Day 139 - A Year to Clear - Change the Channel
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Photo by Tanja Heffner on Unsplash
Lesson 139: Change the Channel
Today is about watching some good TV and some bad TV. If you don’t really watch TV, use music. The exercise is to be more mindful and really tune in to how your body reacts to the differences. You want to choose a show or music that really uplifts you – makes you laugh, smile and bring about general goodness. Then you want to watch a show or listen to music that “dumbs you down, scares you, or numbs you”. Write down your experiences and every time you feel a rise or negative thought pop up, you want to note the emotions, the body sensations and what’s going through your mind. Every time a negative thought comes into play, remember to use the words “strike that” to allow the channel to be changed from your monkey mind.
So, when I was at one of my jobs today, I was dancing around in the store because Viking folk music was playing. For some reason it always makes me feel good and want to dance, so I do. Didn’t even care if a customer walked in, I just went with the music. I really enjoy Viking folk music.
I’m not going to listen to the music that makes me feel like insects crawling in my skin and that’s heavy death metal type of music. I can’t stand the screaming and I just want it to be over. I don’t understand how anyone can listen to that type of music, but each to their own. The only negative I know that flows through my head at that point is “this is shit” so I applied a “strike that”. I was shaking my head as I was imagining that music playing, so I applied a “strike that” to that also.
I now understand the exercise – we don’t have to allow negative thoughts to swamp us if we just let it go. Yes, it can enter your mind, but you don’t have to hold onto it and let it dwell upon you. Just have the thought and let it escape as quickly as it entered. Gosh, this is going to be a hard practise but good for our overall mental wellbeing.
There is a lot of work to do and it’s going to take time.
