Strengthening an Attention to Awareness

Part of a mindful practice is becoming aware of the overwhelming thoughts and emotions that you repeatedly jump into and get lost in, those rabbit holes of anxiety, stress, fear, worry and doubt that we easily fall into.  The noting technique is when you acknowledge without judging a reactive emotion, an overwhelming feeling or an unproductive thought that you jump into. Becoming aware of how you attach and then get pulled away by these things is the first step in being able to let go and experience new and better ways to relate to your experiences. Busy lives, stressful jobs and the uncertain circumstances of everyday life all play a role in how distracted we’ve become. Many of us probably aren’t aware of how often we jump into one thought after the next without spending much time being present with what’s here. 

I first began training in mediation through Headspace, and an analogy they use that I immediately related to was a hole in the sidewalk. Each day you walk down the same sidewalk and fall into the same hole. You know it's there, you know you can go around it, but you continually jump in. This is how it often is with our thoughts and emotions. We don’t always have to jump in. Our noting technique is a tool that helps us become aware of what holes we’re jumping into so that we can train space to be able to walk around. 

In the same way we can train our bodies to be fit, conditioned and strong, we can train our minds to attach to unproductive thoughts, emotions and storylines, creating loops that keep us stuck. Strengthening an attention to awareness is the practice that helps us detrain from our attachments, and the noting technique is the tool we cultivate to create the space from these loops. Part of how we’re allowed to let go of the way we’ve attached to certain thoughts and feelings is how we respond to becoming aware of them. There’s a tendency to be critical, judgmental and unkind to what you become aware of. But our challenges are our opportunities and a kind and gentle response is what’s required to explore more skillful ways to relate to our experiences.  Like any meaningful practice you participate in, mindfulness takes intention and consistency. Each day there’s an opportunity to apply action to practice. It takes courage to turn inwards and explore how you could better yourself and the people around you. Reflect on how strengthening an attention to awareness could be an opportunity to connect more to who you are and optimize what you do.