The Mindful Coping Podcast

Episode 2-Mindfulness-The "Split Screen"

March 12, 2017 Mindful Oklahoma
The Mindful Coping Podcast
Episode 2-Mindfulness-The "Split Screen"
Show Notes

Jeff presents an analogy to help explain what mindfulness actually looks like in the moment as we are dealing with life internally and/or externally. He presents a powerful visual representation of what it looks like when you imagine two screens with different "programming" The first screen shows what is going on inside your mind in response to external and internal stimuli (Screen A), which does not always reflect a true representation of what is going on as it can be distorted by what we are thinking, what we are feeling, how we might be responding unconsciously due to past events, and how we are reacting to what we think is happening. The other screen is like a "closed circuit camera" that just shows exactly what is happening in each moment and reflects what we can actually see when we aren't caught in the trance of our own thinking, our conscious and unconscious emotions, and our reactions to what is taking place.(Screen B) It can be really helpful to utilize this analogy when thinking about the benefits of mindfulness practice as you more deeply appreciate the difference between what you see on Screen A and on Screen B while "in the moment" in real life. By practicing and internalizing this lesson, you can learn to "catch yourself in the act" of focusing on Screen A and then consciously choosing to shift your attention to Screen B while not judging yourself and while being kind and gentle to yourself as we are all human and prone to forgetting which screen it is most healthy for us to focus on.