FPIAFW - Week 4: Moving Beyond The Rumour Mill

[Gareth]

How are you struggling with the watching of thoughts?

[calm_one]

I just find that my mind is quite clear so I almost have to invite thoughts I mainly see flashes of images like a friend or my dog and they come and go.

Or I start playing out a situation in my mind and I'm not really sure if I'm watching it or being pulled into it.

Sometimes I'll try the cloud thing where if I see an image I'll surround it by a cloud and watch it float away.

I also guess I'm struggling with what a thought is.

Also what do do if I start thinking negatively about something past or future (when not in formal mediation) do I just immediately imagine a cloud and watch it drift away?

I guess this is just something I need to practice a lot.

[FeeHutch]

Being aware of your thoughts is the first thing to work with I guess. In my experience it takes quite a lot of practice to realise that a thought has carried you away. IIf my mind is quite clear of thoughts I see that as 'being in neutral' and accept that is where my mind is at in the same way I accept it when my mind has several things buzzing around.

The same is true when I am not doing a seated/formal practice. For me living a mindful life means living my practice 24/7.

[Gareth]

Playing out a situation in your mind is definitely thinking. Anything that is not the direct perception of your 5 senses is thinking basically.

The fact that you are aware that you are playing out a situation in your head is in itself the watching of thoughts.

[JonW]

"The same is true when I am not doing a seated/formal practice. For me living a mindful life means living my practice 24/7."
Same here. I find now that most of the time I'm not even conscious of needing to be mindful. If I find my mind racing etc., it's an enormous comfort to know that I have the tools to deal with it.

"Sometimes I'll try the cloud thing where if I see an image I'll surround it by a cloud and watch it float away."
If that works for you, I'd recommend sticking with that practice. When a troubling thought arises, I sometimes visualise a cloud or a bubble. Sometimes I name the thought ("Thought about ex-girlfriend") and that helps me not get carried away on the thought stream. With anything more practical ("Yikes! I really must pay that bill"), either I pay the bill or, if I can't afford to pay it, I'll call up and negotiate for more time.
Having said all that, there are some things I routinely avoid, knowing damn well they will pop up and bite me on the bum sometime later. So it's all a work in progress...

[calm_one]

Thank you for the replies I think I was [i]over thinking[i] what was meant to happen. I thought maybe floating the thought away was some form of repression.

I have noticed I'm automatically more mindful, just as writing this, I gave attention to the compression of the keys on the keyboard and the letters, I've never practiced mindful typing so that was just automatic. Every now and then I check in on myself, the sensations on the body sitting on a chair, even if its just for a few moments.

While I may feel a bit crappy, the thoughts are not always there to justify it.

Sleep is still a problem but I just need to practice being more accepting of it. And my GP says it's likely to be the tablets rather than depression coming back as it was literally the day after I stopped taking them.

I really am grateful for the support of this forum! Thanks again

[Eky]

I'm starting to repeat week four for a couple of reasons:
I haven't really got to grips with watching my thoughts yet, so I need more practice. Mostly it's a case of no thoughts to watch, though they're there in abundance at other times!
I started week five, but felt unprepared for it and couldn't seem to access any difficulties at all, feels like I need to practice week four as a gateway to week five.

[FeeHutch]

It sounds like repeating week 4 is what feels the most useful to you right now. Let us know how you get on

[Eky]

Has anyone else had my challenge with the sounds and thoughts meditation - I live in a fairly quiet house and finding sounds can be difficult and, although I value the guidance from the audio, I find there is so much of it in this meditation that it intrudes. Any ideas would be welcome.

[Gareth]

Would you be allowed to meditate to music for this? I meditate to music all the time.

Do you live in a warm place? When it's warm, I often go outside and meditate by listening to the sounds around me. Always plenty of sounds out there.