break will do you a world of good for your stressful emotions. Releasing Tension Your stress management plan needs to include ways you can release your stressful tension. Pressure accumulates, and if it has nowhere to go, whatever receptacle it's in will explode. By making it this far in this article, you have learned several methods and techniques for releasing tension, such as meditation, breathing exercises, and even who to reach out to if you want to talk. These are the things that should be in your plan so that when you feel your emotional tension tightening, you already know what to do in order to release it. Self-control is a good thing but bottling your emotions is not. Being Creative Another area to think about adding to your stress management plan is how you can deal with your emotions by being creative. Stress threatens to break down everything you've built up. Insist on Tech-Free Zones. Establish rules about when technology is not allowed.

Can your child bring an electronic device to school? Will the phone or iPad be allowed at the dinner table? Is there a cut-off time when texting and face-timing isn't allowed? Will your child be required to surrender their device to you at bedtime so they don't stay up surfing the net all night? TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS A technology contract spells out your rules and expectations. It holds your child accountable. If it's written down no one can say I didn't know. Just pause for ten seconds, and again notice what your mind is saying. What's it doing this time? Is it all revved up and eager to practise? Or is it cranking out reasons not to do it: `It's too silly', `It won't work', `I'll do it later', `I can't be bothered', `It doesn't really matter' and so on. If the latter, no surprises there! Let your mind try its best to dissuade you - then do it anyway. And if you should at some point find yourself hooked by all that reason-giving, then you know the drill: acknowledge `Just got hooked! I recommend you use these techniques at least five times a day, to begin with; And if you don't use them, notice how your mind talked you out of it: did it come up with some really good new reasons, or did it pull out the same old ones it's been using for years? The good thing is, you'll have plenty of material to practise with, because your mind is . Mindfulness of thoughts: for clients who excessively ruminate, worry, or try to suppress intrusive thoughts or images. Mindfulness of internal stimuli: for intense emotion and other distressing internal experiences.

Mindfulness for self-compassion: for clients who experience a great deal of self-criticism. In this article, we'll cover mindfulness of thoughts, using a focus on the breath, specifically for clients who engage in depressive rumination. LENNY's Ruminating Here's a typical scenario in which LENNY ruminates. He's sitting on the couch in his living room, watching television. But a series of depressive thoughts runs through his head and interferes with his concentration. Why am I watching TV? I should be looking for a job. Fortunately, although stress can surely break things, even the most troubled individual can find inner calm and healing when they get to make things. All people are creative; Many might disagree and say they can't dance, sing, paint, or sculpt, but artistry is certainly not the only form of creativity. Being creative means that someone gets to use their imagination to create something unique, which could be anything from a flowerbed to a rocking chair. Being creative can allow you to express whatever emotions are inside of you, giving you a good outlet for all of your stress and a sense of accomplishment. Giving Something Back The last part of your stress management plan is all about how you can give back. One of the best ways to give something meaningful back to society is to pay it forward by helping others. Helping people makes you feel good, and it also benefits your health. When you reach out to lend a helping hand, it gives you a sense of purpose and also releases endorphins in the brain that reduce your stress levels. Ultimately, a contract is more about starting a family conversation about technology than it is about getting it written on paper, however a documented agreement will keep everyone on the same article. Sit down with your child and go over the guidelines.

In addition to approved websites, time limits and technology-free zones, you may want address the following: What kind of adult supervision or parental controls will you require, if any? What kind of personal information and photos can be shared on social media? Is downloading apps or making purchases online without permission allowed? What are your expectations for your child regarding the treatment of others while social media? Who is your child allowed to call and text? Who pays the phone bill? Is there a limit to how many texts can be sent in a day, week or month? Poisonous black smoke drifts over the city. The people see it and run towards the river . And those that run too slowly start dropping like flies. At least, that's how they described it on the radio. On 30 October 1938, CBS Radio broadcast a program called The War of the Worlds, a dramatisation of H G Wells' famous novel about Martians invading earth. The one-hour episode was written, directed and narrated by the up-and-coming actor Orson Welles. The first two-thirds of the show consisted of fake news bulletins: `reporters' describing the Martian attacks, `live from the scene'. Many listeners missed the start of the show, and so failed to realise that it was only a radio play. They heard the `breaking news' and thought the Martians really were attacking. Mass panic ensued. I'm wasting my life. What a failure I am.

I used to have a good life, but everything has turned bad. There's no hope. I'll never feel better. These thoughts repeat over and over. They lead to sadness and hopelessness and a heavy feeling in his body, they undermine his confidence and motivation, and he continues to sit on the couch instead of engaging in valued action. Initially we evaluated these thoughts, and LENNY felt some relief in the session. But despite practicing strong responses to them at home, the thoughts kept coming back. LENNY, like a certain percentage of depressed clients, was engaged in the unhelpful thought process of rumination and had trouble disengaging from it. Helping others relieves your stress because: It gives you a sense of belonging. It gives you perspective. It contributes to society. It helps you in return. There are countless ways of helping others in need, sometimes in small ways that almost seem insignificant but that mean the world to the one you reached out to. Once you start looking for opportunities, you'll find that help is often needed where you least expect it. Be proactive, alert, and keep your eyes open for a chance to lift someone's spirits. Here are a few suggestions for how you can reduce your stress by helping others: Small Acts of Kindness - A kind gesture can brighten someone's day, making you feel good, too, especially when your kindness is returned with a grateful smile or a thank you in response. What happens if a rule is broken? During the discussion, you'll probably discover you will have a different set of rules for each device--cell phone, computer, gaming console.