I’m not sure what’s going on with me lately. Over the past several days, I’ve really had to push myself to get through my meditation, yoga, and push-ups. I feel super distracted. I have lost my quiet mind. I wonder whether this funk is related to daylight savings. You know, that stupid twice annual deal that is a massive rhythm killer. Even though ‘fall back’ is better than the hellish ‘spring ahead’, the time change always throws me off balance.
Zero+ ; Deuce/Triple ; M: 153 ; C: 115 ; P/U: 70+70 ; W: 1 + 1.5mi
Health R.O.S.
- Weight: 206.5
- BMI: 27.9
- Fat %: 21.3
- Water %: 57.4
I’ve been noticing the effects of the time change most in my daily meditation practice. Therefore, I have decided to ‘go back to the basics’ and reset. For the next several weeks my meditation focus will be:
- Mindfulness of Breathing
- Body Scans
- Meditation and Sound
I’ll run through the meditation practices in this order with a particular focus on Mindfulness of Breathing. Focusing on breathing is a great way to reduce distraction and get your good ol’ Monkey Mind under control. The harder it is to focus on your breathing, the more distracted you are. So, I’ve found Mindfulness of Breathing a good gauge to assess my overall level of distraction.
Getting this newly reemerged distraction under control is paramount. Otherwise, it poses a serious threat to my long term aspirations of rebuilding my body, rewiring my mind, and opening my heart. Once you allow distraction to get its meat hooks into you, you’re screwed. The sanctuary of your mind is breached and repelling the invaders requires a huge commitment of mental resources.
Dangerously Distracted
The presence of distraction is an indicator that your mind has been compromised. As soon as you give it any mental real estate, the distracted mind invites in all sorts of rowdy revelers to join the party. One of these is desire, more specifically: cravings and urges and their need for instant gratification.
Drinkie loves to ride in on the coattails of distraction. So does his new friend, Snackie (my pet name for addiction transfer). Before I know it, I’m craving ice cold beer and candy bars! It’s lovely. Most of the time I am able to invoke RAIN, and get these troublemakers under control. But not always…
Lately, I’ve been caving in a bit more than I’d like. For example, all of the Halloween candy I ate. Another example: I bought beer four days ago after only making it to a ‘Nickel’. Previous to that, I did the same thing after only getting to a ‘Sixer’. That’s drinking twice in thirteen days, far more than the twice a month or less that I’m shooting for. Granted, I averaged less than three beers per time, but I’m wary of the slippery slope more frequent drinking creates.
Most importantly, the combo of candy and beer aren’t doing me any favors for myriad reasons. Over the next several weeks, I’m going to focus on getting my distracted Monkey Mind back on track by getting back to the basics. Less distraction will equal greater presence of mind. Presence will power positivity and better decision making.
