Mindful In May reflections from founder Elise Bialylew
Every year, I invite people to participate in Mindful In May reflections, so I thought it would be good to do the same.
I sit here, in the midst of the Mindful in May campaign and feel a deep sense of energy, purpose and appreciation. It brings to mind a quote….
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
~Winston Churchill
Reading MIMster reflections has been deeply touching and has given me a sense of being really connected to others who are taking this challenge.
To know that people are finding more clarity, self-compassion, calmness, and connectedness to themselves and others through being part of MIM is deeply satisfying.
One thing meditation has taught me is that although we all have our unique stories, at our core we are very similar. This has given me so much more compassion for myself and others as I remind myself how we are all just trying to do the best we can.
Our connection to one another depends on our ability to accept our own imperfections and be open to our vulnerability, realising that we are all in this together and we are not as dissimilar as we think. We can all at times feel less than adequate, comparing ourselves to others who appear happier, more successful, more beautiful, more confident…more blah, blah, blah.
As we practice meditation we begin to see the tendencies of the mind, the never-ending judgements, and criticism that we have towards ourselves and inevitably project onto those around us. Meditation slowly helps us see through a new lens. It de-fogs our minds and brings into focus internal chatter and stories. With this focus, we can recognise these unproductive thought patterns for what they are. As we start to observe these looping beliefs, thoughts and narratives circling over and over in our minds, we can develop a different relationship with them, whereby we are no longer held captive by their convincing quality.
We realise that we actually have a choice in how we relate to our thinking, we get can get caught up and lost in it or we can acknowledge it and then let it go. When we are caught up in a storm of unhelpful thinking or difficult emotions, meditation practice reminds us that rather than turning away from our experience we can “put out the welcome mat” to experience and bring gentleness, kindness and self-compassion to whatever the moment brings.
“True belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”
~Brene Brown
Want to join us in some Mindful In May reflections? Click here to find out more and join us!
"If we wish to be healthy, happy and clear-minded, we need to upgrade our “inner technology”of attention to meet the demands of our increasingly complex world. That's where mindfulness comes in.."
- DR ELISE BIALYLEW
about the HOST AND FOUNDER OF
MINDFUL IN MAY:
DR ELISE BIALYLEW
Elise Bialylew is the author of the bestselling book, The Happiness Plan, and founder of Mindful in May, the world’s largest online global mindfulness fundraising campaign.
A doctor trained in psychiatry, turned social entrepreneur and mindfulness expert, she’s passionate about supporting individuals and organisations to develop inner tools for greater wellbeing and flourishing, and offers workshops and training at The Mind Life Project.
Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, New York Times and on Australian Television. She was recently recognised by the Australian Financial Review as a 2019 AFR Women of Influence.
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