Exercise

1. Exercise: Walking down the street
Sit comfortably and try to imagine the following scenario as vividly as possible:
“Imagine strolling along a street with which you are well-acquainted. As you look up, you notice
that there is someone you know from work on the other side of the road. You smile and wave;
however, the person does not respond. The person continues to walk without giving the
slightest reaction…”

2. Exercise: Walking down the street
REVIEWING THE EXERCISE
• As you were imagining the scenario, what thoughts did you notice?
• As you were imagining the scenario, what emotions did you notice?
• As you were imagining the scenario, what body sensations did you notice?
• Was there a link between your thoughts, your feelings, and/or emotions and body sensations?
• Did you have thoughts that led to certain feelings and/or emotions or body sensations?
THE GOAL OF THE EXERCISE
• The goal of this exercise is to introduce a very common automatism of the mind: making up stories. After witnessing an event, the mind automatically creates a story of
what just happened. Certain feelings, emotions, and body sensations may automatically arise based on the nature of this story. For instance, the thought “He didn’t
even notice me. He must be mad that I haven’t responded to his email yet.” may cause worry to emerge. The thought “How rude. He clearly saw me.” may
automatically trigger the feelings of anger.
• It can be valuable to discuss possible ways to effectively deal with the scenario.
• From a mindfulness perspective, one could direct attention to the thoughts and feelings that are present in the current moment. In doing so, one disrupts the cycle of
negative thinking and emotions and takes a step back. This awareness offers the possibility to observe the interplay between thoughts, emotions, and body sensations.
We are not trying to change the emotions, feelings, or body sensations that are present, but only to observe them.
• We accept what we experience. By turning attention back to the present moment, to the feeling, we allow ourselves to connect to the reality of this moment, rather
than our mind’s version of it. The present moment offers the chance to step out of the continuous stream of thinking and the emotions that follow from thoughts.
• Thus, mindfulness can help us become aware of the automatic influence of thoughts on emotions and body sensations and vice versa.

3. Exercise: Jill and her mother
Jill must go to school. Her mother
asks her to get out of bed. Jill replies
that she will be there in a minute.
After 5 minutes, her mother asks her
to get out of bed again. Jill replies
that she will be there any minute.
When her mother angrily shouts that
Jill should really get out of bed now,
she replies that her mother should
not treat her like a little child.
Her mother replies that it is
inappropriate for the head of a
school to show up late for school

4. Exercise: Jill and her mother
REVIEWING THE EXERCISE
• What did you notice about your thoughts while
the stories were being told?
• In what ways did you notice how your mind
automatically assumes things and creates its own
version about what is going on in each story?
• Have you ever noticed the same thing in your
own life?
• If so, how did your mind automatically react
towards something that happened in your own
life?
THE GOAL OF THE EXERCISE
The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate again
how our mind automatically reacts to information
and creates its own stories, even when very limited
information is available. This exercise illustrates that
what we think can be very different from what is
actually happening. Becoming aware of this
automatic tendency of the mind can be a very
powerful tool to reduce its negative effect.