Challenge: Becoming Conscious

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We have recognized that we have an addiction, or some addictions. What is the source of these addictions? Is it society? Is it our relatives? Is it work? Is it too much entertainment? Is it a lack of something? Is it a lack of discipline? All of this and more are tied to addictions.

Our present environment can play a role in our addictions and we see that they have and continue to, by way triggers.

It is not, however, the environment that leads to addictive substances, it is a lack of awareness, which then implies a lack of being conscious in our daily activities.

An extreme state of a lack of awareness is living compulsively. These compulsions are what are driving us everyday. This challenge will be intended to focus on developing consciousness in our daily lives.

The challenge: daily practice of becoming conscious

You have a few choices (chose one or more) of simple, yet effective, practices to choose from for moving into a state of conscious living:

1. For 5 minutes become conscious of any body part. You can keep doing what you want, but remain conscious of that body part.
2. For 5 minutes become conscious of everything that you are doing. You can do this in a form of narrating to yourself. e.g. I am walking. My arms are moving. I turned my head. I blinked. I blinked again. I looked at someone. I am still walking.
3. For 5 minutes observe a live object (a tree, a blade of grass, some animal, etc.)
4. For 5 minutes observe your breath
5. For 5 minutes, whenever you feel hungry, don't start the process of preparing a meal. Just keep doing what you are doing and become aware of your hunger.
6. When you are eating, observe, completely, the entire process of the act of eating. How does your body react to the food?
7. (More practices may be added)

These practices can be done more than once in a day. You can even increase the amount of time you spend on each practice over time.

These practices are meant to help with the recognition of your compulsive tendencies. They are meant to "level up" your state of being in such a way that you don't necessarily feel like you have to give up anything (this doesn't mean that you can live recklessly). When one becomes conscious they will naturally generate the intelligence to do what is needed everyday.

The guidelines

Everyday, either post what conscious practices you did (you can just write the associated number) or right a reflection, however long, of your conscious practices. You can do any of them any day. It is completely up to you.

The stages

The "stages" are as described in the meme above. The respective descriptions as stated are not by any means exhaustive, nor are they meant to be concrete. They are simply a way for me to express what it is that I feel is different from one arbitrary "boundary" to the next. These stages and descriptions thereof are motivated by some cultures world-wide, my wife's research, and my personal understanding of my own process during this recovery period of my life. Nevertheless, these stages will be the "official" guide of this challenge. All in all, I hope it helps to create an understanding of your own stages of the recovery.

There will be no set time limit to go from one stage to the next. I presume that the duration of each stage will vary significantly for each individual. As you begin in this challenge you will start at stage 1. If you do feel like you are beyond the first stage you can express why you feel like you are in your respective stage. You will decide on your own when you feel like you have moved to the next stage. When you feel that you have, please share a reflection of this.

Final words

In my mind, we are in a perfect position to flower as individuals. Why do I say this? We must develop the necessary skills and inner technologies just to move away from our addictions, just to live. This leaves us in a better place to "deal" with the stressors of life and we will also have to necessary tools to help others whom need it. Which, in turn, helps us maintain that deeper sense of life.

I wish the best for all who have fallen into addictions. I know that we can all get out of this one way or another, and I believe becoming conscious of ourselves is a huge step toward that possibility!

 

It starts out with only at least 5 minutes a day. You can do a daily activity during the times that you are sober.

Also, the times you feel the urge to smoke could be a good time to try and be conscious.

 

Day 1 - Stage 1:

#2: It is "new" to try and see myself take every action. I noticed that I look outside quite often in a span of five minutes. I noticed too, that I licked my lips a couple of times. I wonder how many times I do that all day. I was able to stay conscious of almost all my movements during the 5 minute span. I did check my timer a couple of times. I move around a lot!

I have tried this once once or twice since my wife suggested it to me, which is also in a book that I read. It was a fun little exercise at the time, but the real value is in doing the activity daily and seeing the changes in everyday awareness. Hoping for the best!

 

Day 2 - Stage 1 --> Stage 3:

I definitely feel more confident in my ability and after the last two days in this three day program that I am taking. There are times when I really wanted to eat a lot these past two days but I just didn't. I didn't struggle with it I just waited for a second and I turned out "just fine". I usually go to sleep until after I've eaten something, but not last night. Not good by any standards.

Yesterday, I watched myself munch on some popcorn. It was automatic, essentially. I felt myself getting full but I didn't make myself stop, I started rationalizing why I should keep eating. The reasons weren't even rational! They were just excuses to feed the food addiction. It is a big step to realize this process. There are many more steps to take!

And I hope many more will partake in this journey.

 

Day 2 - Stage 3:

Conscious while eating.

Well, now that we have markedly changed our diet things feel a little different depending on what I am eating. As I ate my snacks, processed, salty ones I feel like it sucked out all the liquid in my mouth. My mouth became very dry. Of course this always happens, but it is more pronounced. What also happens is my body gets shocked in a bad way from the food. From my mouth all the way through my stomach and past the stomach into the intestines, etc. My body was telling me not to eat that stuff. But my brain was like, ummmmm, delicious.

Fast forward to when I was eating some cara cara oranges. It felt alive. My body sprang for the nutrition that lays within the orange. I took a bite of the first piece and it was an explosion in my tastebuds. All my body's organ leaped for joy and I felt a sense of pleasure and completeness. My mouth felt like it expanded and rather than becoming a hostile environment it became a pleasing one. My brain and my body in tune with each other rather than being in opposing positions like when eating something processed, dry, and salty.

Becoming aware of this on a deeper level will help with my compulsions across the board. I will remember this experience. Something similar is bound to happen when the brain finally realizes that any lustful activities are against the body and put my mind and body in an opposing state.

 

Day 3 - Stage 3:

Looking at...my knee:

Well, I just having a seat in the yard, a million things going through my mind. I was monitoring our dogs. They were having a good time. They always love outside time. They wait for this time and they are quite keen on it. They get prepared 30 minutes before it is time to go out. Without the knowledge of how to read a clock they still know when it is time! Amazing!

Anyway, I thought that I might to a "conscious" activity. That to observe something. Lo and behold, my knee what there shining in the sunlight, right in my face. I was sitting low. So I drowned out everything around me and I focused. Patterns on my knee start popping up. Then more patterns as other dissipate. The patterns were similar to a certain tree bark that I can't properly remember. Is it because both the tree and humans utilize water in their systems? Is it because we are both organic? We are both life? Perhaps.

My knee is also multi-colored. Yellow, pale, white, red, brown. Many shades of colors. A bunch of splotches. My leg hairs also popped up. The follicles went deep into the skin, that is hair that is external is also internal. The root is further within the skin. It was...interesting. In these moments I couldn't feel the knee, though. This is interesting to me. I mean I could feel my knee in the sensations of my hand but I couldn't feel the body from within. It was all very interesting. But, as I did this little exercise all the chattering in my head went away!

Until next time...be well.