Living Life with Mindfulness

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What does your emotional roller coaster look like?

Happy one moment, down in the dumps the next?

Ready to conquer your day in the morning, throwing in the towel by noon?

In today’s world it seems that every day is filled with more stress and more uncertainties.

You may have wrapped yourself in a blanket of negativity and haven’t found a way to throw it off.

You’re not alone.

Some people can walk through the ups and downs of life, keep smiling and move forward. Others, not so much. Their emotions have such a hold on them that they fail to see any joy in their life.

When you find yourself wrapped in the blanket of negative emotions you can learn to recognize your situation and have a plan that will help you throw off your blanket of negativity and change direction.

First, develop a sense of flexibility about your life. Sure, things didn’t go as planned today, or you’re facing a difficult situation that may be with you for a few weeks or months but view these moments as bumps in the road and not total derailments to your life. When you look at your life with the view of flexibility, you’ll be better prepared to keep moving forward.

Life is not about disappointments but about growth.

How do you make this happen in your life?

You move past your disappoints by celebrating the victories of your life.

When working with clients, I encourage them to look at three things they did well today and one thing they may not have done their best at. We celebrate the victories and discuss what steps to take to make progress in the areas they struggle with.

Rather than put your total focus on the one thing you didn’t do well, you put your focus on your victories. Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities to continue to move forward.

You’re not going to achieve all your health goals in one day, one week, or one year.

You may find yourself getting angry when you hit the speed bumps of life. You throw up your hands, quit, and walk around in a foul angry mood.

Anger is part of the emotional roller coaster of your emotions and one area that you may need to learn how to deal with. Your health is severely compromised when you are in a state of anger all the time.

I like to offer my clients who are dealing with anger issues a journal “Today I Feel” daily journal. This type of journal is so liberating and has shown to help with learning anger management.

Your first step toward emotional healing from anger is to recognize why you’re angry. You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve heard, “I don’t know why I’m angry, I just am.” In order to deal with your anger, you must first recognize why you’re angry.

Then you’ll need your “Today I Feel” daily journal to write or draw your feelings. This is your journey toward healing. Gouge the paper if you must, write in BIG letters to make your point, use deep vibrant colors to draw how you feel. Write in your journal each time you feel the pressure of your anger rising up within you. Over time you may notice what triggers those emotions and will be better prepared to deal with your anger before it strikes.

Of course, you’ll need to take some positive action to relieve yourself of your anger. Learn your triggers and then develop a lifestyle that will help you avoid those triggers. Keep your health a priority by eating well, keeping your blood sugar stable, exercising, and getting enough sleep.

Learn to move past your anger. Sitting in a slump all day rehashing what made you angry is not healthy. Your blood pressure rises, your stress levels rise, and your health is at risk.

Rather than sitting around in a foul mood, go take a walk. Not just any walk, but a mindful walk.

Meditation walking is not only good for your health, but good for your emotional well-being. Think of it like a journal on feet.

As you walk mindfully, you’ll reflect on the sounds and scents of your surroundings. Releasing your thoughts and allowing yourself to just be present in the moment. If you have the ability, choose to walk in nature, but you can walk mindfully anywhere at any time.

To get started, you should

  • Put your walking shoes on
  • Release your thoughts and become present in your surroundings
  • Do not take your phone with you
  • Walk as often as you can, especially when your emotions need healing

As you begin to walk, check your posture – no slumping allowed, breathe deeply as you walk, become aware of yourself and your surroundings. Focus on your surroundings. What do you see, feel, smell, hear? Take it all in.

This is what walking mindfully is all about, shifting your awareness away from the troubles and anger of the moment and focusing on the physical environment around you.

Living on a constant emotional roller coaster will cause your health to deteriorate in many ways. Make a choice today to get off the roller coaster and live life with a positive attitude of purpose and mindfulness.

An easy step toward recognizing how your emotions are impacting your life, is to track your moods. Download your free “Daily Mood Tracker” to begin your journey toward living a life of mindfulness and purpose.

Daily Mood Tracker