Chomps Listen and Learn: Bonus Resources
Quieting the Noise:
A Mindful Approach to Mental Overwhelm
Stress perception: a bottom up/body-centered approach
Click here for a guided audio practice
This practice is about naming a stressor or conflict that is causing suffering and noticing what’s happening in your body and mind when you focus on that suffering. You’ll take some time to explore a relaxation techniques that regulate your nervous system and then you’ll reassess the stressor. You’d be surprised by how much your perception of a stressor can change once you calm yourself down!
1st and 2nd arrows: a top down/mind-oriented approach
Choose a stressor. Reflect on or journal around the following prompts:
Consider the difference between the event that caused the initial stress and the thoughts or the story you are telling yourself about that event.
Could you create a little more space between the two? Can you acknowledge that the event itself may have been painful initially but the thoughts about that event are continuing to cause more suffering, possible needlessly?
Can you add anything positive to the story you are telling about the event? Is there any learning, any resolution, anything good that came out of it that deserves to be part of the story?
Notice what you are reinforcing based on what you choose to focus on.
Notice what now feels different about the event.
Digital Detox
Given that screen time contributes to nervous system dysregulation and difficulty focusing, are there a few things on this list you could implement to limit the amount of attention you are giving away? Try at least one this week and see how it feels!
Set limits. Find a period of time each day when you don’t engage with any screens. Turn your phone off, close your computer, and do something else. Whether it’s exercise, reading a book or an article, or chatting with a friend, engage in an activity where you don’t have access to a screen. If this feels difficult, start with 10 minutes and build from there.
Turn off notifications. When you are in the flow at work or trying to be present in a conversation with someone you care about, notifications distract from what’s important. Almost everything we get notifications for are less important than what is actually happening in the present moment!
Delete apps on your phone. Are there apps on your phone that you scroll through when you are bored or looking for a distraction but don’t actually contribute to your happiness or well-being? Consider an app cleanse. You can always add them back but you might find that you feel better without them.
Work at work. If you are working remotely, turn everything off at the end of the day. Take off your work hat by shutting everything down and removing access to work related platforms at a designated time each day.
Don’t sleep with your phone next to you. It is too easy to wake in the night and start scrolling. This generally doesn’t help you get back to sleep and only leads to more sleeplessness, more anxiety and difficulty focusing.
Join My Newsletter
You’ll receive a free 6 minute video meditation to help you destress and regulate your nervous system along with lots of other helpful resources.