Be Mindful of the Present
Have your children ever taught you a life lesson that just stuck? I recently went on a whirlwind visit to see my son in Dallas. It was short but sweet, and worth every minute. Something happened while I was there that inspired this post. This happens to me often – whether I read something or experience it firsthand, and it’s always a validation that I need to share it with my readers.
I knew I only had about 24 hours to spend with my son, and instead of enjoying the moment, I found myself worrying about how little time I have. I was focusing on that instead of being present with him! Then he made a comment during one of our conversations that touched me and stayed with me…
The Mind is Our Battlefield
There’s a saying that our mind is our battlefield, and I find it to be so true. The mind is a warzone. Sometimes we fight battles and win; sometimes we lose. Either way, it really is what’s between our ears that is calling the shots in our lives. Our own happiness, joy, and fulfillment are so dependent on the way we think. Take a minute to ponder that, and I’m sure you’ll agree.
I truly believe that half of the perceived tragedies or horrific things we think will happen in our minds will never actually come about. We instead become overwhelmed by the anxiety and chaos in our minds that we just accept that as gospel. It’s time to clean house within our minds and our thoughts and learn some ways to push that negativity and chaos out.
Personally, mornings are my favorite time of day and always have been. I like to hit the reset button in the morning. I use that time to schedule out my thought processes for the rest of the day. Maybe you’re a night owl, or a new parent who doesn’t get “me” time until the weekends. There is no right or wrong answer as to when the best time is to clear your mind. It’s whatever works best for YOU.
The first thing I do in the morning is just breathe in. I get my coffee and sit on the couch and just say thank you to Him for letting me have air in my lungs, thoughts in my head, and movement in my body. Past that, here are my 5 tips on how to bring in peace and push out the chaos from our minds.
5 Keys to a Peaceful Mind
1. Realize that what we think our problems are, are not actually the problems. The problem tends to be our own overanalyzing and overthinking. If you want to bring peace in and push chaos out and take over control of the battlefield within your mind, just know that what you think is the problem probably isn’t. It’s usually just in your head.
2. Accept things as they come. So many people live in the past and can’t let go of the past. We hold onto bitterness and pain and jealousy from past grievances. I have been guilty of this before – I couldn’t let some things go, but this terribly stunted my forward thinking growth. In my eyes, it’s a crime to yourself to allow it to keep you from the freedom of what’s in store for you.
3. Do only what you can do and let the rest go. You can’t control what’s out of your control. If you want peace, keep your hands off. If you want chaos, then try to control the uncontrollable.
4. Be present. This is the lesson my son taught me during my visit. It’s amazing how you feed lessons to your children for all those years, then they go and teach you something profound when you least expect it.
We’ve all been guilty of thinking, “I just have to get through this weekend then I can think about next week,” or, “I just have to get through this month and look forward to next month.” He was sharing with me that he wasn’t looking forward to something at school coming up, and I told him, “Don’t worry about it! You have summer to look forward to.”
His response blew me away. He said something along the lines of, “Mom, if I keep looking forward to that, then I’m not addressing what’s going on now. I need to wade through it and grow through it or I’m going to be stuck this summer with these same awkward feelings that I haven’t addressed.” He was saying that he needed to be PRESENT!
Sometimes you really just need to enjoy the journey and embrace the present instead of looking forward to the next thing. Fix the problem at hand first, because sometimes the worst scenario you imagine is really the best scenario.
5. Last but certainly not least, just breathe. Breathe in, breathe out, inhale, exhale. Tell yourself that you are enough. You do enough. You don’t need to do more. If you want peace to come in and usher chaos out, just breathe.
You Are What You Think
Do you have any additional methods you use for yourself to keep the peace in your mind? I’d love to hear about them! I appreciate any and all feedback and comments, as they help refine my writing and my thoughts and let me know what you like to hear. I have some things up my sleeve in the next couple months about confidence, so make sure to keep an eye on my website! You don’t want to miss it!
