This first exercise (worksheet) begins your journey of Strengthening Your Conscious Self. Continue to scroll down the page to fill in the form.
There is probably something that drew you to this program that made it seem like a good idea. For example, you may wake up in the middle of the night with worries and concerns that keep you from getting a good night’s sleep, or you may be dealing with health issues and you’ve heard that mindfulness, coaching, or therapy can help you deal with them, or you may have trouble concentrating, or you may simply want to increase your ability to be present and fully engaged in life, to accept more fully yourself/others, just as you/they are.
Actually writing your responses to the questions on this form and those found on the practice logs will help ground your practice and psychoeducation in a way that would not be possible if you simply answered these questions in your head. In a way, this is the first mindfulness practice: being mindful of your intentions and commitment to yourself and to the process that you’re about to begin.
Finding a specific time and place for completing your formal daily practice, including recording your progress, is likely to be one of the most difficult hurdles, and writing down now when and where you’ll be doing your daily practice or journaling will help you to keep your promise to yourself to practice each day and record your progress. People often choose to practice first thing in the morning, before roommates or family members are up and about, and others like the evening shortly before bedtime, or just after arriving home from work. Precisely when you practice is less important than having a set time and place, a time that you know you can practice without having to attend to the telephone or be responsive to others, and a place that is quiet and separate from others.
NOTE: As you go through each of the courses, you may take longer than a week for any given module, and that’s fine. Patience with yourself and knowing how much time you need is, in itself, mindfulness.