Truth be told my friend, there was a year in my life where I rode the struggle bus when it came to panic attacks. They got to a point where I couldn’t even walk into a Walmart, sit through a movie, or be in a large crowd without having to reach for a Xanax. If you find yourself living with panic attacks, I promise you it can get better.
Mindfulness techniques were a serious game changer for me. They helped keep me in the here-and-now as opposed to worrying about hypothetical possibilities that were most likely never going to happen. My goal for today is to provide you with some mindfulness 101 and leave you with a technique to try out for yourself.
Technique: Explore a fruit (or an Oreo because Oreos are bomb). If you’re going the healthy route and choosing fruit, I’d suggest using an orange or banana since they are both easy to peel. You can do this with your eyes open or closed; it's entirely up to you. Below are some prompts to help you engage in mindfulness.
Take your time with this and fully engage your senses. If your mind begins to wander, bring it right back to what you're doing. So here we go…
1. What does it feel like?
2. What does it smell like?
3. Now slowly start to peel the orange (or twist apart your Oreo cookie) while continuing to tune in to each sense (hearing, seeing, smelling, touching, and soon to be tasting).
4. Does it make any sounds as you peel (or twist)?
5. You can now choose to mindfully eat the fruit (or delicious Oreo) if you wish. What does it taste like?
It might seem like a silly thing to do at first, but I swear it works. It helps keep you in the present moment and out of the future. Go ahead and add this gem to your best life tool bag, so you can continue mastering this technique.
In the comments below, tell me which you’d most likely choose, the fruit or the Oreo?