For Reflection:

When I am confronted with a miscommunication with another person, do I …Take the time to listen/understand/find out the reasons behind it first? …Jump in with my own  assumptions/opinions/reactions?

When something negative confronts me, do I …Find it easy to let go? …Get caught up in my emotions, even long after the situation has passed?

When I am alone, how much of this time do I spend ...Enjoying the moment? …Worrying? …Giving my Self positive feedback? …Being creative? …Doing thing I love? …Planning for the future? …Thinking of the past?

Exercise: Shut Your Monkey Mind!

Mind monkey or monkey mind, from Chinese xinyuan and Sino-Japanese shin’en 心猿 [lit. “heart-/mind-monkey”], is a Buddhist term meaning “unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable” [Wikipedia info]

For this exercise, we will focus on the power of affirmations!

Steps:

• Get a piece of paper – or use this as part of your journal work.

• Split the page in 2 halves – by drawing a vertical line down the middle.

• On the left hand side, write down the top 5 regular negative thoughts you hear your Self saying in your mind.

• On the right hand side, next to each negative thought on the left, write down a positive affirmation that will turn this negative thought around.

For example:

Left hand side, negative thought – “I don’t feel good enough. “

Right hand side, positive affirmation: “I love and appreciate my journey as I grow and learn.”

• Now, every time you find your mind chatter saying any of these negative thoughts, quickly replace it with the positive affirmation. Say this affirmation a few times if you like. In time, this will re-program your thought patterns.