Can you change your personality? (BBC Documentary)

I watched this the other week and whilst it didn't give me any new approaches it cemented a few. Importantly though, I think it raises the idea of mind/body connection and whilst it doesn't specifically refer to 'pain' as such, it really opens up the public psyche to the importance of our thoughts and benefits of meditation. A great documentary I thought

 

I really enjoyed this programme -thanks Forest and of course Georgie. Although I know the benefits of meditation, I have never really practised it enough. Funnily enough after reading Stella's post on the upcoming Deepak and Oprah meditations I signed up last night. After watching this, it has reinforced my desire to finally go into it wholeheartedly.

 

Wow, great video. Okay, I get it that we can change our negative ways and will practice noticing positives. I have never really believed this was possible and took solace in the findings that pessimists are "more realistic" about life than optimists. Fine, but it's a difficult way to live. Besides, just because you can predict the future doesn't mean anxiety helps you cope. There's a fine line between too little and too much caution, I think.

 

Forest,
Thank you for sharing this video. Mindfulness practice, including meditating 2x a day, has been shifting my life in a new positive direction. I carry the 3 crucial elements of mindfulness (noticing, accepting, and letting go) with me and apply them to all aspects of life. Mindfulness for the first time in my life has brought me happiness, peace, love and forgiveness. I have been doing this for 2 months and I am seeing changes and more wisdom in my life. I am still healing, but most important I have found the beauty that this world has for us, that I took for granted before. TMS alerted me that I was not happy where I was, that I needed to make some changes in my life. It all starts with happiness!!!!!

 

That was a really interesting video, thanks Forest. I'm keen to have a go at some cognitive bias modification myself now, to see if it helps with anxiety. Stock Trader, I'm trying to do some mindfulness meditation myself, but I'm not very good at it at the moment - can you share some tips on what's helped you?

 

Hey Moose,
Mindfulness practice is helping me heal by applying these three elements: noticing thoughts without judging or reacting to them, accepting them as just thoughts (look at them, listen to them, and learn from them), and letting them go. You can use the same approach for symptoms, emotions, or everyday life aspects such as walking and eating. When you repeat this exercise you are controlling your unconscious mind and diminishing it's power over you. I visualize my self sitting at a beach in Cancun looking at the sky, the blue sky as my mind and the white clouds as my thoughts and emotions flowing side to side.You are in control of your thoughts and emotions instead of them controlling you.

See Dr. Schubiner's Mindfulness blog below for steps. This is the article that started my interest on this subject.
http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Mindfulness_Meditation

Also, be kind to yourself, show self compassion and forgive yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat your own child.

Look at this thread, the way I apply mindfulness for anxiety : http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/panick-attack-do-this.2191/#post-12139

 

I am forever copying down ST's mindfulness elements. The example above is so elegant: "noticing thoughts without judging or reacting to them, accepting them as just thoughts, and letting them go". This is proving more useful to me than many of my favorite self-help books.

 

Hi ST, thanks for the tips, that's really useful