★bMINDFUL to yourself

Today I am in a funk. Things are a little off – and I know why and how this happened. I wasn’t MINDFUL of the garbage my ears were listening in the background.

Last night I was working late at the office. Somehow I had found myself on a News website that played news stories one after the other. Not wanting to be in silence, I just let them continue to sound in the background. The first story – police in a raid playing Wii during an investigation. The next story, the GRUESOME death of a federal employee. Then, the story about a beautiful woman murdered. Again, a story about a missing woman. More about a kidnapped child and the hell she went through as a captive. Then, a mother of a 5 year old who had been murdered twenty years ago. On and on an on. Nothing but horrible atrocities.

I didn’t realize I was even listening to these stories. They were just background noise to me as I buzzed along my work. Then, I heard weird noises outside my office window and I found myself freaking out… something I don’t do normally. I found myself feeling unsafe.

For those of you who have been on bMindful for any length of time, you know I don’t watch television or listen to mainstream talk radio. I am a big fan of Louise Hay whose number two affirmation (after I love and accept myself just as I am) is I AM SAFE. MOST of the time, I filter what I surround myself with is positive and uplifting —-> growth oriented. This was not.

I came home and I didn’t sleep well. This morning, I woke up still in a funk with that sick, uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don’t like it. However, this little experience was a gentle (maybe not THAT gentle) to be MINDFUL of what I let enter my field of awareness.

Let this be YOUR reminder to filter what you let into your mind. Stay away from those who constantly criticize. Take a news fast for a day, if you can’t leave it altogether. Be your biggest fan – and concentrate on your best affirmations to feed and grow your mind. Repeat them often. Block the junk!!

And above all, may you find your life filled with peace, happiness, good health, and all things kind and wonderful!!

Wonderful eye-opener MM!
Yes, I totally agree. It is very damaging to listen to background ‘noise’ and negativity. Whilst it is important to watch or listen to what is going on around us,(e.g the news) it is also important not to focus on them. Sometimes the background noise has a heavier impact on us and thats why we need to do all the things we do – be it, meditation, prayer, blue mirror etc to keep our subconscious mind clean and positive….

Learning to switch off at the end of the day is so important for one’s own health. Bmindful of the junk…but dont let it manifest in your thinking – i.e be aware of it but quickly switch it around…..

I’m sure Laurie will have great tips on using the negative to create positive….????

Oh, and don’t go home and crack open a bottle of wine to drown it out of your conscience… :)

I was just having a conversation with someone recently about the impact of “background noise”.

Like most of us on this site, I am aware of the subconscious always recording “things”… While we have a magnificent filter, and we can use affirmations and various other subconscious/conscious exercises to create the filter we want…We just don’t need to work that hard when we can make a conscious choice to just turn something off, or put some headphones on and turn something else on.

It’s been said that we say about 6,000 things to ourselves a day…some things over and over. Imagine this though…YOU HAVE CHOICE

And like MM, says she normally chooses not to listen to tv. That’s a choice that works for her.

When my hubby is watching a tv show, when I’m getting sleepy and feel less able to filter out-> I put on my headset and listen to either music or one of my favorite audio speakers dealing with places I find myself in and want to confront.

So bottom line, our minds are powerful. Though even though the mind is powerful, I want it to work for me not against me. As often as I can, I choose what ruminates in my mind:
1. Self talk in the form of affirmations (written, verbal aloud and/or silently)
2. Music or silence -make my own backdrop to my thoughts or stillness
3. Audio mentors
4. Challenging and positive conversations with others.
5. Honest and direct conversations with God. Yes..prayer. It works(:

In response to laurie- worksout-daily&w/everything she’s got~ ~‘s post:

I knew Laurie would have some pearls.
Yes, I agree Prayer DOES work – it automatically gets you focussing on the positive, being grateful, being one with your deepest thoughts and therefore blocking out the ‘noise’. Quietening down does wonders for keeping in the ‘here and now’ and looking at what matters – You cant change whats around you, but you do have CHOICES…..and the ability to change YOUR thinking….

Thankyou Laurie for seeing a solution to this. Its something we have all day long from all directions – even simply from ‘bad energies’ that come our way. Its important to bmindful of ourselves and how WE are thinking so that we are not affected by negativity (in all shapes and forms) that we are subjected to. Its marvellous – WE HAVE THE CHOICE to accept or absorb the right stuff, whilst being aware and mindful of the bad stuff. This is what created WISDOM!

I am in total agreement to the fact that any background info or noise does affect one’s thinking. Earlier I used to be easily influenced by what people talked about common friends/relatives etc. Their experience with particular oerson when shared with me also used to influence my thinking and views about that person. Infact it led to many bitter views about others on my part. Though the people behave well with me but the experiences of my friends always clouded my mind. I feel my quality of life was spoilt by my this behaviour. Slowly I realized it and got out of the rut of being influenecd by these story telling sessions. Now I keep myself away from gossip and storytelling of this nature. This has led me to have much better relations and views about others. After continous practise on this for more than 5 yrs I feel I am strong/mature enough to be present in a gossip session but not be influenced.

I was told once to really cleanse your mind you must avoid Television, News on radio, negative people both family and friends. That is a pretty tall order for anyone, but unfortunately it happens to be true. The only advantage I have, because I will not give up my music is I have XM/Sirrus in my car. No commercials and no news unless you want to go to a news channel. Try this for one day, and then the next, and then the next by the time you reach day 30 the negative of the world will no longer be a problem. You will have learned that the outside world does not affect your universe, unless you let it in. Keep it out and it is all good. Have a great week everybody.

In response to rockswealth’s post:

That is what works for me, too. I have those who do not believe it – they try and scare me that I will not know what is happening in the world around me and I will become a hermit. BELIEVE ME… If it is really big news, I will hear it 20 times during the day from someone!! I haven’t missed anything yet.

BTW, think of all the negative affirmations you let in your brain when you hear news about the economy??? How many positive affirmations are you putting back in your head to cancel them? Don’t let their realities affect YOUR WORLD!!!! Keep in mind: it may be true for them, but NOT FOR ME!

Be Good To Yourself
Runnin out of self-control
Gettin close to an overload
Up against a no win situation
Shoulder to shoulder, push and shove
Im hangin up my boxin gloves
Im ready for a long vacation

Be good to yourself when, nobody else will
Oh be good to yourself
Youre walkin a high wire, caught in a cross fire
Oh be good to yourself

When you cant give no more
They want it all but you gotta say no
Im turnin off the noise that makes me crazy
Lookin back with no regrets
To forgive is to forget
I want a little piece of mind to turn to

Be good to yourself when, nobody else will
Oh be good to yourself
Youre walkin a high wire, caught in a cross fire
Oh be good to yourself
Be good to yourself when, nobody else will

In response to themadcookieman’s post:
great lyrics. I don’t think I listened well to them, when I used to hear the song.

In response to SONIA’s post:
An affirmation/or self hypnosis-type of induction that I created the other day which helps me with “distractions”/background-anything:

• You convert non-goal thoughts and outside noise, once thought of as distractions, as peaceful energy…which complement your productive momentum.