Accepting Fear 12/11/19

10% Happier Self Care Journey - Day 7 Notes

° "I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I've  never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do."

° Many times having courage is more attainable than being fearless. -Aaron Hill

° Acknowledging and accepting the feeling of fear is the first key to  investigating the feeling which is the first key to alleviating and  breaking up the grip of fear.

° Fear is an evolutionary survival tool. The point is to manage it so that you don't experience it when you doesn't serve you.

circumscribe - 12/11/19 A Word A Day

verb (used with object), cir·cum·scribed, cir·cum·scrib·ing.

to enclose within bounds; limit or confine, especially narrowly: Her social activities are circumscribed by school regulations.

to mark off; define; delimit: to circumscribe the area of a science.

Geometry.

Cessation - A Word A Day 12/10/19

noun: cessation; plural noun: cessations

the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.

Lust Cracks The Brain 12/10/19

10% Happier Self Care Journey - Day 6 Notes

° Introducing a bit of humor about your thoughts is a tremendously valuable tool in practicing mindfulness.

° There's absolutely NOTHING inerrantly wrong with lust or any other  desire. The goal is to pay attention to which desires serve us and which  entangle us. Balance is key.

° Lust is the foundational reason that you can read this statement. 😂

° As far as sex goes…..Lust is actually the first stage of falling in  love. It is driven by desire, the sex hormones play an important role in  this stage which makes sense because if there is no desire, then how  can there eventually be love. Lust is the fire, love is the fuel and  without one the other doesn't last for too long.

Letting Thoughts Go 12/9/19

10% Happier Self Care Journey — Day 5 Notes

° Remember that the “thought” of a thing, scenario or circumstance is not the thing itself. Sometimes we aren’t aware that we are getting deeply emotionally sucked into the “movies” of our minds. Some are fine some are causing us unnecessary stress, anxiety or depression.

° Use mindfulness to sort through these thoughts to see if they are helpful to us or useless, unhealthy or harmful.

° If you get caught up in an unhealthy “movie” in your mind take a few minutes to breath deeply, focus on your breath and tell yourself “It’s ok to feel this”, “It’s just a mind state”, “These feelings are only temporary”, “I can freely let this go”.

° Meditation becomes increasingly accessible as we learn to let thoughts come and go.

Pranayama (prana = energy + yama = control) is a type of meditation technique that  involves various ways of controlling the breathing, with the goal being  to withdraw ones senses from the outside world. This helps one to raise  one’s prana (or Kundalini energy in this case) up the deep spine to the  spiritual eye or sixth chakra, which brings one to enlightenment. Kriya  Yoga is one such technique, made well known by Paramhamsa Yogananda in Autobiography of a Yogi.  (1)

compersion (uncountable)

1. The feeling of joy one has experiencing another's joy, such as in witnessing a toddler's joy and feeling joy in response. 2. The feeling of joy associated with seeing a loved one love another; contrasted with jealousy.

"It's Ok To Feel This" 12/7/19

10% Happier Self Care Journey - Day 4 Notes

° Recognition isn't mindfulness. We can recognize something and still be averse to it.

° Mindfulness: a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on  the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's  feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic  technique.

° Saying "It's ok to feel this" allows us to balance  the recognition with a genuine acceptance of what we're feeling or what  is there.

° When meditating and using the words "In/Out" while  breathing use mouth shapes that naturally mimic these words like in  Pranayamic breathing exercises.

"It's Just A Mind State"

10% Happier Self Care Journey - Day 3 Notes

° Fear is a changing mind state that will go just as easily as it comes  if you let it. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. - Aaron Hill

° To become mindful take suffering or tension as "feedback" rather than a problem.

° Struggling with something is an indicator of not accepting. When you accept, the feeling of struggle dissipates. - Aaron Hill

° When dealing with undesirable narratives and loops remind yourself "It's Just A Mind State".

° When meditating use the phrase "In out" while breathing to help to keep your mind focused on your breath.