Mtngrl
04-06-2014, 10:14 AM
I recently posted in another thread that I don't believe positive thinking can cure disease. I also think it's cruel to place that burden on sick people. They feel crappy, they've been traumatized, they're scared, and they think they're screwing up by not "thinking positively."
For an insightful and brilliant look at the very American, paradoxically Puritan cult of positive thinking, I highly recommend Barbara Ehrenreich's book, Bright Sided. The first chapter is about her encounters with it when she had breast cancer.
In that same comment I talked about mindfulness meditation. It is a practice of not thinking, of detaching from the storm of thoughts that constantly rages in one's head, especially in stressful times. With practice, it's possible to enter into a "zone" of serenity and acceptance. I first learned it from a book called Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Then I learned of a Christian version called "centering prayer."
Other practices can have a similar effect. Yoga does. Running, walking, bicycling, swimming or rowing can too. (Physical activity can also increase endorphins and boost immune function, so they are especially beneficial for people who have the ability to engage in them.)
What they all have in common is letting go: not thinking, not planning, not forecasting disaster, not worrying, but just being. You breathe. You notice, but you don't react. You notice thoughts, sounds, bodily sensations, but you don't focus on them. You just stay in the now.
For me, knitting is a meditative practice. I find it's not possible to be anxious while I'm knitting. It calms me down and centers me. I can recite prayers, psalms, hymn verses and the like while I knit, or I can just let the clicking of the needles be my mantra. It's nice to end up with tangible products (hats, scarves, mittens, socks, shawls, etc.) but it's not why I do it. It's the journey, not the destination.
I am less reactive, angry, unreasonable, and judgmental than I used to be. I am more peaceful. Whether I live another 30 years or only another 30 months, it's the way I want to live.
The present moment is all that any of us has. I want to be as fully present to myself and to the people in my life as possible. I want to be awake, aware, and at peace.
For an insightful and brilliant look at the very American, paradoxically Puritan cult of positive thinking, I highly recommend Barbara Ehrenreich's book, Bright Sided. The first chapter is about her encounters with it when she had breast cancer.
In that same comment I talked about mindfulness meditation. It is a practice of not thinking, of detaching from the storm of thoughts that constantly rages in one's head, especially in stressful times. With practice, it's possible to enter into a "zone" of serenity and acceptance. I first learned it from a book called Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Then I learned of a Christian version called "centering prayer."
Other practices can have a similar effect. Yoga does. Running, walking, bicycling, swimming or rowing can too. (Physical activity can also increase endorphins and boost immune function, so they are especially beneficial for people who have the ability to engage in them.)
What they all have in common is letting go: not thinking, not planning, not forecasting disaster, not worrying, but just being. You breathe. You notice, but you don't react. You notice thoughts, sounds, bodily sensations, but you don't focus on them. You just stay in the now.
For me, knitting is a meditative practice. I find it's not possible to be anxious while I'm knitting. It calms me down and centers me. I can recite prayers, psalms, hymn verses and the like while I knit, or I can just let the clicking of the needles be my mantra. It's nice to end up with tangible products (hats, scarves, mittens, socks, shawls, etc.) but it's not why I do it. It's the journey, not the destination.
I am less reactive, angry, unreasonable, and judgmental than I used to be. I am more peaceful. Whether I live another 30 years or only another 30 months, it's the way I want to live.
The present moment is all that any of us has. I want to be as fully present to myself and to the people in my life as possible. I want to be awake, aware, and at peace.