Playing in Possibility
(even when it all seems impossible….)
“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this:
You haven’t”
Thomas Edison
Sometimes when life gets really overwhelming it’s hard to believe there’s a possibility that it could actually be calm and peaceful.
I truly believe there are endless possibilities and that’s why one of my very favourite words is possibility.
What comes to mind when you think about playing in possibility? Does it feel like it could be possible to even consider the idea??
We all need to add more play to our lives. The minute you become more playful, your life will become full of possibilities.
I read this quote the other day and believe it’s true:
“We don’t stop playing because we get old.
We get old because we stop playing.”
It’s when we think we’re getting old, or that life has passed us by, that we stop playing in possibility.
When we’re in the middle of major life challenges and feel tired, stressed, and overwhelmed (sound familiar?), it’s common to develop a negative fixed mindset that doesn’t believe things can change. In fact, as we get older, our brains often tell us that we’re too old to change.
We all know that famous quote: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Nonsense! Old dogs can definitely learn new tricks, and so can people.
It’s time to start playing with possibility.
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Alice in Wonderland
Whenever there are major life challenges and stresses it can be very difficult to convince your brain that life will ever get better. Your focus tends to be narrow and your brain goes straight into survival mode. Any suggestions that there are possible different outcomes or solutions are hard for your brain to get on board with. But it is possible.
I have a mindful meditation and breath practice for you to try whenever you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed with thoughts that there’s nothing you can do to change a situation.
Allow yourself a few minutes to get comfortable and be present with yourself and your experience, just as it is in this moment. Feel your body connected to the chair beneath you and ground yourself in the present moment by noticing your breath and how your body feels. Take 3 long, slow breaths and let’s begin.
Mindful meditation practice: Noticing Negative Thoughts
As you are thinking about your impossible situation, pay attention to the experience and notice how you’re feeling in your body.
Then pay attention to the experience in your mind.
Notice any thoughts as they arise, and try to identify any emotions that go with them.
Pay particular attention to negative thoughts, and note what you’re feeling or thinking. Try to be specific in identifying your feelings, such as sad, unhappy, unpleasant, irritating, painful, or any other word that feels appropriate.
Continue for approximately 3 minutes, noticing any thoughts and their accompanying feelings. Notice how the thoughts and feelings come and go.
Notice each thought and acknowledge it as it passes.
Continue to note what you’re thinking about and how it feels, and as they pass by, using noticing phrases like “coming, going” or “here, gone” if you choose.
After you’ve spent a few minutes noticing thoughts coming and going, return to noticing your body for a few longer, slower breaths.
As you finish the practice, remind yourself that thoughts come and go, and you have a choice in whether or not you believe each one.
You can’t avoid negative thoughts that tell you that something is impossible, especially if you don’t have the habit of thinking in the realm of possibility. You can’t avoid them, and there’s no point in pretending they’re not there. A mindful meditation practice can help you approach your thoughts with curiosity.
An open and curious mind knows how to play in possibility, and that’s where the magic happens.
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
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"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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