What do you want to improve?
attention • emotional pain • bad habits • good habits
Mental training is like physical training — it takes time to build muscle.
ATTENTION BUILDING
Morning practice in bed
SUMMARY: Your phone timer will vibrate every 45secs to remind you to focus.
Focus on your breath while squeezing away thoughts. Your mind will wander. The vibrating timer will bring you back. Count how many breaths you get to before your mind wanders. Try to beat it next time. Change finger positions to keep track. Download a silent ring tone.
INSTRUCTIONS IN PHOTO BELOW:
IMPORTANT:
If you’re going this repeatedly without trying, like prayer beads, don’t bother. You have to really try (as in “arg”) each time. If you don’t honestly try you’ll waste your time. It’s the “arg” that builds physical and mental muscle.
Helpful: Use words like “focus” and “watch your first thought”. Later, try to combine them: “watch for thoughts” + “focus on breath”.
Really - A 10-day retreat is most useful for overcoming a distracted mind and negative patterns feeling. The habit pattern of our minds is so entrenched that we need a dedicated time-out.
SUGGESTED
Waking Up app
https://www.wakingup.com
The Waking Up was created by neuroscientist Sam Harris. It contains both theory and practices for increasing our self-understanding and self-control.
Over our lifetime, negative emotions (sadness, anger) built up in the storehouse of the brain. This build up can result in a constant feelings of depression, anxiety, or anger.
Metacognitive techniques for decreasing negative emotions include:
Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Here are a few resources for finding a local therapist:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/counsellors
https://www.theravive.com/cities/
https://locator.apa.org/
Vipassana meditation in particularly effective metacognitive training technique that teaches attention and detached mindfulness. Find a 10-day course in your area here.
DECREASING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
BAD HABITS
Signs, automatized checks, faraday cage/odysseus technique/elastic band negative conditioning/
GOOD HABITS
Rationally recognize the good habits that will lead to your greater happiness.
Write them down. Keep them in plain sight. Start the habits that will lead to larger ones. Running in the morning, start with shoes in the middle of the room. Put them on without tying on laces. Next day, same time/cue time/one more thing - tie up laces and then stop. Tell yourself a noble lie “I can stop after just this one thing” then do the next. Give yourself a positive hit each time.