Autopilot is the opposite of mindfulness.
It’s where we carry out everyday functions, that are ‘automatic’ like dressing, going up the stairs, walking etc, that we don’t even think about.
This is really handy when we learn a new skill like driving a car, as once we’ve learnt the skill, it becomes automatic- you could drive somewhere & not have any recollection of the journey.
This can free the mind for other things that we want to think about.
But it can be a problem where our emotions are concerned, as we often think or reflect on how we feel or felt about something that has happened to us & try to apply better or happier solutions for next time – if we do this ‘automatically’ with the same reactions to similar situations, it’s likely that nothing will change & we become ‘stuck’ in our past emotions.
What can we do?
When in autopliot, we often can’t think about all the wide options available to us.
Sometimes, trying to be determined to break old patterns is not the best way to change them.
Instead, try & be more mindful, so we are in the present moment, with awareness -this makes us much more grounded and able to respond quicker.
Mindfulness requires practice, just 5 minutes per day will make a big difference.
Claire x
