Zen(ish)

I knew mindfulness and meditation should be something that I liked. As a therapist, I knew that it had value and was good for people (everyone except myself naturally). It wasn’t until I completed my DBT training that I really felt the benefits of mindfulness. I eventually started to engage in my own practices.

When they taught the mindful exercises at the training, they would always say something like “It’s natural for your mind to wander, congratulate yourself for noticing and gently bring yourself back to task.” This helped to have a deeper understanding of mindfulness. It wasn’t just this perfectly focused, clear mind. But much like therapy, it starts with where you are. And then you can have a task to focus on but you also have to understand that your mind doesn’t just comply. And that’s not the point of mindful behavior either, its being with your mind, wherever it may go.

How incredible is that concept, that we do not have to wear the armor of protection in anticipation or reliving the past? That we can practice being with our minds and bodies where we actually are. When you’ve experienced trauma, your body responds with a protective response that says it isn’t safe to do that. Teaching ourselves gently how to be in life again is healing. So meditate already. Embrace the Zen(ish).