What is Mental Noting?
Mental noting allows you to label thoughts and allow you to focus on your breathing.
Let’s take, for example, the situation where you are meditating in silence and suddenly your phone rings. Your ten-minute practice is now seven minutes long. You can say “hearing” to the phone and continue meditating, even if it rings. A mental noting practice is a way to call out an activity during meditation. It allows you to stop worrying about the person calling or dwelling on the intrusive thought. It allows you to refocus your attention back on your meditation by labeling it.
The Mental Noting Technique has many benefits
1. It does not offer any judgment
Meditation practice is not complete without a mental note. It doesn’t allow thoughts to take control of your life. It does not judge and stops the thought from moving on. You can use a mental noting tool to label the thought with “thinking,” feeling,” hearing,” pain, or any other descriptive word to acknowledge that your attention has been diverted. Instead of thinking about whether you should put on a sweater, or grab a blanket, you might just feel the cold shiver. This allows you to be free from judgment and disconnect from your thoughts. It is common for us to judge ourselves when we lose focus during meditation. It’s possible to mentally record what happens and give yourself a chance to recognize it without losing your place in the practice. Distractions can occur during meditation sessions. You can acknowledge distractions during meditation sessions by using mental noting.
2. It stops rumination
Meditation sessions can be disrupted by ruminating thoughts. Relaxed noting can help you prevent this from happening. Your brain, left to its own devices will think of endless things when there is silence. Your brain is active and alive if it’s busy. During guided meditation, it’s normal to have a constant stream of thoughts. Your practice doesn’t aim to connect with them; it’s about focusing on the present moment. Even though it may sound harsh, meditation is important for people who ruminate. Meditation is a good practice to increase your mindfulness and reduce emotional reactions to random thoughts. You can reduce anxiety and calm your mind with mental noting. Meditation is not beneficial if you get lost in thoughts.
3. It allows you stay present
Meditation is often about mindfulness. People who worry about the future are more likely to be persistent worriers, while those who are afflicted by sadness are more likely to remain in the past. Being present and aware is the best way to make the best decisions right now. Meditation has many functions, but the most effective way to manage your emotions is to be present and focus on your breath. You can achieve a higher level of awareness and control over your emotions. Noting allows you to quickly take in what is happening and allow you to concentrate on what is really important: the moment right now. A mindfulness meditation can help you stay present and mindful if you want to live a mindful lifestyle.
4. It recognizes the distraction
Meditation can be easy to get distracted. Mental noting allows you to give the meditation a moment of attention without losing focus. It works in a similar way to when you get an itchy feeling during a quick ten minute meditation. It can completely distract you from your main focus. It makes you wonder: “Should it be scratched?” It is so painful. You should scratch it.” Instead of doing this, mentally note “itch” to help you notice the distraction without getting lost in the rabbit hole. Although you might scratch it occasionally, particularly if it distracts from your breathing, you can label it and it is unlikely that you will feel any strong emotions.
5. It lets you see patterns
A frequently repeated note is a sign that something is being pushed up in your head. Recognize patterns in your meditation practice. Until your practice is completed, however, you shouldn’t be too concerned about them. Overly-identified mental notes may help you see the truth. If you think about your sick loved one and then start crying, this could be a sign that you are overwhelmed with worry, fear, anxiety and worry. You might contact the family member who is ill to discuss your experience. A therapist can help you deal with anxious feelings and help you deal with any outcome, especially if it is terminal. These are things you should do after you have finished practicing. Not during. After your session, you should address any recurring feelings of distraction. No matter how intense your feelings, you still need to focus on your breathing during the session. Instead, just notice what you feel and label it. Then, refocus on your breathing.
