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Mindfulness... and then what? A new audio series!
We're kicking off our brand new series for paid subscribers, "Mindfulness... and then what?", where we'll dive deep into how to truly incorporate mindfulness into your life for real benefits.
I know, I know—mindfulness is one of those buzzwords that can make people roll their eyes, but stay with me! This month, we’re all about getting practical and relevant with mindfulness, addressing the stress, overwhelm, and uncertainty we face daily. Together, we'll explore what’s not working and set intentions for change. Whether it’s sleep issues, irritability, or just feeling off-balance, we're here to figure out what you want to be different by the end of the month, while I share tools to help you navigate your emotions and experiences.
There'll be audio lessons, guided meditations and practical processes all designed to help you emerge with more clarity and calm, despite what's happening in your life.
So, grab your journal, and let’s get started.
If you're not a paid subscriber and would like to join in - upgrade to paid in the Apple podcasts app or on Spotify (which will link you to Substack).
Or sign up directly on Substack: https://cassdunn.substack.com
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Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:Welcome to Mindfulness and then what?
Speaker A:So the reason that I came up with that name is because I was trying to explain how I wanted to do a series in May about mindfulness and helping you to incorporate more mindfulness and more meditation into your life for your benefit, for your mental health, help you with stress, overwhelm, uncertainty, all of the stuff that we all deal with, living in the world at the moment.
Speaker A:And I was trying to find a way to sell it to you so that you might actually tune in.
Speaker A:Because I think that we are all so over the word mindfulness.
Speaker A:We either already have a mindfulness practice, or we think that we've tried it and it doesn't work for us, or we're just so sick of hearing the word mindfulness.
Speaker A:So I was trying to explain how I wanted to make this relevant and practical.
Speaker A:And I, uh.
Speaker A:In trying to do that, I said, so I'm talking about, you know, like, now that I'm mindful, I have slowed down.
Speaker A:I'm focusing on my breath, I'm present, I'm aware of what's happening and then what?
Speaker A:Mindfulness and then what?
Speaker A:So that's how I came up with the name.
Speaker A:So it is the first week of May.
Speaker A:As always, I think it's really important to start with an intention.
Speaker A:It's really important to start with what is happening at the moment that I am aware of, that I would like to be different, that I can identify is a problem, or it's just something that's not working for me.
Speaker A:The end of this month, if I incorporate a new habit or I try to do something different, or I take some suggestions, experiment with some different processes or practices or tools, or just living my life a little differently, what would I like to be different?
Speaker A:Are you maybe not sleeping so well lately?
Speaker A:Are you experiencing a bit of insomnia and wakefulness, and that's not working for you?
Speaker A:Are you snacking too much on sugary food foods, drinking too much coffee?
Speaker A:I know that I'm just drinking loads of tea at the moment.
Speaker A:I drink tea almost as like a comma in my day.
Speaker A:If I just want a little break or a little pause in whatever I'm doing, I instinctively just get up and go and make a cup of tea.
Speaker A:And maybe I need to find something different instead of drinking tea.
Speaker A:Are you feeling snappy or irritable?
Speaker A:Are you feeling cranky and feeling like you're being critical and judgy and cynical instead of how you might usually be more present and engaged and curious and kind?
Speaker A:Are there things playing on your mind?
Speaker A:Like, are you obsessing or fixating on an issue in your work or in a relationship or a person in your life, or something that's happened in your life that has caused you stress and frustration and you're finding that you're really.
Speaker A:It's kind of overshadowing everything else.
Speaker A:So you get the idea, right?
Speaker A:What is it for you?
Speaker A:What is happening in your life that you feel is unhelpful, it's unproductive, it's causing you some level of stress?
Speaker A:Or do you know that it's not ideal, it's just something that you would like to change, that you would like to bring your awareness to and have some strategies for doing things differently?
Speaker A:Because mindfulness is simply the foundation.
Speaker A:Mindfulness is, let's get present to what's happening and without judgment, be really curious about what's happening outside of me and in my life.
Speaker A:But also what is that bringing up within me?
Speaker A:How is this affecting my thoughts?
Speaker A:How is this affecting my mood?
Speaker A:Where does my mind automatically go?
Speaker A:What are the stories that I'm telling myself about this situation?
Speaker A:What is happening in my body?
Speaker A:So mindfulness is an embodied experience.
Speaker A:It's not just about your thoughts.
Speaker A:And I think that's part of the, the misconception.
Speaker A:When we think about mindfulness in our brain, we kind of think about, oh yeah, be aware of my thoughts, be aware of the stories that I'm telling myself, not notice when I'm racing off into the future, when I'm, worst case scenario thinking, when I'm going into catastrophizing.
