The 1 Second Technique to Claim Your Life Back

We have given too much ownership of ourselves to others and This HAS TO STOP!

Photo of My Hand

I don't know if You notice but You are not You anymore.

You are either someone’s husband, brother, son, or father.

You are another business associate.

You are another’s Boss with all the pressures that come with it.

And they all have You on speed dial and since Internet Messaging is free, it is virtually a 24-hour invasion of what used to be Your life.

Who or What Are You? Do You Even Know?

You are owned by everyone else and have no control over Your time, Your desires, and most importantly and pertinently, Your Attention.

You are spread so thin, all over the place, that bringing yourself back to You, is nowadays a mentally monumental challenge.

And yet it is the only way to really exist, live and be useful to others. The best version of You must contain the best parts of You, not the bits and pieces that are manipulated by the time demands, whims and fancies of other people’s needs.

Meditation? Really!? Give Me Something Simpler & Quicker!

Don’t worry, I got You.

Use Your Sense of Touch

Meditation is usually the best method suggested for changing our state of mind in order to bring us back to the present moment and back within ourselves. However, sitting down and following one’s breath is a greater challenge than one might think.

Since we are touchy-feely creatures, there is a simpler method to bring our attention back to ourselves. That is, after all, the whole point of practicing meditation i.e. to bring yourself back to the present moment.

Here is what I suggest.

Instead of following Your breath, use Your sense of touch to achieve the same outcome.

Do this by bringing Your thumb and forefinger together and for an allotted time, whatever you are comfortable with, rub these two fingers together. As You notice your attention drift, do it more.

This will help You to know that you exist physically and that You are physically at Your present location, and not somewhere in Your thoughts.

If you can touch and feel, it means You can control.

You will feel empowered, attentive, and present to Your surroundings and You will start to come back into Yourself. It will create a physical space for Yourself, a space that is safe, present, in physical truth, and most crucially, a space that is Yours.

No matter who takes what from You, this is Yours. Even if life deals you a blow in all the areas in which your fears tell You it will, this space is still Yours and no one, thing or situation can take this from You.

You will finally own something of Yourself. With this, You can claim anything else you want, by Yourself, for Yourself.

My Experience

When I started this, which is admittedly for a short duration of time, I immediately was struck with a feeling of distinction i.e., that I am different and separate from my circumstances. I think that most of us are so conflated, that we identify too closely with all the circumstances of our lives and therefore find it difficult to affect any change.

I felt here and now, I felt separated from worries. That is not to say that I overcame my worries, but I was able to step aside and look at them from the outside, so to speak, even if it was for a brief moment.

I identified a little of what were the causes of my tensions and fears but of course, I feel I need to practice this for a longer period of time and also more consistently, in order to really effect the changes that I seek.

However, I am confident I am on the correct path.

There are of course myriad techniques for Mindfulness, one more advanced than another, but this feels like a good start.

How to Start

1. Catch Yourself in the Act — I would suggest just being aware of any moment your mind starts to drift somewhere unpleasant and take that as the trigger, and immediately catch yourself in the act by putting your thumb and forefinger together.
2. Avoid Grabbing Your Phone — Whenever you feel the temptation to mindlessly grab your phone, for no reason, stop and put your thumb and forefinger together and bring yourself back.
3. Consistency — Crete a daily and consistent routine to practice this, just for a few minutes. At the start of the day perhaps, before you have even met anyone or replied to any messages, or even looked at your smartphone.

Try it and see. I would love to hear your experiences and comments!