"For every disciplined effort, there is a multiple reward."............Jim Robn
Back to managing thoughts with Awareness Banking. Why is it that thoughts just pop up in the mind? There are many reasons for this, but the most important consideration is that the mind has not been well trained. It's been left to it's own devices. This concept reminds me of when the teacher leaves the room and the kids take this opportunity to go wild. The same thing happens to the mind. When the teacher returns the disruptions might continue if he or she doesn't have good control over the class.
You can gain control over your thought processes by paying attention to them as an observer. This is very different than being a participant or actor in the thought process. In an early chapter in this book you learned exercises to enhance this skill.
MIND EXERCISE.
Lets practice right now. You don't have to wait for a special time to practice. You can elect to practice in any moment you choose. Remember, you are retraining your brain to do much of this work for you on a subconscious level, so it is important to practice frequently.
Take a moment to go to your alpha state and then go even deeper using a different skill than before. You might like to check back into the earlier chapter and find something you might like to try. This will keep your tools sharp. Once you have deepened, keep your focus on your belly breath. Before long you will find yourself up in a thought. Observe it and mind label it "thought." I'd also like you to notice what kind of thought this is, just as if you were putting them in organizational file folders..
Some examples might include:
• To do thoughts
• Goal thoughts
• Worry thoughts
• Emotionally charged thoughts.
I'd like you to develop your own your own filing system. As you label you thoughts you will literally place them in a file with their category or name. Follow this labeling with another trip back to the breath. Stay with the breath until you are thought-interrupted again, continuing your labeling process and filing away all thoughts.
There is a tremendous benefit to this filing system. The mind is now getting the idea that you do not need this information (thoughts) right now. It will learn to wait for the time when you will request them. Obviously, there are some thoughts you will never request, but there are files you may want to utilize. For example, let's say you have a file for "creative projects." All you would need to do to access this file would be :
• Go to the alpha state
• Request the file "creative projects."
• Open the file and find what you need.
• Ask your Inner Coach to locate even more "creative projects" from your library..
Since you are in your subconscious mind, why not take some time now with your Inner Coach. Ask to be shown the filing cabinets and system. I'm sure you will notice that you could certainly benefit from some inner organization!
NUTRITIONAL INSIGHTS:
Just as the mind needs organization, so does the body. How much food do you need? The question could also be how much gas does your car need? The next question might be, "how full is the tank and how far do you need to go? If there is a long time between breakfast and lunch (more than 4 hours), or if you exercise aerobically at a high level, the body will need more fuel. It is important to eat sufficient food for your learn body mass. Look back to your blueprint and review those numbers. They are vital to the functioning of your mind and body.
Your body has built-in mechanisms to teach you. Your hunger levels are one of these mechanisms. Have a look at yours. . Earlier in this book you learned the difference between body hunger and mouth hunger. It's important to review this, because there is much to learn from body sensations. If you are having a lot of mouth hunger, look at your emotional states, as well as your thought processes. Are you building excess insulin from stress? Have you been doing the body scanner and practicing emotional management with Awareness Meditation?
If you have body hunger before 4 hours, look to see if you skipped a meal, ate too little, ate high glycemic foods, had extra sugars or caffeine somewhere in the last 24 hour. Don't just look at the meal before, Look to the last 2-3 meals, even if that means looking to the day before. Remember, you are the mind and body detective. This is how you solve the mystery of your sugar addiction and eating disorder. Those who do the work win!
It's a good idea to start noticing if you feel hungrier when you eat specific foods. For me, one of those foods is corn, especially on the cob. My body must be very sensitive to corn sugar and I probably over-produce insulin in reaction to eating this food. Does this mean that I shouldn't eat it? Only I can decide that. I might try eating a smaller amount and certainly making sure that I have sufficient protein, as well as low carbohydrate foods at that meal. I may even decide not to eat any other high glycemic carbohydrate at the same meal and see how I feel. Looking through the magnifying glass at the way our mindbody works helps us solve our mystery.
This is a good moment to decide on another nutritional change for this week. The more you learn through this Inner Coaching, the more changes you are ready to make. Knowledge clears the path for change. Now you must make the choice and then the action plan.
An exciting nutritional change I will make this week will be: ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Making changes go right along with planting affirmations. They are like the fertilizer for the change plant.
• I care for myself at high levels.
• I am aware of my body sensations in relation to the foods I eat.
• I am becoming more and more aware nutritionally.
MINDBODY WORK.....
A goal of this work is the development of a focused mind state. There are many reasons why this is such an important goal. When your mind is focused you are awake for the moment at hand. You can see the emotions, the thoughts and notice if you are on goal path or not. With mind flexibility or flow, you can gently move from where you are to where you want to be. There are many exercises to enhance this ability. In this work you will have the opportunity to practice many of these.
MIND EXERCISE.
Lets practice an exercise that will allow you to be even more aware of your thought processes and especially specific thought groupings. Go to the alpha level and ride your breath for a few moments. Keep your focus on the breath. When you find yourself up in the thought process, note whether this is a "past thought" or a "future thought." Place your hands on your knees, and allow them to rest there. Stay on the breath. If a past thought comes into the mind, tap your left knee. Return to the wave of the breath. If a future thought comes to mind, tap the right knee. Return to the wave of the breath. Practice this awareness exercise for five minutes or so. When you are finished, not whether you had more past thoughts or more future thoughts. You do not need to do anything with this information, other than to be aware.
Practice this exercise whenever you have a few minutes. When the brain is trained it will automatically label the thoughts for you. You will become aware early on, when you are lost in the past or future. Your goal is to stay in the present as much as possible. This keeps a handle on stress chemical production and allows you complete flexibility of mind.
Take some time to record this work. The actual process of recording is very valuable as it engages several senses. Also, once a goal or idea is put to paper, it becomes a subconscious planting.
My experience of past and future thought patterns: _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Take an additional moment and place some affirmations just below the alpha level. Notice how you know to do this very easily. You are learning and applying as you learn. These are tools you are applying are those of stress managing and accelerated learning.
• I stay aware and awake.
• I find time to practice my new techniques.
• I am changing in small increment, and they are adding up.
• My small moments build on each other.
• My small moments are valuable in themselves.
• My small moments lead the way to my greatness.
• I am comfortable with my greatness.
• I am a teacher and student in each moment.
• I share my greatness and receive the greatness of others.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR...
This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.
Copyright 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be copied or reproduced without permission of the author.
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.
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