Mindfulness
Once behaviors become habits, it can be hard to remember why we started doing the activity in the first place! I’d leave work, drive home about 45 minutes, change out of my work uniform, and pour myself a glass of wine. If you asked me what music was on the radio or if I’d seen anything interesting on the drive, I wouldn’t have been able to think of a thing! My after-work routine of behaviors were so automatic that they required no thinking on my part whatsoever.
So I decided to change it up! Instead of mindless and automatic, I got mindful and purposeful. My behaviors began to change when I acted with intention. Like a good scientist, I made observations. I started writing everything down. I stopped blaming and shaming myself and simply got curious.
Paying attention to thoughts, feelings, and emotions is not intuitive - many of us ignore this side and simply act based on habit. Being mindful can be applied to eating, drinking, daily tasks, parenting, friendships, and so on. When was the last time you really got curious about the way you FEEL and THINK about your behaviors?
Rule number one - Don’t be judgmental! This process is not about beating yourself up anymore. You’ve already done enough of that and has it worked? Nope! The entire exercise is about curiosity and openness. During this process, you will be forced to observe your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and get honest about the actual experience you encounter during the way.
Rule number two - Have fun with this! Getting mindful is not supposed to be a negative experience. Research proves that pairing positive emotions with behaviors and activities increases the chance of repeating or wanting to repeat them. If you want to start a new habit, you have to combine it with positive emotions.
Alright now that you know the rules, here are the steps towards mindful drinking. (Yes you read that right - you are to stop trying to stop drinking. Right now I’m not asking for you to change your patterns - live your life - and let’s record them.)
First we need to figure out exactly how much space booze is taking up in your brain. Every single time you think about booze, make a mark. My whole darn day was spent thinking about drinking: in the morning, I would be thinking about how many drinks I’d had the night before and how bad my head hurt. By Lunch time, I started thinking about what drinks I wanted that night. And by the end of the workday, I scheming and planning on whether I have enough booze. Even on weekends, I’d rush through my chores and even prepare for the next morning so that I had no obligations other than drinking.
Second, get curious about the drink. How does it feel before you pour it? How does it feel after you pour but before you drink it? How about in 20 min? And after more drinks? What are you looking for? Does how you feel meet those expectations? Write about the smells and tastes - Do you really like it?
#thinpurpleline #thinredline #thinblueline #thinyellowline #thingreyline #thingreenline #deathismylife #thisnakedmindcoach #thealcoholexperiment
