Mark - Module 4

I have to say I was a little skeptical about this mindfulness business….it seemed a little namby-pamby to me. Why would I actually want to tune into what I’m thinking, since it’s so miserable? Nonetheless, I want to feel better so I figured I’d suspend my judgment and give it go. I decided to try it while I went for a run in the park. Figured I’d kill two birds with one stone, since I’ve been wanting to get back out there again and I could try this “being in the now” business at the same time.

I went out first thing in the morning. I brought my music just in case I got bored with myself, but at least I started without it. I had to remind myself a few times to focus on what was actually happening around me. A few times, OK, a lot of times, I found myself thinking about my ex, thinking about how she’d love to be out here in nature. Eventually, I caught myself and tried to tune back in to what was happening. It was kinda neat to hear the sound of my shoes hitting the ground, and the birds in the trees. I tried to pay attention to the wind hitting my face, the position of my body as I was running. I noticed my shoulders were a little tense and adjusting that helped my breathing a bit. It was neat to see leaves beginning to come out. It was actually pretty nice being out in nature. Of course, then I’d start to think of the first time I saw my ex and after lingering on that for a while, I would drag myself back again once I noticed what I was doing. I guess there can be something said for being in the present. I noticed I felt a little less sad by doing that. I guess I’ll keep at this.

Situation – I ran into a friend yesterday and he commented how he hadn’t seen me in a while and how I didn’t seem like my usual self.

Emotion (0-100)	Thought	Cognitive Trap
Happy	He thinks I’m a loser.	All or none
Sad 80	He thinks that there’s something wrong with me.	Catastrophizing
Anxious/Scared/Nervous 100	He thinks I’m weak.	Dismissing or discounting the positive
Ashamed 80		Emotional reasoning
Angry		Labeling X
Frustration		Magnification
Guilty 70		Mind-reading/fortune telling X
Other		Overgeneralizing
		Personalization
		Should,must statements
		Hindsight bias

Read Module 4 reports from the other learners.

Jenny	Ann-Marie	Steven