Observe
Take the helicopter view! Pull back. What’s the bigger picture?
Do you ever find your thoughts drift in the wrong direction? You are out taking a morning stroll, you want to be out enjoying the sunshine. But, your thoughts keep taking you off course. You keep thinking about whether you turned off the oven, whether the fast-approaching clouds will break into a sudden downpour of rain and ruin your hair and clothes (and you didn’t even think to get an umbrella!). Maybe you worry about the business trip that you have to take next week.
What if you could notice when your thoughts are drifting off course? What if you could gently guide your thoughts back to the present?
Focus on an object for 5 minutes.
Do this exercise three times a week.
Step One: Find a Comfortable Space
Find a comfortable and quiet place where you wouldn’t be interrupted. Breathe several times slowly, breathe in and exhale so that the muscles in your body release their tension and you feel relaxed. Get comfortable.
Step Two: Pick an Object and Focus Your Attention
Pick a small every-day object. It can be anything – a book, an apple, a notebook, a coffee mug, or a toy. Try to pick an object that would be emotionally neutral to you and that doesn’t hold a significant emotional meaning for you. For example, don’t pick an object that strongly reminds you of a situation that made you feel angry or sad.
Start to observe the object with all of your senses. Spend about 5 minutes on this. Start by looking at it. How does it look? Does it look smooth, does it have edges or is it round? Is it very small or medium-sized? What colour is it? Is it shiny or dull? Pick it up with your hands and feel the weight of it. Is it light or heavy? How does the texture feel on your fingertips? Does the object make any sound or is it silent? Does it perhaps have any certain smell to it?
Don’t worry if your mind starts wandering around, this is normal. Perhaps you will start thinking about something that happened during the day or some plan that you have for later in the day. When you notice this, without judgment gently turn your attention back to experiencing the object.
Step 3: Notice and Accept Any Experience That Arises Inside You
While you are doing the exercise you may have different reactions to it. Maybe you will realize that you are tired and you will start noticing that your body needs rest. That is okay, just accept that physical sensation and without judging it go back to concentrating on the object until the end of the exercise. Another common reaction is that you might feel like you are bored with the experience. Again, just acknowledge that feeling, non-judgmentally accept it and gently return mentally to the object. Notice any different thought, emotion or physical sensation that you may have and gently shift your focus to the object again.
Step 4: Write Down Your Progress
After you finish doing the exercise, use the worksheet to write down how the experience went for you. This is useful because as you return to the exercise you have a record of your progress. On the first column write the date and in the second – the object that you picked to observe. In the column named Qualities of the Object write the qualities that you described the object with, i.e. the adjectives or descriptions (for e.g. small, smooth, light, makes no sound). In the last column write down any thought, emotion or physical experience that may occurred in you while you were doing the exercise.
Here are some worksheets and activities you can use:
