Week Four

In the fourth week of this program you will focus on how the events in the hours ahead of your mindfulness session—as well as the decisions you make in those hours—affect how you feel during the practice. You will explore how different times in the day, different moods, and different body states affect how you feel and think. Below are some tips for starting on this.

Try to practice at different times in the day, in different environments, and while in different moods

If you observe the state of your mind and body in different situations, it will be easier to pin down how certain events and decisions affect your well-being. It doesn’t need to be anything drastic. Perhaps just try to practice while lying down, play some relaxing music in the background, or meditate in the morning instead of the afternoon. As you expand you mindfulness practice in different situations, note how the time, environment, and mood you practice in affects your comfort, thought patterns, and bodily sensations during it. Remember to keep your mind in the present moment as you explore different practice situations.

Try to improve the states of your mind and body ahead of your practice

As I have explained before, the mindfulness mediation practice doesn’t begin when you sit down and start to breathe. Rather, it begins in the hours leading up to the session. If you can get a good night of sleep, eat nutritious meals, get some exercise, or complete any other task ahead of time which improves the condition of your body, it will likely be much more peaceful. For this week of practice, try to spend time ahead of your practices taking care of yourself, and note any differences in how you feel.

Practice before you are mentally exhausted—not after

One way to make your practices more peaceful and productive is to start before you are mentally exhausted. Below is a “Cognitive Pacing Scale” which explains different levels of mental fatigue on a scale from 1 to 5, as well as ways to deal with the different levels of weariness. I would recommend taking a meditative break when you are at 2 or 3 on the scale. Ideally you take it at 2—but if that is not practical—3 is fine as well.

The first problem with waiting until 4 or 5 on the scale is that the mental fatigue will make your practice much less peaceful. Your mind will likely wander much more and be harder to refocus. The second problem with delaying until 4 or 5 is that it will take much longer to get back to 1. The earlier on this scale you can take a break, the more refreshed you will feel afterwards.