This is a beautiful post. Stilling the mind on difficult days is very challenging, but it is even more important to try to do so. Thank you for sharing the meditation link and for such exquisite images xx
I really find Jeff's voice and ideas for focus extremely helpful. I'm very struck at the moment by the need to regularly interrupt my sometimes increasingly anxious thought patterns, and take a step away from them, so it feels like a very hopeful thing to be learning to intently concentrate on the good things around! xx
Paused to watch the butterflies on a plant yesterday. So beautiful. It's a practice I'd like to build more on, not just on colourful butterfly-filled days, but on cold, grey wet ones too.
It's on the cold, greyer days I'm convinced I need to find those moments of focus on the good things even more! And to actually become more absorbed in the object of my focus, really listening or looking. That's lovely you had a butterfly to pause and properly look at, we see so few now. Thanks so much for sharing what you found.
Thanks for this invitation, Lou. Hard to do, I agree! But getting into this habit really does have its many benefits. I've actually written about pausing to notice something beautiful for my letter this Sunday...
I also like Jeff's meditations. I've recently got Calm too and often turn to his soothing voice.
It sounds like we are having very similar thoughts at the moment! It's not really a new thing at all, but it's so easy to forget to do and I really noted Jeff's encouragement to kind of become properly absorbed in the 'good thing' too - to pay proper attention. To go beyond a fleeting glance. Looking forward to reading your post on Sunday!
Beautiful. Something that stuck out to me is when you said you'd have to practice, this noticing of the small, tender things; you mentioned it's hardest in those difficult or busy moments. I wanted to affirm this. I have OCD, and one thing my therapist told me a few years ago was, in the difficult moments, it's "game time." It's in those moments, that when we practice our tools, our skills, the habits we want to cultivate, those difficult moments of practice make the most difference in the rewiring of our brains. So I applaud this! You've already recognized that, and this is a lovely reminder for us all.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment. It's so important to form good mental habits and takes much work and repetition but I'm sensing there is hope to be able to make inroads into some thought-rewiring. I have some OCD issues too and find the endless whirring and chaining together of negative thoughts and scenarios quite crippling at times, but interrupting these with focusing hard on good things is beginning to make a difference. I really hope it does for you too!
That would be because I didn't even manage to properly reply to you and just ended up posting another comment!! Thanks so much for checking back though.
Thank you so much for this post. 🙏🏻❤️ A lovely reminder to make time for those little moments of joy, beauty, and calm throughout our day.
I'm so glad it was helpful, I'm finding I need almost constant reminders to take a moment to 'stand and stare'! Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
This is a beautiful post. Stilling the mind on difficult days is very challenging, but it is even more important to try to do so. Thank you for sharing the meditation link and for such exquisite images xx
I really find Jeff's voice and ideas for focus extremely helpful. I'm very struck at the moment by the need to regularly interrupt my sometimes increasingly anxious thought patterns, and take a step away from them, so it feels like a very hopeful thing to be learning to intently concentrate on the good things around! xx
A lovely post. It's amazing what a moment like that can do to change the trajectory of the whole day! X
Yes I'm really hoping to find many more of these 'reset' moments going forward which bring a shift in tone to my mind! x
Paused to watch the butterflies on a plant yesterday. So beautiful. It's a practice I'd like to build more on, not just on colourful butterfly-filled days, but on cold, grey wet ones too.
It's on the cold, greyer days I'm convinced I need to find those moments of focus on the good things even more! And to actually become more absorbed in the object of my focus, really listening or looking. That's lovely you had a butterfly to pause and properly look at, we see so few now. Thanks so much for sharing what you found.
Thanks for this invitation, Lou. Hard to do, I agree! But getting into this habit really does have its many benefits. I've actually written about pausing to notice something beautiful for my letter this Sunday...
I also like Jeff's meditations. I've recently got Calm too and often turn to his soothing voice.
It sounds like we are having very similar thoughts at the moment! It's not really a new thing at all, but it's so easy to forget to do and I really noted Jeff's encouragement to kind of become properly absorbed in the 'good thing' too - to pay proper attention. To go beyond a fleeting glance. Looking forward to reading your post on Sunday!
Beautiful. Something that stuck out to me is when you said you'd have to practice, this noticing of the small, tender things; you mentioned it's hardest in those difficult or busy moments. I wanted to affirm this. I have OCD, and one thing my therapist told me a few years ago was, in the difficult moments, it's "game time." It's in those moments, that when we practice our tools, our skills, the habits we want to cultivate, those difficult moments of practice make the most difference in the rewiring of our brains. So I applaud this! You've already recognized that, and this is a lovely reminder for us all.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment. It's so important to form good mental habits and takes much work and repetition but I'm sensing there is hope to be able to make inroads into some thought-rewiring. I have some OCD issues too and find the endless whirring and chaining together of negative thoughts and scenarios quite crippling at times, but interrupting these with focusing hard on good things is beginning to make a difference. I really hope it does for you too!
Not sure how I missed this reply to my comment! Just wanted to pop in and say thank you.<3
That would be because I didn't even manage to properly reply to you and just ended up posting another comment!! Thanks so much for checking back though.
Haha, ah, I see! Glad we figured it out. ;)