Non-reactivity: an important part of mindfulness
This is from my post to my support group on March 3, 2019:
Today's Daily Calm (I use the Calm App) guided meditation was on a concept of mindfulness really hard for me called Non-Reactivity. I have ADHD, I am autistic, I am highly sensitive & even if I mask well, underneath I have very strong emotions. I have had a tendency towards shooting off emotionally charged emails and texts that in my early 20's caused such a riff with relatives that they held it against me for years (& some still do). The technique today's meditation used to develop non-reactivity is a type of body scan where you slowly observe different parts of your body and notice sensations as you move to the next part and the next part. Whether there is tingling or discomfort, you note it and keep moving, noticing how the last feeling disappears as a new one in a diff place starts. It all comes and goes like our breath. And we can learn to sit through it calmly, still experiencing what life brings, but not reacting to it.
These types of practices have helped me to keep calm & less reactive when my kids lose it and have meltdowns. I can't say I am perfect. I am still a work in progress and still lose my cool at times too, but these types of daily practice have made it so my losing my cool is less and less and in not reacting, so they have also followed my example more.
It's not overnight. Big emotions still happen, but these types of meditations teach us how to ride the waves and be more present. It is different from reaponding... It helps us to take that pause and make a better non-reactive response.
#nonreactivity
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Today's Daily Calm (I use the Calm App) guided meditation was on a concept of mindfulness really hard for me called Non-Reactivity. I have ADHD, I am autistic, I am highly sensitive & even if I mask well, underneath I have very strong emotions. I have had a tendency towards shooting off emotionally charged emails and texts that in my early 20's caused such a riff with relatives that they held it against me for years (& some still do). The technique today's meditation used to develop non-reactivity is a type of body scan where you slowly observe different parts of your body and notice sensations as you move to the next part and the next part. Whether there is tingling or discomfort, you note it and keep moving, noticing how the last feeling disappears as a new one in a diff place starts. It all comes and goes like our breath. And we can learn to sit through it calmly, still experiencing what life brings, but not reacting to it.
These types of practices have helped me to keep calm & less reactive when my kids lose it and have meltdowns. I can't say I am perfect. I am still a work in progress and still lose my cool at times too, but these types of daily practice have made it so my losing my cool is less and less and in not reacting, so they have also followed my example more.
It's not overnight. Big emotions still happen, but these types of meditations teach us how to ride the waves and be more present. It is different from reaponding... It helps us to take that pause and make a better non-reactive response.
#nonreactivity
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