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Popular Articles

Crazy-Makers: Dealing with Passive-Aggressive People

Why Are People Mean? Don't Take It Personally!

When You Have Been Betrayed

Struggling to Forgive: An Inability to Grieve

Happy Habits: 50 Suggestions

The Secret of Happiness: Let It Find You (But Make the Effort)

Excellence vs. Perfection

Depression is Not Sadness

20 Steps to Better Self-Esteem

7 Rules and 8 Methods for Responding to Passive-aggressive People

What to Do When Your Jealousy Threatens to Destroy Your Marriage

Happiness is An Attitude

Guide to How to Set Achieveable Goals

Catastrophe? Or Inconvenience?

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Lies You Were Told

Choosing Happiness

Audio Version of Article: Crazy-Makers: Passive-Aggressive People

Audio Version of Article: Why Are People Mean? Don't Take It Personally!

Audio Version of Article: Happiness Is An Attitude

All Audio Articles

Daily Mindfulness Practice: Free Audio Download

by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.

The following is part of a series of audios to teach how to practice mindfulness. Developing your ability to focus on the present moment can reduce distress and improve well-being.

An Itch
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Index for Mindfulness Audios

Additional reading:

Some tips for using these audios:

  • Start with the Understanding Mindfulness audios to learn about mindfulness.
  • These short practice exercises are to help train your brain to be more mindful when engaged in daily activities.
  • The audio format is just for convenience to help learn the material. You can also read the transcript. When you practice, however, you should engage in the behavior mindfully without listening to the audio.
  • The best way to train your brain to be more mindful is to practice in short sessions throughout the day while engaged in your normal activities.
  • The descriptions are an artificial way to help you get started. Eventually, the practice of mindfulness is being aware of what is described without using an inner verbal description.
  • Mindfulness is not the same as relaxation. It is about learning to be aware of your present moment even if the moment is not particularly pleasant or comfortable. The more you are able to learn to tolerate discomfort, the less discomfort influences your moods and behavior.
  • This particular exercise is a beginning exercise to help learn to tolerate minor discomfort. For this exercise, try using this method when you have the minor discomfort of an itch.

Next Exercise

Transcript of Audio: An Itch

When you have an itch that occurs, instead of scratching it right away, just “be” with the sensation. What does your body feel like when you have an itch? Where do you notice the strongest sensation? Are you able to focus away from the itch onto other parts of your body? How does the sensation decrease as you focus on parts of your body further away from the itch? Is it a sudden change or a gradual change? Does the itch become a part of the background or does it remain just as intense? Try doing this repeatedly with different parts of your body. Does the sensation of the itch vary with the different parts of the body that you focus on? Or is it always the same? Now, as you let yourself just “be” with the itch, does the level of discomfort change? Does the sensation change in any way? If you decide to scratch the itch, what sensations to you feel? Does the itch go away or does it just change?

Mindfulness and Relaxation Methods
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