Noting: A technique to increase awareness

Attachment to opinions, views and self-righteousness is a natural trait in many people. People tend to have a fixed view of themselves and how they operate in the world. They tend to defend this view and feel threatened when they perceive or think something which goes against this belief. How many people do you know who will react strongly when a different view is presented to them? This phenomenon is easier to see in others than it is to see in ourselves yet, to some extent, most of us behave this way.

Photo by Jonathan Cosens Photography on Unsplash

We construct a world view which is fixed and place ourselves into it. This is a strategy to create certainty in an uncertain world. When we do this we create tension between what is and what we want to believe. When this happens, it is useful to simply accept our ideas are just ideas, to open our hearts and minds to change and come back to the present moment. It is tricky to notice when we are resisting the present moment. When we realise what we are doing, it is easier to let go of resistance and experience relief and well-being. We can use the technique of noting to increase awareness of thoughts, feelings and decrease the grip opinions and views hold on us.

Noting: Label a thought as just a thought and observe the feeling associated with it. Simply noting the thought and associated feeling is likely to decrease its intensity and helps to make us more aware of any patterns of attachment to views and opinions.

The relief we experience after noting is the cessation of suffering, the end of resisting the moment. What we are doing by engaging in noting is increasing awareness and mindfulness. Look out for an opportunity to practice noting as you go about your daily business. When reinforced, noting can allow one to reduce resistance to what is in the present moment, adopt a less rigid world view and accept change more easily