I’ve read that

Thoughts become Things

but I think

Thoughts

can also become

Behaviors

that become

Things

becoming

Thoughts

and so on and so on..

♥

In those

split seconds

between

an experience and our thoughts

we can

STOPP*

and choose to redirect our thoughts down a much

healthier path.

♥

S = Stop for a moment before responding or reacting

T = Take a Breath

Notice your breathing as you breathe in and out.

O = Observe

What thoughts are going through your mind?
Where is your focus of attention?
What are you reacting to?
What sensations do you notice in your body?

P = Put it in Perspective

What is the bigger picture?
What is another way of looking at this situation?
What advice would I give a friend?
What would a trusted friend say to me right now?
Is this thought a Fact or an Opinion?
Is this true?
What is a more reasonable explanation?
How important is this, now and in 6 months?
It will pass.

P = Practice what Works Proceed

What is the best thing to do right now?
What is best for me? For others? For the situation?
What can I do that fits with my values?
Do what will be effective and appropriate.

♥

I’ve written here about our thoughts and how they sometimes need to be

challenged

because often our thoughts often come from a place of hurt or fear,

often from events long ago that aren’t even connected with the present,

yet they colour our world view.

♥

Just as

Vermeer’s

Under Painting or Dead Layer

would tonally

influence his finished piece of art

so our

previous life experiences

can

tint

the present.

♥

Once you’ve revealed the undertones in your self-portrait,

your can go on to deliberately

experience

life

in such a way that you paint a whole new

Under Layer

one that is

luminous

iridescent

chroma filled

and

all saturated with

hue aglow

♥

Practicing mindfulness has become my

new paint brush

..while

hiking in Bragg Creek

last weekend

we could feel the heady spring breeze brush our skin

note butterflies floating aloft,

hear wood peckers and trees creaking,
observed squirrels tumbling

through

light dancing dappled limbs

whilst

our feet stepped over heart-shaped

rocks

and quiet conversation accompanied

♥

a camera can seek the focal point

as it

hones in on beauty

that is

awash in thick pigment

painted over the

earth

and

our lives

♥

 

Love,

Smidge

*If you’d like to work through the entire STOPP program, a cognitive behavioral therapy program, it can be found here. Of course every one of us may need professional help and this program is offered as a mere guide for coping with every day life and stress.