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Achieving Mental Clarity + Putting Mindfulness into Practice

January 3, 2019 by Nick Joly Leave a Comment

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In the past I shared a post about a time in my life where I didn’t feel healthy. I was primarily referring to my physical health, my diet, and my general daily routines. In the post I talked about cleansing my life of toxins and negative energy from relationships that left me feeling drained. Today though, I realize how little attention I was paying to my mental health, being present, and finding calm in a storm of constant adrenal stimulation. It was so easy, almost autonomous, for me to fall into this repetitive, degenerative behaviour of constant distraction. With my screens, my evening routine, my habits on social media… none were contributing to a higher self. It was a form of escapism really, and I never want to go back to that place. Putting mindfulness into practice took a lot of time for me, and I’m still not 100% great at it, but I’m getting there. 

– nick 

We’ve all been there. 

  • In the yoga studio… falling out of position because our minds are racing. 
  • Intimate with our partners… but thinking about the 1000 things we have to do the next day. 
  • Walking into a room and forgetting what we were going there for. 

I realized that I had been so high-strung for so long. 

Until I read something that was able to put everything into perspective for me. It was like getting that missing tetris piece that just clears the clutter of the board. 

“Our breath is our life force. When it stops, we stop. Just breathe.”

Right then and there, I took a deep breath (something I felt like I hadn’t done in ages) and just stopped what I was doing. I put down the 1000 things I had to do, and just focused on one. 

The word “mindfulness” is a word with a lot of buzz right now, however, it’s a word I feel strongly about for many reasons. 

Mental clarity comes from breaking through our mind’s clutter, however best we can. 

For me, running has always been a form of therapy. The releasing of endorphins, the focus needed to simply move forward by putting one foot in front of the other, it just gives me what I need in order to break through my clutter. 

Going for a hike, taking a bath, doing a puzzle, forest bathing, putting our devices down for more than just 5 minutes. As we know, we are all different. The key is finding and prioritizing the hobbies or pastimes that give you your mental clarity. 

Why do we feel that if we’re just resting, that we’re not being productive, or that we’re somehow doing something wrong? Why does there always have to be something turned on… background television noise, our phones, social media, conversation after conversation… When did it become not okay to just do nothing? 

Fundamentally, the question I can now ask myself is, 

Why was I neglecting my primal need for mental clarity and inner peace? 

I took to the works of psychologist Dr Barbara Killinger who expands on workaholism and the human desire to achieve balance. 

The fact is, sometimes we CAN’T control our minds, thoughts, or instincts. We have a piece of chocolate and all of a sudden we’re reaching for another piece. Or we lay our head down on our pillow and the mind just begins to race. 

What I’ve found is that constant adrenal stimulation conditions our minds to operate at speeds that aren’t conducive to rest… Our mental health is what ultimately suffers. 

When I was in the depths of it, focusing on the negative energy of others and trying to constantly distract myself… I lost sight of who I was and what made me, me. I never want to get caught in that storm again. 

My positive nature and choosing to focus on good energy is what makes me, me. I can’t ever lose sight of that, because it affects all of the surrounding energy, people, and conversations I have in my daily life. 

So how do we achieve mental clarity and put mindfulness into practice? 

When I think of some of the activities I mentioned above, I see a common thread. They force us to focus on the here and now. Being present. 

And I’m not the only one of this school of thought. I’ve looked at what co-founder of Headspace, Andy Puddicombe, has shared in the past, and here are my thoughts on parallels I’ve drawn. 

There are a great number of us who wish for change. Be it change in how we handle situations, our mannerisms in social settings, or even our personal appearances… that constant desire for unattainable change, leaves us feeling drained. And rightfully so; when we think about achieving change, we often to turn to either the future, or the past. 

  • We think about how in the future, “things will be different”. We’ll handle situations differently “when that time comes”. 
  • We think about the past, and reflect (re: dwell) on how poorly we reacted in an exchange or conversation. 

Very seldom do we spend time in the present, the here and now, to achieve change. Yet, the present is all there is around us. 

The past has already happened and cannot be changed. Thinking about the past only brings about the same negative energy you felt then. The future, hasn’t even occurred yet, so why invest energy in a time that hasn’t yet taken place. In my experiences, the best way to achieve change in the future is to condition ourselves in the present for when that time comes. After all, the present is all we have to live in. 

Our breathe is our life force. Being present and being mindful throughout life’s tribulations gives us the tools we need to affect the change we’ve been striving to obtain. 

