GH - Impulsive Mindfulness

Are you impulsive? On one hand this means you may take risks that pay off, on the other hand impulsive behaviour can lead us to remorse or regret. . . this episode explores what lies beneath the yearning to constantly seek changes in an effort to create a deeper sense of contentment.  If you like these podcasts, please consider rating them on your download site. This would help me reach more people with my sessions of 'micro-therapy'. If you think you could benefit from your own personal 'guided harmony', find me through my website: guidedharmonies.com.

Transcript

Impulsive Mindfulness

Welcome to Guided Harmonies, a podcast where I put words to my therapeutic music. My name is Margaret Dahlberg and today’s episode, Impulsive Mindfulness felt an important counter to last week’s Stagnancy & motion. For some although some of us may fail to act to create change, others may be stuck in a cycle of constantly trying to make things better and yet feeling like they don’t get anywhere. How does this work? The frequencies in this music will connect with your body and it’s vibrations.  The words simply guide you to connect with the musical journey. By the way, if you benefit from this podcast, please consider rating or reviewing it on your hosting site. If there are others who could use these sessions of micro-therapy, I’d love to reach as many people as I can.

Let’s get started. Sit back and close your eyes. Lie down if you can. Then just let the Guided harmonies do their thing.

As the music surrounds you, check in with your body. Notice the parts of you that are heavy against that which is supporting you. See if you can Move your awareness from your feet, through your calves and thighs, up to your pelvis and glutes. Where do you feel that heaviness? Now Notice your lower back and rib cage. How heavily do they rest? What about Your shoulder blades and your upper back? Or the base of your neck and the back of your skull? Feel that support coming up from the centre of the earth straight into your body.

Now check in with your breathing. Do not change anything, just explore your body’s process. How far Do your ribs expand and contract as you breathe? Is it smooth or laboured? Just notice. How far down toward your pelvis are your inhales? How easily do your exhales move out of you? Does your chest fill with air toward your shoulders as you breathe? 

Notice how the music presents bright chords in the piano. Can you feel your body’s vibration increase as these chords ring? You may find it challenging to feel a consistent and smooth breathing pattern with these chords. They may even create an impulsiveness physical sensation. Just be curious about it.What do you need to feel whole? Love? Comfort? Support? Acceptance? Respect? Take a moment to consider.

Have you ever thought of an idea so intensely that you have felt a physical sense of urgency to act without thinking any further? It could be something small, such as speaking an opinion by interrupting the middle of a conversation. It could be a compulsive sense of decisiveness while shopping. It may be a larger action, such as booking travel plans. Or it could be a life-changing decision such as changing the status of a relationship, or moving to a new home. 

Consequently, Have you ever felt remorse or regret, having acted upon these moments without thinking? Sometimes we are on point responding to our impulses, and sometimes we are not.

Check in with your breathing again. Do your breaths feel any differently after having considered your impulsive moments? Do you notice any holding? Have your breaths become stunted or shallow? Just notice.

Gently invite your breaths to become a smooth as possible. Do not force anything. See if you can feel the air enter your body and move with ease down to your lungs and outwards toward your extremities. 

Perhaps there have been moments when your impulsive behavior has created challenge in your life. Consider that you may have experienced growth thanks to those challenges. Even the small gestures, such as interrupting a conversation, lead all involved to something different. 

Think back to the question of where you need to feel more wholeness within you?

What if your impulsiveness is simply a physical message that you have an emotional need that is not being met? What if the action you choose is simply a misinterpretation of the urgency you are feeling? For example, if you impulsively interrupt a conversation, perhaps you are not feeling seen or heard? Or if you buy an unnecessary pair of shoes, maybe you are feeling insecure about your appearance? Do those travel or moving plans come from a feeling of dissatisfaction or disconnect in your life? 

What if you could learn to sit with the sense of impulsion before you act, taking time to interpret what lies underneath your narrative? When you explore and notice your breathing and the physical sensations that come with feeling impulsive, you may also learn that it is an invitation to discover what you truly need? It could be love, comfort, support, acceptance, respect?

Check in with your body for the answer may be there. There may be a slight shift of physical sensation so you can feel the answer when you hear these words again: love, comfort, support, acceptance, respect. . . 

What if not feeling entirely whole is normal? We are all learning how to become better at loving ourselves and giving ourselves what we need. Self-love is about accepting all that we are and understanding that we may never feel entirely whole. And this is ok. It is about our quest to continue to fill in the gaps of the missing wholeness of our existence. 

And you are doing this right now as you allow the music, the words and the earth to support you.

Take as much time as you need to come back into consciousness. Or you may choose sink deeper into your state of relaxation. 

Thank you for joining me today.