Mindfulness and turning off "auto-pilot"

The ability to run on autopilot is an amazing thing. Without it, imagine needing to think about breathing, blinking, putting our foot on the pedal while driving and almost everything else we do on a daily basis?

It would be a difficult way to live life to say the least. Thankfully, our brains do an awesome job of taking care of business for us without too much consideration.

However, this ability to run on auto-pilot can also have its consequences. For example, if we’re not paying attention we might behave in ways that are not in our best interest. That can look like anger, anxiety, depression or continuing bad habits we’d rather be avoiding.

Enter: Mindfulness.

Being mindful is the act of turning off auto-pilot and staying in the present. Learning to be in any particular moment is difficult but like anything becomes easier and more comfortable the more we practice.

Imagine you’re at a baseball game, sitting in the stands when a fly ball comes towards a loved one you are sitting with, instinct or autopilot might have you diving out of the way rather than in front of your loved one. Let’s say forbid, you do dive out of the way, not because you care more about yourself then your loved one but because it was a reflex. For one you might make it on to Sport Center. For another, you can bet anything you wouldn’t let it happen again!

But what would change? In all likelihood, the next baseball game you go to - you’ll be more mindful. You’ll think at every crack of the bat, considering where the ball might be going and if you’ll need to protect your loved one.

Similarly in life, if we continue to stay tuned into what matters and shut off the auto-pilot every once in a while, we can do a better job of managing our emotions and behaviors.

If mindfulness interventions are something you want to learn more about, Philadelphia therapist Noam Dinovitz can help. He can be reached at Noam@dinovitzcounseling.com or 484 424 7722