Dr. Nicole LePera

I become aware of what my stress signals are.

I make a new choice.

I create safety where there isn't.

I become aware of my critical voice or the beliefs in my mind, right?

The new choice I can make.

I can't shut those off.

But what I can do, back to your meditation practice, right?

It's not changing anything per se.

It's kind of flexing that attentional muscle, noticing changes.

When you're down the rabbit hole of criticism or where you're coloring your current experiences with past beliefs, reminding yourself of how unworthy you are in this moment.

And this person's lack of text response is an example of how unworthy.

That's all going to happen in our mind because that's what we've learned and practiced.

What we can do once we become aware of how much our mind is coloring our current reactions is we can refocus our attention away from that mind.

Again, back to our breath.

Back to our body and time and space, back to the movement of the tasks that we're engaging in.

So I think those are kind of really foundational, helpful habits.

And of course, whatever else we're noticing and seeing with awareness, we can then individualize our journey, right?

Create the opportunity for change, move toward connection.

Tell ourself and our body, create safety in our body if connection wasn't always available so it feels unfamiliar.

Separate from connection if maybe we came from too enmeshed of a household and we make everyone else's problems our own problems, right?