Speaker A:We are really conscious of being mindful of our thoughts.
Speaker A:And we have this idea that we need to stop our thoughts or unhook from our thoughts or something like that.
Speaker A:But mindfulness is not just about thoughts.
Speaker A:Mindfulness is everything that is happening in your whole body.
Speaker A:What is happening in your nervous system, what is happening in your nervous system and your physiology is affecting all of the biochemistry in your body.
Speaker A:It affects your brain, your heart rate, how much tension are you feeling in your body.
Speaker A:It affects how you sleep, how you digest your food, how you show up, your throat constriction, how effectively you can express what you want to say.
Speaker A:And obviously it affects your emotions and your emotional world as well.
Speaker A:And oftentimes when in our attempt to cut off or push down our emotions because we don't have the time, or we don't have the inclination, or it's not convenient to express all of our emotions right now, we don't want to be overwhelmed by emotions.
Speaker A:Then Our instinct is to go into the world of thought and try to justify or talk ourselves out of our emotions, try to understand our emotions with our thinking mind, try to analyze why we feel what we feel.
Speaker A:And that's really not that helpful.
Speaker A:So it's about having other processes to deal with our emotions as well.
Speaker A:So this is why I say mindfulness.
Speaker A:And then what?
Speaker A:Number one, we learn to be present to what's happening.
Speaker A:We learn to notice what we're experiencing.
Speaker A:And I mean, not just, oh, I'm feeling a little nervous about that presentation.
Speaker A:I mean overall, like what is your general state, your mood, how are you operating in the world at the moment?
Speaker A:How are you feeling your overall energy levels are at the moment?
Speaker A:Overall, how healthy and balanced do you feel in life?
Speaker A:Not that there's any perfect balanced life, but generally speaking, how well do you feel like you're managing all of your responsibilities and able to continue to still be centered, calm, have access to humor, be able to think clearly, have solutions to problems versus maybe are you a little preoccupied or antsy or stressed or tense or agitated or feeling like you're rushing too much or feeling like you're not connecting with people in your life as well as you would like to be, that you're not doing the things, engaging in the activities and the fun things and the pleasurable and enjoyable, but also really healthy things that support your well being.
Speaker A:Overall, how you going in life is the question.
Speaker A:Overall, where are you at?
Speaker A:Let's just start by getting a sense of that.
Speaker A:Set yourself an intention.
Speaker A:What would you like to be different the end of the month?
Speaker A:What would you most benefit from this month if something were to change?
Speaker A:See if you can be really clear and specific about what you would like to be different at the end of the month.
Speaker A:If you were being a little bit more present and mindful and being a little bit more intentional in how you spend your time and energy.
Speaker A:So let's just start with that.
Speaker A:Get a diary, get a journal.
Speaker A:Have a little bit of a reflection about where things are at for you in life.
Speaker A:Write it down because at the end of the month you can look back and you can check in to see if anything has changed.
Speaker A:Mindfulness is about what's happening in your outside world, but also then what is coming up for you in your inner world of thoughts, emotions, body sensations, reactivity, physiology, your sleep, your habits, your behavior patterns.
Speaker A:Have a think about it.
Speaker A:And as we go through the month, I'll be sharing with you tools to cultivate that presence and that awareness.
Speaker A:In addition to more tools to help you to manage whatever is present.
Speaker A:So if it is the world of thought where you notice that you're really fixating, you know your mind's running away from you, or you're really obsessing or ruminating on certain things in your mind, there'll be tools to help you with that.
Speaker A:If you really in addition to that not or but and if you know that there's emotions here that need to be more effectively processed and that you are maybe cutting off or pushing down or setting aside, then some tools for how you might be able to manage those and process those feelings more effectively.
Speaker A:And what about all of this stuff that you're carrying around in your body, all of this tension, all this past history, all of this nervous system activation that is pretty normal when we live in a busy world, how can we maybe have some tools to regulate ourselves and our nervous system?
Speaker A:How do you be more mindful in your relationships, in your communication?
Speaker A:How do you be more kind and compassionate with yourself?
Speaker A:Change the story that you're telling yourself and for what benefit?
Speaker A:These are all the things that we are covering this month in Beyond Happy.
Speaker A:So buckle up, get ready for the ride.
Speaker A:I just wanted to introduce you to the topic today.
Speaker A:Welcome to May Mindfulness and then what?
Speaker A:I'll be back with you very soon with some more for you to think about, some more for you to do, and some mindfulness practices for you to engage in.
Speaker A:Catch you in the next step in our brand new series, Mindfulness and then what.
