Wander 999 Times Return 1000
Take a moment. Pause. Take a deep breath, in and out. Now, what were you thinking about right before you read that?
You just performed one of the cornerstone practices of mindfulness. It goes by different names, but I have always called it the note and return exercise. What is it and what are the benefits? Read on to find out.
Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment without judgement. This is difficult for most people because we, as humans, are biologically predisposed to be distracted by our surroundings, as well as our thoughts, and often by our feelings. So, one of the ways to start becoming more mindful is to find yourself in the present moment. One of the best ways to begin practicing this skill (and it is a skill to be honed for sure) is to note and return.
There are (obviously) two parts of this practice, beginning with note. Note means taking notice of what your mind is doing right now. The average person spends approximately 50% of their time lost in thought. You can imagine that most times when we stop and “note” we realize we are thinking about something but have not been aware of what we were thinking about. This can be dangerous due to what has been defined as “negativity bias”.
Negativity bias is the brain’s way of helping to keep us safe. Our brain is wired for safety and connection (with other people). Our brains therefore have an alarm system through which all information must pass. This predisposes our brain to scan our environment for threats. But here’s the real rub, we also scan our thoughts for danger as well. This is left over from our evolution. For most of human history it has been a survival advantage to scan with a negativity bias so that we could fight or flee these threats as quickly as possible. This is well known as the fight or flight response (to which we have added freeze.) This biological process has become less advantageous as we have increase societal structure and increased overall physical safety. (This would not be the case in places that are not fundamentally safe, such as a war zone.) Modern threats tend to come from attacks on our self-esteem or defending our ego.
To temper this biological instinct, we can develop noting. To do this simply pause at any time, take a breath, notice where you mind is and come into the present moment. This is returning, from the wandering unaware mind to the present moment. “Coming into the present moment” is achieved by connecting with the breath, physical sensation (hands together, feet on the floor, temperature of the air on your skin) or listening. This brings awareness to the present moment and helps to pause the constant thought stream. The practice also strengthens the part of the brain associated with executive function (attention, problem solving, etc.), decision making and adaptability. Just like lifting weights regularly will build specific muscles.
So, the next time you are commuting to work, waiting in line or doom scrolling your phone take a moment to pause, note where your mind is and return to your breath, physical sensations or sounds. Try doing it at least once a day and you will have started building a skill that can be used any time your mind is racing, scared or anxious to “come back to your senses.” Give yourself a temporary break in a world that offers very few. Don’t worry if it is difficult at first, practice makes better.
