“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment”. Ellis Peters
Spring is already here for some people in the world, but even if you live in a tropical country or in the southern hemisphere, the idea of going through our belongings,resetting and cleaning our minds and environment can be very beneficial.
It just gives us an excuse to look within and reflect on how things are going in all areas of our life. As you might know, I’ve always been an advocate for a comprehensive and more holistic approach to the human being, and that’s why I consider it important to address all the spheres of our lives, without neglecting one or another. At the end of the day, all of them contribute to our overall well-being.
We’ll focus today on the mind:
- I would strongly suggest finding a time and place that you can dedicate exclusively to yourself, without any important tasks happening simultaneously, to-do lists rounding in your head, or any possible distractions and interruptions.
- Once you’ve found a comfortable place, set the mood by choosing to include in your space something that offers you comfort or inspiration, such as a beloved pet, a tree, a scent, a plant, soothing music. Whatever works best for you.
- Get a piece of paper, a notebook or whatever you prefer in order to review 6 questions that will serve as prompts for this journaling exercise.
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What are you consuming on a mental level?
Normally, when we think of consumption, we think of commodities, food, clothes. But any sort of input that comes through the senses may leave its impression on ourselves and our minds.
This includes what we listen to, such as conversations, news, series, social media, movies, music or nature sounds. This also includes what we see, smell, taste, touch; what we read, the content we interact with as well as the way in which we interact with it.
It might not be the same if you unwind at night with a little bit of reading, using a physical book, versus unwinding by reading on your cell phone, while being exposed to the blue light, notifications and many potential distractions and interruptions.
There’s no right or wrong answer in here. I just want to encourage you to become aware of your consumption habits regarding our minds and the possible impact of such content on our mental well-being.
2. Are you holding to any limiting beliefs?
Limiting beliefs can be tricky to detect at times, because they disguise behind the pretense of keeping you safe and within your comfort zone. Nevertheless, limiting beliefs are generally rooted on distorted thinking and aren’t aligned with reality.
They may be a result of lack of self- confidence, of valuing ourselves based on someone else’s expectations or our external achievements.
When limiting beliefs appear in the way of thoughts such as: I won’t be able to make it, This can’t be changed, I don’t have what it takes; challenge them and look for opposing evidence. Notice that most of them will be based on unrealistic perceptions of circumstances and of yourself.
3. Are you engaging in self- critic and self-sabotage?
Self- criticism is another way in which we get caught up in distorted thinking, which could lead us to self- sabotage and negatively impact our mental and emotional health.
If we set impossible standards for ourselves, if we constantly compare our path and pace to others and realize we are condemning ourselves simply for being human, imperfect and not an unrealistic and unattainable version of a person, we will be sowing seeds for discontent and self-deprecation.
There’s no need to be harsh and punish ourselves this way. We need to embrace our humanity, while building little by little whichever beneficial habits and changes we want to integrate in the future.
4. What kind of language are you using when talking to yourself?
Very closely related to the previous point is the way we talk to ourselves. Normally this happens completely inside our minds or sometimes even out loud. We can even refer to ourselves in a particular way in the presence of others.
Which words, tone and approach are you using? Is it kind or harsh, constructive or detrimental, encouraging or almost a source of punishment?
Our inner dialogue feeds the way we relate to ourselves, the way we interact with others and could even influence how others perceive us.
How do you think someone would react to another who is using harsh language and criticizing and devaluing any efforts all day long? Probably it would be unbearable when we think of it as another person, so why do we still think it is acceptable or necessary to be rude to ourselves?
Explore this point with openness and compassion and see what you find.
5. Which are my most frequent mental habits?
Similarly to the question that explored what we consume through the senses, it’s essential to ask ourselves what activities or habits concerning our mind, in a direct or indirect way, are the most common in our routines.
For instance, are you practicing any sort of self- care for your mind? This could include reducing your screen time, limiting your social media time, meditating, journaling, spiritual practices, therapy, exercise and a healthy diet.
Don’t disregard the importance of these habits because they have an influence on how resilient you are to adversities and difficulties, they impact how you respond and react to your own emotions, thoughts, body sensations, and external events.
6. What are your aspirations for the upcoming months?
Setting an aspiration is a wonderful way to align your core values, goals and priorities.
If you’ve realized through the previous exploration that you need to rearrange some things in your life or modify your schedule in order to take better care of yourself, you can have an aspiration to focus on whatever you need the most for your mental and overall well-being.
Examples of aspirations could be:
- Cultivating peace
- Fostering resilience
- Growing my kindness
- Boosting my productivity
I hope this self-reflection exercise was beneficial to you.
Feel free to share it with anyone who could benefit from it and invite them to join my monthly Newsletter for more Mindfulness, Mindset and Holistic Well-being content.
P.S If you haven’t downloaded it already, don’t forget to suscribe to my newsletter here to get the FREE WORKBOOK: How to communicate mindfully.
Thank you so much for being part of this community.
Sending you my best,
Laura
