Optimistic Brain Inc.

Happiness... Some people talk about finding happiness. Do you look for external things to make you happy? Do you think people's actions make you happy? Do you think your own actions make you happy?

Happiness is never achieved by any action or thing! Happiness comes from within. It comes from the story you tell yourself about yourself and about your experiences.

Mindfulness is all about understanding your active beliefs at any given moment. This allows you to question them and shift them to something more reasonable and balanced. THIS is the only path to happiness.

Reciting daily Affirmations, Gratitude Statements, and Counter Points that counter our false negative beliefs definitely helps you think and believe happier thoughts automatically over time. Start slowly and work your way up the Optimistic ladder. Be gentle and patient.

Changing your beliefs may take some time but you CAN do it with simple regular exercises! The key is to come up with realistic and gentle thoughts that guide you towards the better beliefs that you want to ultimately get to.

#‎mindfulness‬ ‪ #‎optimistic‬ ‪ #‎meditation

Teaching mindfulness does not teach people to be compassionate. Teaching compassion, being kind and helpful, is also necessary. Furthermore, reactivity is, by definition, NOT mindful. When we react and not consciously act, we are on autopilot. In this case, the brain simply processes what is happening now based on past experiences. When we are mindful and compassionate, we assess what is going on with greater insight, and then we can proactively initiate beneficial behaviors for all.

Heightened mindfulness strengthens the link between narcissistic rivalry and aggression Trait mindfulness enhances the effect of narcissistic rivalry on reactive aggression, according to new psychology research published in Personality and Individual Differences. The surprising findings suggest that one's tendency to be fully engaged in the current moment without judgment can exacerbat...

No judging... As you go through your day and you are directing your thoughts to the present moment, keep in mind NOT to judge anything just observe and take in your surroundings.

Humans judge all the time. Many situations do not require any judging. Just observe and if you find yourself judging then quietly say to yourself - "oh, that's judging; I am sorry" and bring your mind back to the present moment of observation and allowing. Meditation practices help teach us this skill.

Also, as an exercise, the next time you are heading to another location - walking or driving somewhere (perhaps to work or school) or even going from one room to another, try to be present and not judge anything for that entire trip.

Doing this regularly will help you remain neutral. When your thoughts are neutral, your emotions will also be neutral and you can gently enjoy your day. When you train yourself to stop judging, you are refocusing your attention away from the usual negative chatter in your head. The more you practice the easier it will be to refocus and the longer you will stay in the present moment.

Be gentle with yourself, and don't judge yourself judging :)

Our brain processes real sensory data from our senses AND the data that our consciousness creates (our imagination). It cannot tell the difference; this is where we can get off track by believing our assumptions, suppositions, and extrapolations are 100% true. Mindfulness allows us to be able to better discern between real data and imagined data. This in turn allows us to shift our beliefs to something more reasonable. When we do that our feelings and emotions change.

Reality or Illusion? The Human Battle with Distinguishing Imagination from Reality - Neuroscience News The more vividly we imagine something, the more likely we are to believe it's real, a new study reports. Researchers found the brain encodes the vividness of perceived and real stimuli in a similar manner, resulting in a confusion between reality and imagination.

You can teach your employees the benefits of mindfulness, but if you want to see results, you have to practice. Allowing employees to practice together fosters greater teamwork and their skills will improve. You wouldn't just show someone a cooking video and then hire them as a chef. They also need to practice their skills. Mindfulness is like any other learned skill.

The Power of Mindfulness: Incorporating Meditation into the Workplace Meta Description: Learn how incorporating mindfulness and meditation practices into the workplace can enhance employee wellbeing and productivity. Discover the benefits of mindfulness and practical ways to integrate it into your workplace. Professional training and certification options are also ava...

Remember that all of us change... Many of us change for the better because we see that what we have done in the past is no longer acceptable. We recognize that hurting others is NOT the way to make us feel better anymore. So we try to change for the better and many of us succeed and no longer do what we once did.

Would you want someone to only think of you from what you had done in the distant past, especially when you have changed for the better?

We are all similar in that we are trying to be happy and to be good towards ourselves and others. IF you see people changing, then perhaps a little space in your heart can open up, allowing them to show you that they are moving in a positive direction. Give them support when you see improvement and encourage them to continue.

#‎mindfulness‬ ‪ #‎optimistic‬ ‪ #‎meditation

Release Control... Are you always trying to get people and events to happen exactly the way you want and are upset then this does not happen? Are you getting anxious whenever you sense that you cannot control every situation?

Releasing control of your surroundings happens when you no longer believe that any situation or possession or action of others will make you feel better. In fact, nothing external can ever make you feel better in the long run.

Recognize that your own goodness is never tied to what others do or external outcomes. You are good, JUST AS YOU ARE! Your own goodness is not increased if you lose more weight or have more shoes or buy a nice car! When you believe in your own self-worth and goodness then and only then your need for control disappears!

Come up with some comforting and affirming statements about yourself. Write them out in the same way that you would tell your best friend or your child. Now say them to yourself in the mirror. Look into your eyes when you say them. If you find yourself looking away then that is an indication that you feel you are not worthy to hear these nice things. You may want to start off slowly and work your way up the Optimistic ladder. It will take hold very soon!

#‎mindfulness‬ ‪‪ #‎meditation

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (horrible name) is a wonderful skills-based approach to re-framing your beliefs to something more reasonable and balanced. Most CBT therapists now include Mindfulness as part of the process. It makes sense because mindfulness is all about awareness of our feelings, emotions, and thoughts. Eventually, they will add self-compassion training to the process because without it, being more aware can lead us to judge what we are becoming aware of. Self-compassion teaches us to recognize a challenge and separate that from self-judgment.

Practitioner-supported mindfulness-based cognitive therapy aids depression Practitioner-supported, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy self-help (MBCT-SH) is superior to standard recommended treatment for mild-to-moderate depression, according to a study published online March 22 in JAMA Psychiatry.

A simple breath meditation teaches us to notice where our attention is being placed AND if it's not on the intended focusing on our breath we can gently guide it back to it. In fact, ANY meditation teaches us this skill of attentional awareness because it's the foundational skill regardless of what other skills you are practicing with a meditation exercise.

Remember that it's NOT about preventing your mind from wandering (you cannot prevent your brain from doing anything) but rather practicing NOTICING WHEN it does and re-directing it back.

The more you practice the better your skill will become at noticing and re-directing.

Treat Your Attention Like the Precious Resource It Is As the primary currency of the human condition, our well-being necessitates that we allocate our precious attention with intention and care, giving it to things that truly matter.

Lots of exercises... Meditating trains you to be present and aware of your thinking and emotions. Saying Affirmations/Gratitude statements are exercises that help you change your focus to the things that are positive in your life. Focusing on Counter Points allows you to re-frame or change your beliefs by examining the facts that may or may not support them.

All of these exercises teach us to essentially focus on and/or replace our existing negative beliefs with NEW realistic, balanced beliefs that get us moving up the Optimistic ladder.

Pick what works for you each moment in time. It's like cross-training for your mind. We change up the various exercises, so our minds (just like our muscles) don't get complacent with any one exercise. When you do different exercises regularly so your mind does not get bored with just one. Changing up your routine really does work.

#‎mindfulness‬ ‪ #‎optimistic‬ ‪ #‎meditation