We often give more conscious thought to clearing out our physical surroundings than we do our emotional ones. Just like your home gets cluttered (or your computer desktop if you’re like me!) and needs a periodic purging, your mind can benefit from this cleaning as well. Do you hold negative thoughts and emotions that are no longer serving you? It’s time to pick up that broom and sweep them away.
3 Steps for Emotional Spring Cleaning.
A new study suggests that consuming intensely flavored, such as pungent cheeses or spicy foods can help you eat less. This principle is true with any sort of intensity, whether it be diet, exercise, or emotional in nature. By definition, something that is intense is strong, pushing itself to the forefront of your consciousness. This makes it hard to ignore and brings forth mindfulness of the action, something which may not occur with more sedate stimuli. Intensity also cannot be maintained for long, which can be used for your benefit. Here are some suggestions on how to use intensity to improve your well-being:
Diet: Think of ways to pump up the flavor in your dishes. Add spices, hot sauce, olives, or strong cheeses in small amounts to bring forth stronger, more noticeable flavor. This makes it much harder to overindulge; just think about the difference between eating milk chocolate and dark chocolate, the latter being much more intense. I used to be the queen of bland food, but I have found the joys of small nibbles of big flavor.
Exercise: Try interval training. Personally, I find that I get much better fat-burning results from a 20 minute sprinting session, Tabata sprints, or kettlebell intervals than I do from hour long steady-state runs. Think about how you can pump up the intensity in your own workouts either by limiting rest time or working harder.
Emotions: Sometimes we try to avoid feeling an emotion intensely and we end up feeling a low level of it for a long time. There is nothing wrong with letting yourself feel strongly, and you will probably feel better for it. (Note: Anger is one emotion that may need to be doled out or carefully expressed to avoid harming yourself or others). I know I often feel purges and refreshed after an intense cry, whereas if I avoid the cathartic tears, I just end up feeling “blue” for several days.
Even though intensity can be uncomfortable, it will make you leaner, stronger, and more balanced in the end.
I came across this article on Mind Body Green tonight and, boy, did it ever strike a chord. Just last week, I was in yoga class. This class is a bit advanced for me; there are often poses that I cannot fully acquire and that I am working towards. The instructor had us move into some bind (I don’t know the name, but we got there from a revolved crescent lunge). I found myself getting frustrated; my hips were tight and not allowing a full twist, I couldn’t figure out my left from my right (gotta love the Twister-effect of those binds), and I couldn’t manage to get the strap I was using in both hands at the same time. Eventually, I froze. I stopped breathing. My mind locked and the body followed. Luckily, the instructor saw me and provided assistance. I was able to complete the full pose on the other side with little trouble.
I saw this same response in one of my students today. She was struggling with the math. Eventually, she froze. She stopped breathing. Her mind locked and her body followed. I was more patient than I may have otherwise been, remembering my recent experience. Anytime we are facing something unfamiliar and uncomfortable, it is easy to respond this way, but easy does not mean best.
Next time I am in a bind, I am going to try to breath and surrender rather than get stuck in an upright and locked position.
It is easier for me to meditate after I’ve exercised. Shocking, I know. Exhaust the body and the mind calms too. I have always done better with more active forms of meditation: yoga, walking meditations, etc., but a) they’re not always practical and b) I want to learn to be still, body and mind.
I am enjoying trying different guided meditations and getting a feeling for what works well for me. I am mainly downloading free podcasts (gotta love those podcasts!).
I tried a different guided mediation that allowed my mind to journey while the body remained still. The meditation consisted of imagery that guided the listener through a meadow, down some steps, through a woodland, and to a pool. Just this suggestion of movement made me more comfortable, more relaxed. I think I might use this mediation and others like it when I am antsy and feeling the need for movement.
I was only able to do a short meditation this morning before work. I found myself scatterbrained and irritated with the kids today. I wonder if there is a connection? I fully intended to take a few moments at work to breath and relax, but it never happened. I’m not sure why I seem to separate that part of myself from my job, but I do. I would like to make meditation a part of me, a part that doesn’t disappear when I put on high heels.
This evening, I did a meditation that used a special breathing technique: short, somewhat sharp inhale followed by a quick, thorough exhale. I really liked this method for quickly removing tension and stress from the body after work (again, tough day today).
This is about the point where I have started to slack off in the past. Hold me to my promise, guys. If I haven’t posted about the meditation challenge in a few days, it means the monkeys are running the asylum:)
Love Is A Risk | Psychology Today.
Is it a risk you are glad you have taken? Would you (or have you) taken it again?
Lessons From the End of a Marriage 