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Applying the 5 Essential Aspects

Writer's picture: noblemasculinenoblemasculine

Here is a simple example to illustrate how the 5 Essential Practices can be applied to any situation that is challenging...




 

Assume that you have an important but complicated task that you want to complete. It aligns with your values and it is something that you know is important (Practice #2 – Know your values), but you feel overwhelmed because of everything that needs to be done. Because of this overwhelm, you notice that you are wasting time watching videos on your phone instead of engaging with the task. Assuming you pause from watching videos and take a moment to observe yourself and the situation you are in (Practice #1), you notice that you are feeling overwhelmed, and are avoiding this important task by distracting yourself with watching videos. Continuing to observe yourself, you notice that the feeling of overwhelm is caused because there is so much to do, there are many smaller subtasks, and it is hard to know what order to approach these subtasks. All of this confusion is making you feel tired and spacey, and you also notice these thoughts, “This is stupid.” “Why do I have to do this?” “I'll get started in a little bit.”

 

In this example, it is clear that your actions are not aligned with you values (Practice #3 - Do the important stuff), and so something needs to shift in order for things to move back into alignment. You know that it would help to shift your physical body, so you put down your phone, get off of the sofa, walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water to drink, and then go outside for a few minutes to connect with the day. Outside, you feel the sun on your skin, you see and smell the flowers, and you hear the birds singing and squirrels running through the trees. You also take a few slow, deep, slow breaths, and afterwards notice that you are starting to feel calmer and a bit more awake and focused (Practice #4 – calming yourself by connecting with your body, your breath and your senses).

 

After a few minutes outside, your attention returns to this complicated task that needs to be completed, and you acknowledge that the reason you feel so overwhelmed is because you are not sure where to start and what order to do things. You know that if you made a list of everything that needs to be done, and then put the tasks in order of priority, that you could move through the list one step at a time and that would feel more doable (practice #5 – use your mind in helpful ways). You also notice that the idea of creating this list is making you feel a bit overwhelmed again, so you take a few more breaths and decided to listen to some calming music (practice #4) and then you focus on the first step to creating a list by going and getting a pencil and some paper. Using practice #5, we engage the mind to write down all of the tasks that need to be done, and then we put the tasks in order by numbering them. Some people might want or need to reach out to a friend or family member to help them think through the challenge and come up with a plan. You don’t have to do everything alone, but do need to know when to ask for help. In whatever way you move through this process, you now have a plan!

 

Practice #5 also invites us to now start working on the first task on the plan, and focus on that task rather on the potentially overwhelming list of all that needs to be done. We continue to take relaxing breaths while we listen to our music and move through the list one item at a time. Just having a plan and getting started help us to feel more energized and positive.

 

You can see from this example that we will often move back and forth between the practices. Observing ourselves, calming ourselves, working with the mind in helpful ways, and then reconnecting with the body and the task we are engaged with. This movement back and forth between the body and the mind combined with the self-awareness of the observer allows us to more masterfully move through our life.

 

And if this example seems overly simple and easy because you have a natural talent for planning and organization, then imagine a similar situation that might be less easy/comfortable for you. Asking a stranger for help? Doing something that requires a lot of physical effort? Having to be honest and ask for your needs to be met? The 5 Essential Practices can be applied to any situation, and will allow you to move through that situation with greater ease and effectiveness.

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