The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it. —Thich Nhat Hanh
To survive, our ancestors developed brains with a strong tendency to spot risks and avoid impending doom. It’s called a “negativity bias.” While we no longer need to worry about woolly mammoths, our attention still gravitates toward risks, injuries, and insults. Meanwhile, our mind generates a steady stream of fears, worries, and strategies for handling them. These preoccupations often monopolize our attention and block us from feeling good about ourselves and the world we live in.
The challenges of aging only make this negativity bias more pronounced and debilitating.
Mindfulness uses three attention skills to counteract the negativity bias, shifting your focus away from stressful thoughts and feelings and toward presence, being fully present in the moment. These are the keys that open the door to a happier, healthier life:
Concentration. Making a conscious effort to pay attention, focusing on what’s happening here and now, instead of running on autopilot or letting your mind wander.
Non-Judgment. Observing your thoughts and feelings without labeling them as "good" or "bad." Accepting whatever comes up--the joy, the wonder, even the uncomfortable and disagreeable.
Letting Go. Releasing your ego’s pursuit of external sources of pleasure while letting go of tightly held opinions, expectations, goals, etc. that needlessly depress the spirit and create suffering; moving past these mental ruminations into a deeper state of relaxed presence, where many benefits await.
If you have any questions or want to learn more, let’s talk. A free online or phone session can be scheduled here.