Quote of the day: “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The way to start changing your mind is not to force it or command it but to watch it.” — Martha Beck, ~How to Think Your Way Free, The Martha Beck Collection, Essays for Creating Your Right Life Volume 

iPhone kaliedascope photo

Try a little thought experiment with me for a minute. For the next minute, whatever you do, I don’t want you to think about pink polka-dotted elephants dancing Swan Lake. Got it? That’s right, don’t think about big, graceful, pink polka-dotted elephants dancing Swan Lake. Ready? Go…

How did you do? If you worked hard NOT TO THINK ABOUT DANCING ELEPHANTS I BET THAT’S ALL YOU THOUGHT ABOUT.

If you decided to simply follow your breath and watch thoughts come and go, you may have had stray pink elephant thoughts floating through your mind. After all, how often does one see pink elephants dancing to Swan Lake? But if you were relaxed and accepting the thoughts floated in and floated out without much fuss.

What we resist persists

When I am experiencing pain, if I forget to become mindful I often resist the pain, tightening muscles, and actually making it worse. By noticing and breathing I begin to relax. As soon as I notice my resistance and start following my breath, I can feel the muscles release and lengthen and the pain ease.

It works every time.

The trick is to notice when I am resisting something.

I am learning to treat myself with the same compassion and patience I would a dear friend or a beloved child. Observing my responses and thoughts and accepting them as “just thoughts” helps me change them.

Earlier this week I wrote about how easy it was to start a huge change in my eating patterns. The decision that “today is the day” was spontaneous and easy. But it was preceded by much preparation and thought and weeks of observing myself as I thought about changing my eating patterns.

As I observed thoughts that felt like a little kid stomping her foot and saying, “No! No! No! I won’t do that!” I simply observed and sent lovingkindness to that part of myself.

May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be free from suffering, may I be at peace.

I watched and waited until I felt an opening and relaxation of that part of myself. (I also planned and prepared for when I felt that sense of readiness.)

It worked. One day I woke up and I knew “Today is the day.” And I made the diet switch with ease.

A little more than a week after making the switch, I find some days I just want to go back and eat the stuff I used to eat. I’ve had a few days when I didn’t reach my goals but I am eating much healthier than I was. So I congratulate myself and continue to be kind and compassionate as well as persistent in moving towards my goal.

This morning I got up and thought about making my breakfast of green smoothie with kale and parsley and lots of other healthy ingredients and some part of me rebelled.

I DO NOT WANT A GREEN SMOOTHIE TODAY!

I began going through a list of acceptable substitutes and for each item I thought of, that rebellious part of me quickly said, “Nope, not that.” Then I began cycling through a list of unacceptable substitutes (things I used to eat and don’t want to eat any more).

I was surprised that I had the same thought for each of those items, “Nope, not that.”

Finally, I just stood in the kitchen and breathed with my rebellious self and asked myself what I needed. Slowly my resistance melted.

I need more parsley in my smoothie this morning!

Oh, I can do that. Sounds good.

I love parsley!

When I was a kid I used to go down to the garden and pick parsley and eat it right then and there. My mom used to have to stop me from eating it all early in the summer before the plants got big and strong. I now grow two big pots of parsley just for me to eat and use in cooking each summer and I still end up buying some parsley in the store.

My morning smoothie was exceptionally tasty this morning with extra parsley and a great start to my day!