Bubble with anger, shudder with fear, burst with joy. You probably felt these emotions at one point. They accompany us throughout the day.
They are our internal thermometer but when it gets disturb anxiety, depression, relational conflicts and various disorders can appear.
Your thoughts and emotions are intimately linked. Thought after a difficult and unpleasant event can foster a difficult emotion such as anxiety.
If a state of anxiety is installed, it can also be the source of negative thoughts. Depending on your life experience and the influence of other parameters, thoughts are often automatic and repetitive. The vision of oneself, others and the world are then biased.
A work of cognitive remediation in session allows realizing that your thoughts are not necessarily the reality. For example, you may think that you will never succeed, that you are bad, that no one loves you, that you are not good at anything. You sometimes feel frustrated and discouraged because your thoughts take over and prevent you from really being yourself.
It is here that the practice of mindfulness can teach you to free yourself from your omnipresent thoughts and manage your emotions. The goal is not to remove or replace them but to learn to consider your thoughts for what they really are, just thoughts. The attitude of “self-compassion” is the first step towards caring and understanding behaviour towards yourself.
I propose the following exercise: put yourself in front of a mirror and observe your face. Describe it accurately and factually. What is going on? You have trouble finding the words to stay neutral. Why? Because we are used to judging. Continue by noting each of the judgments that appear to you and return to a description, an observation.
Continue to observe your face. Describe yourself now with kindness. Practice this exercise regularly to develop caring and understanding behaviour towards yourself.
Without knowing it, most of the time your concerns and your ruminations take you away from yourself and the present. How many times during a day are you in autopilot mode?
By learning to live in full awareness, you exercise your ability to get out of your behavioural, cognitive and emotional automatisms and to be more present in your own life. The key is to learn to listen to what your emotions are saying, to tame them, to let them come and go, to express them before they explode.
Why is it important to be fully in the present? Because that’s where your life is! The present is the moment that really exists here and now. The practice of mindfulness allows you to fully experience every moment of your life: whether it’s eating, walking, taking a shower, doing a manual activity, travelling, working, spending time with family and friends. Mindfulness invites you to live every moment of your life without getting lost in parasitic thoughts related to the past or the future (or ruminations).
One of the most well-known exercises in mindfulness is the grape seed. Take one and watch it carefully, smell it, feel its texture. Now close your eyes and take it in your mouth, pay attention to what is going on inside you.
This same experience can be transposed to your favourite dish by tasting it very slowly. Before you start eating, stop for a minute and breathe. Watch your dish carefully. Feel its flavours before putting it in your mouth. Take the time to determine its texture. Pay attention to all your sensations at this moment.
Mindfulness during sessions and at home allows you to work on your emotions, your thoughts and manage your stress. Through progressive training, you will progress to deep well-being. In the long run, it is better health that is felt thanks to greater energy found.
If you find yourself in one of the following situations, I can help you with an extensive mindfulness program and cognitive remediation :
– stress, anxiety, mental ruminations ;
– depressive relapses, dysthymia (lassitude, sadness) ;
– distress associated with pain ;
– insomnia, certain somatoform disorders ;
– impulsivity ;
– marital disagreement, difficulties related to parenthood ;
– general dissatisfaction in his ability to live in the present moment.