Improving Mindfulness by Removing the Junk Food You’re Feeding Your Mind

Dr. Theresa Larson was recently joined by biofeedback therapist Jim Cahill to discuss improving mindfulness and building mental resilience through eliminating the junk we’re feeding our brains. Jim is a Board Certified Biofeedback Therapist with an M.S. in Mind Body Medicine.

Attention is the Hand That Feeds Your Mind

Ensuring that we’re feeding our brains the right “food” while we’re navigating the uncertainty of today’s world is crucial. Our attention is grabbed by a 24/7 news cycle and inundated with bad news that can instill fear and negativity. But we’re addicted to it; it’s like junk food for the mind!

Western medicine typically focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of the brain whereas Eastern medicine has long focused on the internal subjective world of the mind. Jim sits in the middle of those two worlds. Based on his review of brain research and experience as a therapist, he has seen that what we focus on has the ability to completely take over one’s thoughts, for good or for bad.

In order to improve our mindfulness, we must become adept at recognizing that our attention is attracted to the junk food lining the shelves of our day. Training the mind is to observe when our attention shifts and pivot that attention to what fulfills us, calms us, or keeps us on task.

Research shows that people who watch too much news while not engaging in a good self-care routine are being harmed by the constant feed.

Breaking The Negative Cycle

So what can we do to ensure our attention isn’t stuck in a negative cycle?

Grounding practices create relaxation in both the mind and the body. From this state we are better able to experience the stillness required to observe our attention and where it’s pointed. With practice, we can then improve mindfulness enough to guide and hold the attention where we want or need it to be.

For the full grounding practice and how to implement it into your daily life, see the full video interview below!

Work From Home Wellness

What a time to be alive, right? As of the date of this post, most of us have been forced into working from home for several months. Our gyms were closed, they re-opened, and now are on the verge of closing again. We’re encouraged to limit activity outside the walls of our home. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the world and, inevitably, has created additional anxiety, less activity, and overall confusion about what comes next.

The Movement Rx Digital Platform has a variety of tools to help you improve mindfulness, physical health and nutrition, all of which improve your chances against COVID-19. Learn how you can use it to your health advantage here.