Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Does The Phantom Planner Sabotage Your Present?

Posted on
The Phantom Planner may sabotage your present.

I’ll eat a banana with porridge this morning. Yesterday it mushed into an off-yellow lump. Today, I’ll chop smaller slices, and spread evenly on top. Shall I add an apple? Mmmm… It’s 5:30am in the meditation hall, but I’m already an hour ahead, fantasising about breakfast.

Thinking! Thinking! I realise I’m distracted from the task at hand; attentive awareness of bodily sensations. I’m five days into my first Vipassana retreat, and it’s become apparent — I’m a constant planner. Now, there’s no place to hide. In this environment, with a strict schedule of meditation and rest, there’s nothing to plan. But this morning, I’m contemplating fruit-slicing like it’s the elixir of life.

Mindfulness

Open Your Eyes To Winter Beauty With Mindful Seeing

Posted on

mindfulness winter
Mindfulness can uncover beauty in winter.

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Eliot

It’s mid-January. I’m walking through the streets of Berlin, a city known for long, harsh winters. The scene fits the stereotype — I dodge and weave hooded pedestrians, veiled by sleet, chilled by zero-degrees breeze. As I absorb my surroundings, I’m enveloped by a sense of calm. I suddenly notice this ordinary stroll is anything but ordinary.

Mindfulness

You’ve Just Had a Panic Attack. How You React Can Prevent An Anxiety Spiral.

Posted on

panic attack aftermath
The special ingredient reducing anxiety and shame in the panic attack aftermath.

A volcanic explosion of frenetic energy, a thumping heartbeat, suffocating terror, dizzying tunnel vision, jelly-kneed paralysis, no room, struggling to breathe. Regardless of the cause, experiencing a panic attack is deeply unsettling, and hard to shake off. Consequently, fear of experiencing another attack can become chronic.

Mindfulness, Psychology

Escape The Prison Of Hopelessness With The Power Of Choice

Posted on

Feeling hopeless.
Choices alleviate feelings of hopelessness.

One summer’s evening in Budapest, I shared my battle with depression and anxiety with a close friend. “There’s always a choice,” he responded, his matter-of-fact assurance a thin veil covering his brotherly concern. These words stuck with me, enough for me to recollect seven years later, not least because I respect his guidance.

Mindfulness, Psychology

Panic To Public Speaking: Breaking The Silence By Finding My Voice

Posted on

Breaking the silence
Breaking the Silence Panel (left to right): Meryl, me, Farina, Sanya, Isabelle

My sternum reverberates from train-track palpitations. I desperately search an escape route. I avoid eyes. Can they hear the thud? Can they see? This can’t be happening. Not now. I’m not ready. Soon it’s my turn to talk and I’m paralysed: I’ll choke; I’ll be exposed. This is too much to hide.