Rather than writing out specific details about the presentation, simply write “presentation.” See how many thoughts you can record in three minutes, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant. When you are finished, count the number of thoughts that you had in those three minutes and multiply that number by twenty to get a sense of how many thoughts you tend to have in a whole hour. Are you surprised by the results? What meaning can you take away from this exercise?
7. Thought Defusion
This technique is borrowed from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and is shown to be quite effective in the treatment of emotional distress. When we have distressing thoughts, there is a tendency to get “stuck” on them. Thought defusion can help you mindfully observe these distressing thoughts without getting bogged down by them. Ultimately, it can allow you the freedom to consciously select which thoughts you wish to focus on and which thoughts you would like to let go.
The idea of this exercise is to visualize your thoughts (e.g., as pictures, words, or symbols) harmlessly floating away from you. Try imagining your thoughts as leaves floating past you on a slowly moving river. If any particular thoughts keep coming up, just allow them to pass by again – notice them, observe them, and let them go.
8. Describe Your Emotion
The previous exercises have focused on becoming mindful of both thoughts and physical sensations. This exercise, aptly named “Describe Your Emotion” is designed to do just that. Simple enough, right? Try picking an emotion – it can be pleasant or unpleasant, but not so overwhelming that you worry about feeling out of control. Ideally, choose an emotion that you are experiencing right now. Once you have an emotion in mind, write it down on a piece of paper. Begin by naming the emotion and then continue with the exercise by drawing a picture that you believe represents this emotion for you.
Next, try writing down a related action and sound for the emotion. Notice what you are experiencing throughout the exercise. If you feel overwhelmed at any point, pause momentarily and bring your focus gently back to the exercise. Continue by describing the intensity and quality of the emotion. What thoughts are related to this emotion? Becoming more mindful of the full experience of a given emotion helps us to be more present in our emotional experiences.
9. Focus Shifting
This exercise is about learning to identify what you are focusing on in your ongoing moment-to-moment stream of conscious awareness. This is somewhat similar to the “Focus Shifting” exercise, where you practice shifting your attention between your inner and outer experiences. The difference is that this exercise centers around learning to shift your attention between emotions and senses and to understand the difference between the two.
Begin by checking in with yourself to identify how you are feeling. If you think you’re feeling “nothing,” try giving that emotional experience a label … it could even be “bored” or “content.” Close your eyes and bring your attention towards your current emotional experience – what would this emotion look like if it were an object? Imagine this object. Now, open your eyes and redirect your focus toward a physical object in the room. Mindfully observe this object. If your attention begins to wander, just gently bring it back to the exercise.
