Guide to Losing Your Mind Before You Go Crazy
Articles By Tracy Togliatti
I would like for you to go on an excursion with me, away from your mind. In our journey, you will be able to re-discover the world with childlike wonder and curiosity. Your stress level is going to drop significantly and you are going to become more effective with your mind than what you may now think is possible. This might seem like a totally unrealistic goal to you, maybe even completely far fetched. Please bear with me though, with an open mind and heart. We could very well be taking the first step towards changing your life!
This adventure we are going on will take one week of your time. It won’t cost you a dime and you don’t need to pack anything at all. You can still go about your daily activities and might even find yourself becoming more productive with them as we go. You can invite a friend or loved one, or as many as you like. I will be your humble guide to lead you through the events. Please remember there is a purpose of each adventure that is planned. It will all come together at the end. Now, if you are ready we can begin.
Here is your Itinerary:
Day One: Today we are going to live through our eyes. Spend the entire day looking. It’s as simple as that. Allow your brain to take a break, it doesn’t need to describe or tell you what you are looking at. Just use your eyes to see everything you can see today. Go about your daily tasks as usual while using your eyes as much as you get the opportunity to. Experience the colours in your world, the textures, shapes and architecture; see the trees and sky and nature. Look at your loved ones as though for the first time. If your mind starts thinking about what you’re looking at, just allow the thoughts to pass on by and bring your attention back to seeing with your eyes.
At the end of the day, spend a few moments reflecting about your adventure of looking with your eyes. Use your feelings to experience the emotions about today’s event. Get a good night sleep to prepare for tomorrows journey!
Day Two: This is the day we are going to listen. There is no need to think about what you hear, simply allow your ears to fully live their experience of listening. You can even find silence has a sound to it if you pay enough attention. Listen to the sound of your breath and any sound at all that’s close or far away from you. Listen for tones, volume levels, pitch. Any sound at all is worthy of your ears today.
Spend your evening reflection time to notice how your listening experiences felt throughout the day.
Day Three: Today we are going to physically feel, everything. Feel the way you sit, stand, walk, and recline. Feel how the clothes feel against your body and how the air feels on your skin. Touch things. Feel textures and comfortable temperatures. Allow your body to stretch out and take up space. Feel how your body feels in that space. Your mind does not have to tell you what you are feeling; your body can feel everything all by itself.
During your evening reflection time, feel with your emotions how it feels to feel with your body. Now let that body get some good rest. Tomorrow is another busy day!
Day Four: This is the day we are going to breathe. Of course we have to breathe to survive. But today we are going to pay attention to this. As we breathe, we are going to allow our noses to smell. Breathe softly through your nose today, allow the air to fill into your stomach area and then into your lungs and exhale naturally. As you are doing this, notice the aroma around you, in the air, in the clothes you’re wearing, yours or others perfume, whatever is around you that has an aroma, let your nose notice it. Again, there is no thought necessary for this, just breath and smell as your primary activity today.
Please remember to spend some time reflecting on this adventure at the end of your day. Oh, and keep breathing, I’ve heard it’s good for you!
Day Five: Today is about tasting. If you normally read or watch TV, or work while you eat, please reschedule that today. Every time you eat today, do nothing else other than taste what you are putting into your mouth and body. Really take your time chewing each bite and tasting the flavours of the foods and liquids you choose to eat and drink. Allow your taste buds to fully experience this event without your mind telling you what it is that you’re mouth is busy tasting for you.
Tonight reflect on the adventure of fully tasting the food you ate. If your mind wants to wander, allow it to consider the full experience of what eating is in your life.
Day Six: Today is the final day of our excursion. It’s going to be an adventurous one! Today is about paying attention to everything we have worked on all week. It might take a lot of practice to pay attention to seeing, hearing, feeling, and tasting all at the same time. That’s okay; take as much time as you need to fully incorporate that into your life. Today, just try it out. Breathe all day, then look and listen. Touch what you are looking at and feel it, mix everything all together and see how it goes for you. Remember, your mind still doesn’t need to tell you how to do any of these things, or to tell you what you are doing. Let the thoughts flow by as they may without dwelling on them. Always bring your attention back to seeing, hearing, feeling, and tasting.
For tonight’s reflection feel gratitude for the senses that allow you to fully experience your life.
Day Seven: I hope you had some good fun and good learning during this journey with me. This is the last day I will ask you to do anything. From now on the rest is up to you. Today, I would like for you to reflect on how the past six days have gone for you. Are you feeling that you’ve been able to experience old things in brand new ways? How has your stress level been while you stayed busy using your senses? Have you noticed you can think more clearly about the things you want to think about, and spend less time on all the mental chit chat that distracts you from staying aware of your senses?
Come back to your senses with me anytime you need to lose your mind! I’m always an email away and would love to talk with you. You are welcome to email with questions about applying these tools to your unique lifestyle, or if you need more insight into our daily adventures.
I do want to make special mention to people who may not have all of their physical senses. It’s important to me that no one gets left out of our journey. On the days we are working on anything you may not have use of, substitute that as you normally do. Example; if you are blind, use your sixth sense and your hands to see things for you on the day we are using our eyes.
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