Mindfulness-WHAT skills

Marsha Linehan has a set of skills that are what she calls "WHAT" skills to take control of your mind. WHAT skills break down into 3 categories which are: OBSERVE, DESCRIBE, and PARTICIPATE.

These three categories are done in the order listed, as you can't describe something without first observing it, nor participate without being able to describe it. You may not even be aware of even observing something to describe it, but trust me, your brain does do it. Linehan has these skills of being more mindful than you would normally do, and again...the more you practice it, the more it will come to you naturally.

OBSERVE

This is the first part where you focus on being aware of your body. This is where you use all of your five senses: sight, hearing, scent, skin, and taste. 

Concentrate on now, not the past or future.

Manage your attention-this does not mean what you see. This is where you cling to nothing nor push away nothing. 

Practice observing but not using words to observe. Like watching a lava lamp with blobs rising up and going down in the lamp, have your thoughts come up in your mind and go down in your mind, slipping away.  Observe the way your thoughts create feelings.

See what is inside and outside of yourself. Be like a Teflon pan, just watching not putting words on it. 

DESCRIBE

Here is where you use your words to detail what you are undergoing. For example, when you are observing coffee brewing or making tea or any kind of other beverage, use your words when observing.  I love watching my coffee brew, so I would think, "I feel happy about having a cup of coffee because it is warm, tasty, and makes me feel energized".  Or if you are having one of 'those' days where your depression is heightened you might say, "I feel sad" or "I don't feel motivated to do anything today."

Put a word on what you are experiencing. If it is only a thought that comes into your mind, label just that thought. The same thing applies to feelings and activities. 

Don't let facts be clouded by what your opinion is or the definition of it. Use "who, what, where, and when" instead. Facts are pictures or/and 100 people say the same thing. 

If you cannot notice something through your five senses, you will not be able to describe it.

Another point; you cannot observe and describe someone else. While a person may have a frown on their face, you might describe them as being mad, when in fact they have a migraine. Unless you are in that person's body, you don't know what they are feeling.

PARTICIPATE

In the current moment, with whatever you are doing, focus on only that. Don't try to multitask, think about something else, and just focus. For example, wash dishes but don't try to vacuum. Just concentrate on the dishes. Try not to divide yourself from the moment. If you are talking to a friend, put your cell phone down and focus on them.

Whatever you are doing at the moment,  center yourself on that moment and just forget yourself. 

Do only what is needed, being in Wise Mind. Examples of only doing things when needed are, playing an instrument, reading a book, working on an art project, or gardening, just to name a few.  Try not to sit out on things, nor be willful.

Even if things are hard to do, try not to fight it, let it go.  This can be difficult and I'm not trying to get anyone to minimize a thought situation. We can choose to let what is hard consume us and be in Emotion Mind or we can choose to be in Wise Mind. 

Try not to plan something, just do it. 

 

The next post is about ideas on how to practice "WHAT" skills, but I'm not going to list a bunch of stuff. I'll just list a few ideas to understand what it means and how to practice. Everyone has their own ideas of how to do "WHAT" skills once they understand how they work.