An exercise to take you from "UH-OH..." to "OH"

Psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Jud Brewer, MD, PhD, leads us in a mindfulness exercise to break bad habits by exploring curiosity.

Transcript

00:00

I think of curiosity as a superpower. That curiosity can help us start to step out

00:07

of these old habitual patterns in a simple way. So let's walk into curiosity together.

00:16

Our research has found that for breaking free of any habit, awareness needs a friend. And that friend is this attitude of curiosity.

00:26

Curiosity is really about identifying when we're stuck in an old habit. And that tends to come with this inner voice of, "Oh, no.

00:35

Oh, no. Here it goes again. Oh, no. I'm worrying. Oh, no. Here comes a craving." And so identifying that, and instead

00:42

of running away from it, here the obstacle becomes the way. Instead of running away from a craving or caving to a craving,

00:52

we can simply recognize, "Oh, here's a craving." And we can drop into our body and get really curious.

01:00

"Oh, what does this feel like in my body?" So we can do this together now.

01:07

"Oh!" Even just recalling the last time we had a craving for something, that urge to check our phone,

01:14

that urge to eat that food when we're not hungry, whatever that urge is.

01:20

What do urges feel like? So just exploring, what does that feel like in my body?

01:27

What does it feel like to get curious about what's happening right now in my direct experience?

01:36

What body sensations am I feeling right now, whether it's a craving or anything else? Where do I feel them in my body?

01:45

What do they feel like? What are the raw physical sensations?

01:51

Is it tingling? Is it tightness? Is it heat? Is it restlessness?

01:59

Is it simply a feeling of ease? And where do I feel it in my body?

02:06

We can even get curious. Is it more on the right side or the left side? Is it more in the front or the back?

02:13

Simply being curious about whatever arises in this moment. If we notice that our minds are racing off

02:21

into the future with that, "Oh, no. This might last for a long time," again, we can flip it to, "Oh, there's a thought."

02:31

What's it like to simply notice and acknowledge a thought instead of getting caught up in it, having that thought drag us into the future?

02:41

What does that thought dragging us into the future feel like in this moment? Notice how curiosity takes no effort.

02:49

We simply get curious. So whether you're doing a short meditation

02:56

to drop into your direct experience when you're noticing a craving to do something, or simply going through your day, remember this oh

03:07

and bring curiosity as your friend, as your superpower to help you be with whatever's arising

03:15

in this moment. Take a deep breath in.

03:21

Mindset is everything. I'm not 90 for nothing. Small steps, one motion.