The Conscious Parent

and our thoughts.
For such journaling to be really effective, it’s beneficial to use an
“automatic” approach to writing, which means we don’t think about what
we are going to put on paper, but simply record our stream of
consciousness. Setting aside time each day, we write in a free,
associative manner.
Such writing loosens the hold our ego has on us. As we see our
thoughts laid out on paper, we are able to separate our identity from
them. We realize, “These are just thoughts.” Because they are just
thoughts, we don’t need to feel overwhelmed by them any longer.
Through the rigorous practice of writing every day, we learn to allow our
thoughts and the emotions that often accompany them simply to exist,
not making more of them than they are. By so doing, we dip into the
stillness that lies beneath them, where our true being resides.
Awareness can also be fostered by setting aside a period each day to sit
in silence and solitude, with our eyes closed and our attention on our
breathing. All that’s required is to notice the out-breath and the in-
breath, either as the breath enters and leaves our nostrils, or as it enters
and leaves our chest area. Bringing awareness to our breath allows us to
come into the here and now. By focusing on the breath, we observe that,
like our breath, our thoughts and emotions are fleeting. We accept that
they are just thoughts and emotions. Because thoughts and emotions are
by nature impermanent, we have no obligation to hold onto them but can
let go of them because they aren’t our identity. This simple practice of
putting a little space around our thoughts and emotions enables us to
experience them with a detachment that frees us from the compulsion to