“How are you?”  A very simple question that is often followed with a basic answer.  Greetings between people are so common in daily life that they have become mechanical.  We give the same answer to everyone we come in contact with, regardless if we truly mean what we say.  These general questions that are asked are rarely actively heard.  For that reason, I always ask a follow-up question to see if the person I am speaking to is actively listening.  “I am good.  How are you?”  Believe it or not, when I reciprocate the question, it either doesn’t get answered or a different question gets answered.

A few weeks ago, one of my friends asked how I was doing.  I told him I was worried and I let him know that there were times that week where I was fully aware that I masked or covered my emotion versus being honest about what I was truly feeling.

I first became aware of “covering” when I studied Meisner acting technique.  In class, we had to be aware and honest with our emotions and identify the emotions that we were experiencing as we experienced them.  We also had to identify the emotions that our acting partners were experiencing too.  This activity created a space for the actors to be present and created an authentic connection between actors.  This activity is life changing because it allows you to tap into yourself and breakdown the shell that the hard parts of life help us build.

For the past few weeks, I have been very aware of my actions and expression of emotion.  My awareness peaks, when I am not acting or expressing an emotion authentically.  This awareness feels like an overnight phenomenon, (but it has been a gradual progression of years of studying and working towards being fully mindful and present.  I don’t think I reached full mindfulness or presence but I am a step closer to that goal.)  As a result of my awareness I am able to correct myself in the moment or shortly after, which I feel will save me a lot of heartache, in the future, because I can notice a pattern or stop an unwanted habit from forming.  This weeks Mindful Monday, speaks to what I am coming to understand about Awareness.

Before you go, I want to check in with you “How are you doing today?”

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