Jon Kabat-Zinn, in his book, Full Catastrophe Living, lists seven important attitudes that are the basis for mindfulness. As you practice mindfulness in your life, these are the attitudes that will help you face difficulties such as fear, anxiety, depression and loss.
The first I one I will address is nonjudging.
Judging can be very harsh, or so subtle that we aren’t even aware of it. It is often disguised in “should” language. If you say to yourself, “I should exercise everyday,” then you are likely judging yourself for not exercising daily. You may want to exercise and choose to do so on a daily basis, but choice comes from a place of fulfilling a desire, not beating yourself up for not doing something.
The habit of judging keeps us in a pattern of reacting to life. It separates us from the experience in each moment. When you practice mindfulness, start by recognizing when you make a judgment, and label the thought. You can say, “that’s a judging thought,”, or just, “judging,” and move on. It’s very important that you don’t judge the judging!
Give this a try this week and let me know how it goes. Remember, this practice is about becoming more aware. So all you have to do is notice when you have judging thoughts.
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