A Mindful Listening Exercise For People With A Lot On Their Minds Who Could Use A Mental Break
Mindfulness teachers don’t recommend trying to stop thinking.
However, many people report being unable to practice mindfulness because they’re unable to quiet their minds.
I partly blame the overemphasis on breath awareness exercises. They can unintentionally imply that thinking is the opposite of being mindful.
Mindfulness doesn’t get rid of thoughts. It improves your ability to respond to them more effectively.
Here’s an exercise that uses external sounds and verbal thoughts to help you avoid this common pitfall.
Try it for a minute or two — or longer.
Listen to sounds around you
Find a sound in your environment. Listen to it closely for a handful of seconds.
Listen to the same sound again or find another one to briefly observe.
Using a leisurely pace, listen to one sound after another.
You’ll be aware of what’s generating the sound and whether you like it or not, but try to keep the emphasis on your perception of the sound itself for a few seconds.
If there are no sounds, notice what it’s like to hear the silence.
Listen to sounds in your mind
When your attention inevitably shifts to your mental chatter, instead of trying to make it stop, try to listen to it as another sound.
Even though you’ll be aware of what you’re thinking about, try to tune into the musicality of the thoughts instead.
As you listen to external sounds, you might hear your mind quieting down now and then.
As you listen to the sound of your thoughts, you might notice some of them sputtering out.
Enjoy the break from making sense of yourself and the world.