Where else to invest our energy but in the here and now? 

My personal thoughts: The power of manifesting a brighter future can only come from the energy we choose to apply in the present. 


Nick Joly | Inspired by Nick
be good to your body
inspiredbynick.com

photos obtained under a creative commons license, from unsplash. 

Filed Under: Food For Thought, Life.Inspired, Mindfulness Tagged With: Inspired By Nick, Meditation and Mindfulness, Mental Clarity, Mental Health, Mindfulness

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serving you post-workout sweat and redness realnes serving you post-workout sweat and redness realness rn 💪🏼🥵💦 and I just got these super convenient deodorant wipes from @forwardwithdesign for when I have to jump from lunchtime workouts to a zoom call during the week 🤫 now you know my secret! 😂 AD #forwardwithdesign #inspiredbynick
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I always start in produce (naturally) and then jump straight to organic aisles for my fav snacks. Using the green labels in-store, I can identify (at a quick glance) which products are plant-based, vegan, or gluten-free. The My Health, My Choices program also allows me to scan product barcodes using the MyMetro app and search for exactly what I need, taking the whole experience to the next level 🙌🏼 ➡️ Swipe to see my shopping experience and what items I picked up at my local Metro. #Sponsored #MyMetro #Inspiredbynick
we’ve moved into our home 🏡 and we’re still we’ve moved into our home 🏡 and we’re still taking time to settle in. there are some projects we wanna get done asap but can’t due to lockdown, so we’re just gonna go with the flow and enjoy the ride together 👬🏻 ps, that photo is from 9 years ago on one of our first dates
When you’re craving a burger but you also want a When you’re craving a burger but you also want a #meatless option 🙌🏼🍔 Organic Black Bean Fiesta Burgers made by yours truly 🍔💁🏻‍♂️when I was vegan I really had to get creative with a lot of my recipes, otherwise I’d be eating the same old bean salad every day… and bean salad doesn’t really taste like a burger when you’re craving a burger! Even though I’m not fully vegan anymore, I do still like to swap out meat as much as possible with other #plantbased options because that’s what works for me! 
With @metroontario's new program, MyHealth, MyChoices finding products that suit your dietary needs and lifestyles couldn't be easier. With almost 9,000 products labelled with nearly 50 different attributes like plant-based, fat-free, non-GMO, etc., you can easily find what works for you. So for this recipe, I looked for the green labels in-store, found the perfect Irresistibles organic black beans and extra virgin olive oil and whipped up a batch of patties that my heartmate and I devoured! (Tip: they also freeze well)! The recipe for them is on my blog (link in bio) and on Metro’s Instagram page and website! Hope you enjoy these if you decide to make them! #inspiredbynick  #MyHealthMyChoices #mymetro #sponsored
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At-home yoga for the winnn! 🧘🏻‍♂️🌿✨ because even though supporting my local yoga studio looks different now than in the past (classes are all online or through their app), I can still feel good about being a paying member and doing a small part to #supportlocal. 
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I am not THE poster child for supporting local, that’s just the truth, but I do what I can, where I can. Honestly, I do miss being in the hot studio where after a class I would be drenched and feeling so accomplished, ironically though, I’m surprisingly still drenched after a 90 min class at home, more so than I thought I would be! So I still feel good about getting my workout in, even if it’s different than being there in person. 
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Anyone who does yoga regularly like me knows a wet bag is essential after a good flow. The team at @forwardwithdesign have this awesome bag (I link to it in my stories) that I love--it’s super practical and I love the cute print! While I’m not getting as much use out of it as I’d like right now, it will definitely be coming with me to the studio when some of our restrictions lift and small businesses open up again!! AD #ForwardWithDesign #ThatsFWDThinking  #InspiredbyNick
I really miss having people over for charcuterie b I really miss having people over for charcuterie boards and drinks 🕺🏻🍸🥑🧀🥕🫒 and am LONGING for the days when I can host a dinner party again! Tagged a few of the brands of foods on this board, including @miyokoscreamery’s #vegancheese which was to die forrrrr! 🙌🏼✨ happy Friday Junior. y’all! 
On the board: 
Dark chocolate 
Organic berries 
Mixed olives 
Mixed nuts - cashews, pecans, almonds 
Breadsticks 
Crackers 
Rainbow carrots
Vegan party platter hors d’oeuvres
Figs (obvi) 
And a spicy chutney!
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