Morning Mantra Cuatro
"Meditation doesn't work for me. I don't get it."
Hmm. Did you know that there's no right or wrong way to meditate? Have a listen.
It's been 3 months of Mantras and I felt like the last one was a bit sloppy and rushed. In truth, I was rushing through the mantras as I listened daily. It's time to take a break and remind myself that there's more to it than repetition.
This particular audio file is a bit longer than the previous ones as I discuss the importance of finding space to perform these mantras. Again, this is a personal project and Morning Mantra Cuatro serves as a reminder to myself. In DBT, Linehan talks about the rational mind and the emotional mind. A diagram and explanation can be found here, but imagine one side of your brain is logic and the other is emotion. Now, if I listen to and participate in a Morning Mantra in the rational mind am I going to make progress? So much of my previous mantras have focused my emotional responses to myself and the world around me. It only makes sense that I need to involve that emotional brain. So, how do I do that? This is where meditation and mindfulness come in.
In the beginning of each Morning Mantra, I've attempted to give myself some space. I've tried to breath and meditate my way to that emotional mind. It doesn't work all the time. So, this latest Morning Mantra is a refresher for myself. The audio file starts with my thoughts on why finding this open state of mind is important to my future work with Morning Mantras. Once you've listened, and if you choose to continue doing the exercise, skip to 6:20 in the file to practice. This is what I plan to do.
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Much <3.
Morning Mantra Tres
Change is hard. It takes time. A lot of time.
For Forty-some years, I've punished myself to grow. That is, I put myself down. I called myself names in hopes to create a better me. Some could call it tough love, but that's a misnomer. There's no love here after participating in this pattern of behavior for forty plus years. I may have started out being critical of myself to protect young Chris from ridicule or public failure with a loving intention, but now it's an expectation. So in my mind, I'm a pathetic creature no longer worthy of my own love.
Therefore, it comes at no surprise that these Mantras aren't working. I've failed. Why bother? Once again, my pattern of self-degradation continues. The mantras haven't changed me in two months, so I must be hopeless? Well, forty plus years is greater than two months. Lasting change will take time.
Forgetting my current behavior, if we look at other examples we see that nothing happens as quickly as we think it will. Were you in band? Can you play the guitar? So a week of lessons and you were ready to play during the high school football game or joining a group making platinum records, right? Look at our jobs or parenting, compare today to the first day ever in the role? You know a lot more now. You're experienced, but that didn't happen overnight.
Now, more than ever, I need a reminder that I need patience. Thus, Morning Mantra Tres is a reminder to keep going. Everything that has led me to today was required. It was not good or bad, it just was. That's the acceptance I was working on last month. This isn't easy work. It will take time. I need to stay in the moment, and not get lost in a future where it hasn't worked. I also need to avoid getting lost in the past, wishing I had done things differently. Let's remind ourselves why we're doing this and live with intent.
Remember if this guided meditation-style thing doesn't work, you can try writing out the mantra in a journal. Dr. Nathaniel Branden found that sentence completion exercises worked well at changing behavior for his patients.
If you'd like to download the Morning Mantra instead of coming to this page each morning, right click the following and save it to your device:
If you add the following URL into your favorite podcast app, you should get the Morning Mantras directly to your device without the need to come here and download them.
https://
If you have any interest in supporting me, try the support link above, or the store. Thanks!
Much <3.