I’m not really a connoisseur of Duct tape, because honestly I have a slight aversion to it. I think I was kidnapped in a past life or something. Anyway, in my house it’s not Duct tape, it’s the five different super-duper glues we have on hand for every occasion.

The variety of glue we use depends on the project of course. Just as in meditation, the type you practice should reflect your goals and/or personal “projects”. (Remember, there are no problems, just projects!)

Sometimes you have a big project though. Glue isn’t going to stick this sh*t together. It can be something that hangs over your head like a grumpy rain cloud. It follows you and affects you in almost all areas of your life. For many people, it seems to be judgment. This isn’t like judging others- in fact, I think we have better restraint and control over judging others than we do ourselves.

In addition we also like to judge our lives- our experiences mostly. Every little experience we have, we judge it. ‘I’m really bored’. ‘I hate traffic’.

Most of our judgements seem harmless yet they significantly impact our wellbeing.

Right now I bet you wish you could slap a strip of that Duct tape on the mouth of those pestering thoughts.

Judgement and Stress 101

What does judgment have to do with stress?

Let me explain what judgement over our own lives is exactly and how it affects us…

Several studies on stress report higher mortality rates for people who experience chronic stress. The message is loud and clear: Stress kills!

However, it was later found that not all people who experience stress have stress-related issues or early deaths. The reason for this was not all people experience stress the same way.

Are they super-human? No. They simply do not judge their experiences, and especially stressful experiences, as much as other people might. Turns out it’s not stress that kills, its your thoughts, or judgement, about stress that kills.

If you’re the judgy type- hey, I’m not judging – then how can you relieve the thoughts you have about the stress you experience?

Meditation is a good start. You practice the art of flow-and-forget. Let your experiences and thoughts flow through your mind (without judgement) and fuhgeddaboudit (in my best New Jersey accent).

Most thoughts POP!!!! in our head. Their sudden arrival makes us think we need to pay attention immediately, but we learn in meditation we don’t have to pay attention to majority of the thoughts we have. We simply observe them. We might even visualize Duct-taping that mind-chatter.

The easiest way to stop judging your experiences, and therefore stress about stress less is…

Step 1: Wake Up

 

There’s only one step…that you repeat over and over again…until it sticks like glue. Ha! See what I did there (perfect glue reference).

When you wake up, your mind is still hazy, which is a good thing. This means your busy brain hasn’t gotten a hold of you yet so make it a habit to not judge that first experience of the day.

“I didn’t sleep well.” JUDGMENT!!!

Stop judging your sleep.

When you start counting the hours you got or didn’t  get, say to yourself, ‘Judging’. This is a simple form of meditation called noting.

Take a deep breath in through your nose…and exhale. Do this two or three times.

Let it make no difference to you whether you are drowsy or satisfied with your sleep.

When you stop judging sleep, work on other areas of your life that may present a hasty judgment from you. If you have a negative experience, say to yourself, ‘I am having an experience.’

Don’t judge it.

Do it over and over.

No glue or Duct tape necessary. You are much stronger!