Fine balance between rumination and self enquiry

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Self-enquiry and rumination are two different mental processes. Self-enquiry is a deliberate and conscious process of introspection and self-reflection, while rumination is an involuntary and repetitive thought pattern that is often negative and unproductive.

The fine balance between self-enquiry and rumination lies in being aware of the purpose and intention of the thought process. Self-enquiry aims to gain clarity and understanding, while rumination often leads to dwelling on negative thoughts and emotions.

To avoid slipping into rumination during self-enquiry, it is important to stay focused on the present moment and avoid getting caught up in negative thought patterns. Mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing, and body awareness can help develop this awareness and prevent rumination.

It is also important to set a specific goal for self-enquiry and have a clear plan for how to approach it. This can help keep the process on track and avoid getting stuck in unproductive rumination.

Ultimately, finding the balance between self-enquiry and rumination requires a combination of self-awareness, mindfulness, and intentional focus on positive growth and understanding.

How does self enquiry leads to inner silence?

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Self-enquiry is a process of introspection where one looks within and asks themselves questions about their own nature, thoughts, emotions, and experiences. By engaging in this process of self-reflection, one can become more aware of their inner workings and gain insights into their true nature. As one gains clarity and understanding through self-enquiry, they can begin to let go of negative thoughts and emotions that cause inner noise and disturbance. This can eventually lead to a state of inner silence, where the mind is calm and peaceful, and one is in touch with their innermost self.

Does rumination leads to inner silence?

Rumination and inner silence are two different states of mind. Rumination is an excessive focus on negative thoughts, which can lead to stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions. On the other hand, inner silence is a state of mind characterized by a quiet, peaceful, and calm inner state, free from the noise and distractions of the external world.

While rumination can lead to a heightened sense of self-awareness, it is not an effective method for achieving inner silence. In fact, rumination can often be a barrier to achieving inner silence, as it involves a continued focus on negative thoughts and emotions.

Self-enquiry, mindfulness, and other practices that promote self-awareness and present-moment awareness can help individuals move beyond rumination and achieve inner silence.

Self-awareness: “To thine own self be true.”

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Moral resilience is grounded in moral conscientiousness. It reflects a vigilance to live in ways that are aligned with who we are and what we stand for in the midst of situations that appear to be incommensurate with integrity. This vigilance or desire to be moral requires that we are fundamentally aware of what values, commitments, and imperatives actually comprise our moral core — and this means regularly examining these things, otherwise, we run the risk of becoming complacent or losing our moral sensitivity. At the same time, we want to avoid becoming rigid or dogmatic.

Being self-aware is an intentional embodied dance that requires continually exploring our feelings, thoughts, and desires — and to do so humbly, carefully, and courageously, with honesty. We also must do so with transparency, that is being willing to acknowledge when our convictions have become biased, distorted, shortsighted, or incorrect; likewise, being open to possible change, revision, or alternative outcomes. The ability to be self-aware makes room for us to discover possibilities for responding to morally distressing situations with our head held high, eyes wide open, shoulders relaxed, and grounded confidence in our core, with the least personal cost.

Self-awareness

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Hearing your inner voice is a matter of paying careful attention to internal physiological signals. These subtle cues are monitored by the insula, which is tucked behind the frontal lobes of the brain. Attention given to any part of the body amps up the insula’s sensitivity to that part. Tune in to your heartbeat, and the insula activates more neurons in that circuitry.

Gut feelings are messages from the insula and the amygdala, which the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, of the University of Southern California, calls somatic markers. Those messages are sensations that something “feels” right or wrong. Somatic markers simplify decision-making by guiding our attention toward better options. They’re hardly foolproof, so the more comprehensively we read them, the better we use our intuition.

Zeroing in on sensory impressions of ourselves in the moment is one major element of self-awareness. But it is critical combining our experiences across time into a coherent view of our authentic selves.

To be authentic is to be the same person to others as you are to yourself. In part that entails paying attention to what others think of you, particularly people whose opinions you esteem and who will be candid in their feedback. A variety of focus that is useful here is open awareness, in which we broadly notice what’s going on around us without getting caught up in or swept away by any particular thing. In this mode we don’t judge, censor, or tune out; we simply perceive.

Well-being

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We all want well-being – it’s us at our best, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Well-being is a learnable skill – and one that overlaps greatly with the basics of emotional intelligence.

There are three other pillars of wellbeing, their research shows, and we can up our game in each:

• Awareness: being focused, not distracted. Using mindful awareness to pay attention and be calm and present.
• Connection: feeling appreciation, kindness, and compassion for the people in your life.
• Insight: seeing how your self-identity shapes what you perceive, how you react, and even what you feel – a path to lessening emotional reactivity.

Aware, concentration, and attention

What is the difference between attention and concentration?

First of all, there is awareness, to be aware, then there is concentration and attention. Is awareness different from concentration? What do we mean by the word ‘to be aware’?

We are, most of the time, aware of things like – where we are all sitting or standing and about whether it is too hot. Are our minds aware, cognisant, know, conscious of what is going on within the sphere of our minds? Are you aware of your thoughts, of your feelings? So what does awareness mean?

Are we aware of the objects around us or we are also aware of our responses to them?

Are we aware of the movement of thought?

Is awareness a continuous movement? When are we conscious of anything? That is, when are we aware of anything? Is it we are aware, conscious when there is pain, or when there is a great pleasure, or are we aware non-descriptively, non-verbally of the areas of human existence which the mind has not touched at all?

– Jiddu Krishnamurti, philosopher, speaker, and writer.

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Take a moment to pause, and self-reflect

While focused on getting ahead, we don’t tend to take the time off to reflect on what’s going on within us.

Making time for yourself is crucial because if you don’t, you miss be at the one with your thoughts. Taking the time to self-reflect puts the emphasis back on you, the most important thing.

When you self-reflect, you are thinking inwardly. You reflect on the good and the bad as you peel away the layers you have built up through the course of your life to reveal the true version of yourself. You get a glimpse of what’s hidden underneath the limiting beliefs, the fears, and the expectations of life and to see the true you that is you.

In its simplest form, you become more self-aware.