On Purpose:

Much of life, you might find yourself acting in ways that are habitual. You take a shower in the same way, you drive to work on the same route, and you might even react to a friend or romantic partner, or a person at work in the same way without giving it much thought. You have "buttons" that can be pushed because of this tendency to react rather than to consciously choose. As you learn to be more mindful, you learn to be able to choose where you direct your attention on purpose.

In the Present Moment:

When you take an action, you do so in the present moment. You cannot act on what has already happened and you are not yet able to act on the future. All action occurs in the moment. Yet you might often find yourself thinking more about the past or the future than you do about the present. Mindful awareness involves being more fully aware of what is happening right now so that you can make decisions that will be appropriate to the present moment.

Without Judgment:

There is a time and a place of making judgments. But when you are trying to be aware, it is helpful to let go of judgments and labels because they interfere with your ability to be fully aware. When you think you know what something is, you find it more difficult to be curious and to see what it really is. In addition, if you judge it to be "bad" you try to remove yourself from it, while making a judgment that it is "good" causes you to want to hold on to it. Mindfulness teaches you to have the experience first, then bring your best judgment to your choice of actions rather than to the experience itself.

Mindfulness is one of the skills taught in our twelve week Healthy Thinking Initiative Program. You can also participate in an eight week Mindfulness for Emotional Wellness Program. Contact us for details at healthythinking@preventingdepression.com or call at (262) 544-6486.