Dialing M For Mindfulness

Looking for mindfulness? Who ya gonna call?

Try dialing M.

It's easy to be mindful. It's just hard to remember to be mindful. That's why it's so important to pick our triggers.

Here's a great trigger for mindfulness--the letter M. It's soothing to say: "Mmmmmmm." Add an H and you're thinking: "Hmmmmm." Add an O and you're chanting: "Ommmmmmm." It's hard to go wrong with M.

Okay, but in the course of your day, with all the M-words you hear, say and see, how can you possibly remember to be mindful each time? You can't. That's why you need to choose ONE M for your mindfulness trigger, and here's the perfect one: the McDonald's Golden Arches.

No, really. Think about it. You've already got your own ideas about McDonald's. Maybe you love McDonald's food. Maybe you appreciate the convenience of a drive-thru breakfast when you're on the road. Maybe you hate its corporate identity. Maybe you've seen "Super-Size Me" and all you can think about is poor Morgan Spurlock getting hypertension in his month-of-McDonald's-food experiment. Maybe you feel guilty that you like McDonald's food. Maybe you feel upset that you feel guilty. Whether you love to hate McDonald's or hate to love it, those golden arches are a complex trigger. It's time for a little piggybacking--intentionally superimposing a new concept on an already loaded one.

Here's how it works: The first time each day that you see the McDonald's Golden Arches--the sign itself, the logo on a paper bag, an image on a television commercial--simply say, "I am mindful." That's it.

No need to spin your stories. You don't have to get involved in any mental arguments. There's no reason to get caught up in any emotion. Just use it as a trigger to be mindful.

By saying this phrase--"I am mindful"--you are actually starting a complex process in your brain. You are creating a powerful link to a visual image, and taking control of what it does for you. You are building a self-fulfilling prophecy--if you notice the golden arches, then you are indeed mindful. Since being mindful is not something you normally associate with McDonald's, it serves as a sort of balancing mechanism. Because the only emotion associated with mindfulness is a calm sense of paying attention, you can strip McDonald's of its "good" and "bad" properties and just note it without judgment.

This is what mindfulness is all about. By picking a trigger that is ubiquitous, you are automatically giving yourself plenty of opportunities to include this brief mindful moment in your day.

You will find that you will begin to be mindful every time you see the Golden Arches. That might expand to other images of your choice--the Coca-Cola logo, the Disney logo, Starbucks, whatever. Choose something you can't avoid, and take advantage of it.

Take comfort in taking control of your mind.

Mmmmmm. I'm lovin' it.

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse offering specialized mindfulness training in Portland, Oregon. She teaches eyes-wide-open ways to get calm, clear and creative. To subscribe to her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com

detailed home cleaning Park Ridge ..
In The News:

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.
Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.
Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.
Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.
Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.
Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.
iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.
Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.
FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.
Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.
Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.
Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.
Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.
Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.
New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.
FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.
New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.
OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.
Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.
New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.
DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Seven Simple Steps to a Stress-Free Start

Most of us lead busy lives, trying to successfully juggle... Read More

Simple Tips to Help Simplify Your Life! - Make it Great!

Quote of the week"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da... Read More

The Benefits of Eating from a Jar of Honey

June is the month of the honey moon. Custom holds... Read More

Getting Rid of Your Frustrations

Punch a pillowScream into a pillowTurn on your favorite music... Read More

Stress Tips

26 ways to minimize and manage the unhealthy effects of... Read More

Aromatherapy Candles Release Stress

Have you been feeling so stressful and almost losing your... Read More

Turn Your Stress into Success!

Stress is often seen as being unhealthy, but for some... Read More

Quiet Mind; A Powerful Tool That Gives You More Time, Creativity, And Productivity And Takes Just 10

The National Center for health statistics reported that in 1997,... Read More

Empowerment for Highly Sensitive People: Part 1

Are you a person who has a keen imagination, a... Read More

Deep Breathing ? How It Can Simultaneously Improve Health And Bring You Closer To Your Goals

I hope by reading this article you will see the... Read More

Stress Management: Are You a Worrier or a Warrior?

Do you attack problems and solve them or do you... Read More

Stress - A Modern Cause of Disease

Every day we are faced with a situation where our... Read More

Workplace Stress: What to Do During Down Times?

The main problem in a down economy is that workplaces... Read More

10 Ways to Enjoy Your Stress More

1. The Mentor Method: think of your favorite person. Someone... Read More

Extreme Self-care: Make Time for Yourself

If you've recently experienced loss or are going through a... Read More

Stress Management: Are You a Chooser or a Loser?

Author and speaker H. Stephen Glenn has said,"In terms of... Read More

How to Cope With Stress and Strain

Work related tensions, personal issues and abnormal lifestyles are the... Read More

10 Tips To Reduce Stress

1. Determine your "unique ability" and capitalize on itDelegate the... Read More

Control Stress or It Will Control Your Business

When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually... Read More

How Stressed Out Are You? Take This Quiz And See How You Rate On Your Stress Level!

Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of... Read More

Six Questions To Make Your Workplace Stress-Free

Many CEOs see stress as an intractable problem which would... Read More

Manage Stress By Focusing On Solutions And By Having A Laugh

Marshal John Kruger acted by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who else) in... Read More

What The Most Dangerous Job In The World Taught Me About Coping With Stress

I just got through reading some troubling news in the... Read More

Through Stress Comes Kindness

In these times when companies are constantly down-sizing and right-sizing... Read More

Stress & Performance: How Much is Just Right?

WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYSExperts in the stress management field have... Read More

express cleaning service Des Plaines ..