With all of the doom and gloom headlines and the uncertainty – 
letting go of negative thoughts and mind chatter is more important than ever.
For some people this is easy and been practicing for many years. For others, after just a little bit of practice they can let it go. For me it was a difficult thing to do.
I learned about meditation 25 years ago, well I had known about it much longer but I tried to practice it then, and I was very frustrated by my “failed” attempts.
My mind chatter would either seem to get louder or I would relax and then simply fall asleep. It seemed I had just found another thing to add to my to-do list or something that I was not good enough at. I would practice now and then and I would always look for new insights to open to the stillness inside me.
What I have discovered over the years is that I am not my thoughts.
I made this discovery by letting go of the frustration around meditating and quieting my mind. Instead, my practice over the years has been to notice what is around me, what I am feeling, what the connection was between my thoughts and how my body was reacting.
I did this by sitting quietly out in nature, walking the dogs and just focusing on the walk with them and not a hundred things on my to-do list.
If the weather was bad I would find a comfy place to sit or stand and just feel into what I was watching or hearing outside. This was my way to connect my mind with what I was feeling. To realize that I was not thinking my thoughts, they were separate from me and could go off on wild unhelpful tangents.. But observing that let me step away from it and things became peaceful and I became more aware.
What practice do you do to quiet your mind?
Spend a few minutes each day this week just noticing your thoughts and be open to the realization you are not your thoughts. Observing will set you free from the mind chatter that seems to be getting even louder with all that is going on right now.
Let me know what questions you have on quieting your mind or being more present. Share the practice that has worked to let you be in the moment and release the mind chatter.
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