#239 Self-talk - Compulsive Self-sabbotage, Handicapping?

     "I'm sooo tired", "I'm sooooo stressed" etc - is this common self-talk for you? - Probably. Is it a direct readout on reality? - No. What effect does this have on your life? - It's a downer, an invitation for the past to spill over, pollute & suffocate the present - your life! It's a dysfunctional mental habit - voodoo, nocebo.
     How exactly do you see prolonged moaning and groaning bringing you efficacy & joy? How helpful is repeatedly telling yourself how miserable you are - why hypnotize yourself to prolonged misery?
     The skillful, mindful way of dealing with feeling tired or stressed is to accept & briefly investigate with curiosity the physical feel *** of these phenomena, knowing that, like all phenomena, these constantly change & will regress in their own time. Then get back to an open-hearted relationship with whatever the present moment holds. Let go of the story - it goes nowhere. 
     Is it always easy to do the above? - no. Is there a more effective alternative? - not that I know of. So we get on with it! What can I do NOW? If it's rest, rest with enthusiasm - savor it! If it's sleep, sleep with wholehearted commitment - plunge right in! If there's work to be done immediately, one's got to do what one's got to do! Do the best with an alert mind and an open heart. That's the best we can do in this challenging life. And that's a whole lot easier when we don't handicap ourselves by compulsively dragging the crud of the past (or anxieties of the future) to pollute our precious now.

*** See: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=physical+processing

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