1 Million MinDful minutes
Without a doubt the most valuable uses of my time include mindful exploration and meditation. The most rewarding use of my time is sharing mindfulness with others (other than cuddling my chihuahua, my children, and spouse - though I consider that a mindful activity). I thought why not combine all of these valuable and rewarding passions into a 1M Mindful Mission! What is that you ask? Read on to find out and join me.
I have been meditating 1-3 times a day for the last 4.5 years. By my guestimations I have probably spent roughly 40,000 minutes meditating since 2019.
Yes I was a pandemic problem solver type (also a pandemic panic type). I didn’t lose 30 lbs (other than that initial 10 from pure fear) and find my sanctuary in protein shakes and weight lifting. I found my anxiety and lifelong PTSD and undiagnosed AuDHD was actually debilitating when you throw on top of it a new job, family health crises, family loss, grief, and parenting young children in a global pandemic. I needed to slow down and take care of my whole self. I had practiced mindfulness, meditation, and creative arts and journaling for almost 15 years in 2020, written my master’s thesis on Mindfulness based art therapy and behavior change and both had impacted my own healing and wellness greatly, but I had not made a daily commitment to mindful self care and meditation practice, nor had I formally studied meditation.
In 2020 that all that changed. I dove head first into Unplug meditation training and Board-Certification in Brain-Based Hypnotherapy (in my practice meditation and self hypnosis are parallel and just fancy words for working on awareness in a regulated state so you have more control over how your unconscious and subconscious impact your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings and therefore impact your cycles of dysregulation, stress, and mental health). I also completed graduate certificates in E-Instructional Design and ADHD-CCSP/ASD-CCSP to better understand how to support divergent learners in applying these skills and practices in their lives in ways that work for them.
Ok Michelle we get it you were on your undiagnosed journey of overachievement and hyperfocus - what about this 1M mission thing?
My birthday is July 30th and I’m kind of sap for meaningful dates and starts. (Probably because it makes it significantly easier for my AuDHD brain to remember said mission). On July 30, 2024 I will start tracking my mindfulness and meditation minutes here. My goal is to track 1 million mindful practice minutes. That would roughly equal 60 minutes a day for 45 years, bringing me up to my 84th birthday. Some days I imagine will be longer - meditation retreat anyone? And other days will be shorter. But I will be mindful every single day.
Who knows what will change in the world, but one thing I commit to fully is that I’m going to be part of the balance and the good. I’m excited to help make mindfulness more accessible and be mindful together along the way! I don’t need to carbo load before this mission officially launches (but I don’t need to not carbo load either - it’s birthday month afterall). I am going to start getting into the groove of tracking though, but won’t be ‘counting’ it towards the ultimate million until launch day. Follow along, Join me, Share with a friend - either way here’s to being mindful together!
Light & Love,
Mindful Michelle x
