No Junk Mail Please

Mindfulness, being in the Now. Being aware.
You know what I’ve become really aware of, how much unnecessary mind chatter we have going on. Ever noticed all the stuff going around in your head, totally pointless thoughts that we may have thought about 100 times, and even resolved already...and yet there they are, still rolling around up there, getting thought about some more. I refer to them as junk mail.

When I first started paying attention to these thoughts it blew me away. How much time we spend rambling on in our heads; stories, conversations, arguments, repetitive memories of the past, repetitive hopes for the future.

When I shower, I clear my mind, and spend a few moments concentrating on the water, the warmth, the force, how it feels on my body. Then I affirm; I am cleansing my mind and body of all that is not healthy.
I can tell you what is a waste of time in the shower, reliving a conversation from 5 years ago! Or imagining finally standing up to that jerk at work. Why are we showering with 10 other people- especially that jerk from work! Take this time to clear your mind.

Clearing our mind of junk mail allows us to conserve energy spent on unnecessary thinking. Be aware, be open, be present.

I was at yoga class, unable to get rid of a silly junk mail thought, which I couldn’t even resolve until I got out of class. And guess what, it was resolved in 30 seconds of leaving- Regina decided to walk home, and I could catch up with a friend for coffee. At the time, I found it frustrating, yet very comical, that my mind wanted to keep going back to that one thought...how will Regina get home... Aaarrgh, go away thought, let me breathe and stretch! I told myself over and over, let it go, and imagined it flowing away like a current or a breeze (hey I was in a yoga class!) but it kept coming back. Junk mail.

Clearing our mind of junk mail relieves facial and muscle tension. Shift the energy back, breathe deeply, feel your feet on the ground, centre yourself.

There are so many triggers we can use to cut this chatter out. By being in the Now with what we are doing; be it driving a car, cooking a meal, cleaning up, listening to someone speak, spending time with our children, showering, the first and last five minutes in bed, hanging out washing. Use them.

Quietening the mind of junk mail allows us to be more creative, more insightful, more aware...happier. Don’t confuse all that activity going on up there with forward motion. Taking a moment to breathe and do nothing gives clarity, taking you forward faster.

All thoughts have energy. So, scattered, negative, out of control chatter gives your life the same energy = scattered, negative and out of control...
But! Controlled, managed and channeled thinking gives your life the same energy, which speaks for itself really!

A lot of junk mail revolves around the past and the future. Trying to guess what happens next, wishing for more. Fantasizing or Obsessing. Holding on to junk that should be let go of, adding to your "baggage". If your mind is in the present, you can’t feel anxiety for the future or the past.

A great book I read, The Way of Harmony by Jim Dreaver explains that we can observe our thoughts, so therefore we are not the thoughts. If we can observe our thoughts when they appear, we can just as easily observe them disappear. We are not our thoughts; we are the awareness behind them.

Once you start paying attention to what you are "thinking" you will be blown away too. All day, every day, from the moment we wake, till we toss and turn with crazy thoughts at night! Now when I pick up on totally useless or negative thoughts, I throw them straight in the bin, just like junk mail.

So... clear the junk mail. When you live in the moment, are aware, and appreciate all that is going on around you, you can take a step back and see your beautiful life.

suzy x