Advice from Chambless Johnston on How to Center Yourself During the Day
Everyone has days where they feel lost or out of touch with their emotions. That is a normal experience, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways that you can clear your mind. Sometimes all you need to do is realign yourself with your surroundings and self, so that you can move through you day peacefully.
Dr. Chambless Johnston of Johnson City, Tennessee, is the CEO and Founder of East Tennessee Recovery, one of Tennessee’s largest OBOTs. His practice focuses on an integrated approach to addiction recovery so that their clients’ social, mental, and physical wellbeings are being accounted for in their treatment. He is an advocate for daily routines and mediation to help clear the mind of any negative or pestering thoughts. Dr. Johnston will describe how he manages to center himself with various activities so that he can be present in the moment and focus on what is important to him.
Morning Routines:
Chambless Johnston is a strong believer that everyone should have a morning routine. Not only do most people find having a morning routine reduces stress and time crunches, but it also allows you to fully wake up before making any important decisions. Dr. Johnston suggests starting your morning routine the night before, as getting a full night’s rest is essential to both your health and starting your day off right.
Upon waking up, it is important to find a couple of simple tasks to motivate you, such as taking a cold shower to wake up, meditation to relax, or reading your Bible to connect. Whatever you choose to do, it should be something that makes you more aware of your surroundings but doesn’t create anxiety or stress. This type of routine is typically categorized as integrative power, which is to say that you are taking positive action. In doing so, Chambless Johnston claims that your days will be more productive, and you will feel more confident to move through daily tasks with ease.
Self-Identity
To truly center one’s self, it is important to learn how to adapt thought patterns. Chambless Johnston insists that the reason that most people don’t achieve their goals is because their thought pattern is not focused on the present. He describes that the prefrontal cortex deals with everything from emotions, to memories, to temper and personality, and that if we can become in tune with our thought process, we can laser focus on what it takes to achieve a goal.
Chambless Johnston goes on to say that there is a second half to driving change, and that is the desire for all humans to have a stable sense of self. This identity homeostasis can pose a challenge for those who are looking to change some aspect of themselves, as one’s current identity is typically in contrast with the identity they wish to cultivate. In order to overcome this obstacle, Dr. Johnston insists that one must let go of the current identity and assume the one they want to become.
Mindfulness
Dr. Johnston says that in addition to practicing integrative power and self-identity, it is also important to practice mindfulness- the ability to reflect on ones own experiences and thoughts. By doing so he claims that you will be able to see how often you fantasize about the future, discredit the present, and when you are actively procrastinating. By being aware of your own thoughts and how they impact you, the process of cultivating a thought process that is beneficial can begin and you can start bringing directed energy to tasks.
To help practice mindfulness, Chambless Johnston suggests listening to Practicing The Power of Now for 20 minutes each morning while you are not distracted. He claims that this will allow you to calm your mind and reach a state of deep presence and peace. By being in this state you can start your day with a clear mind that is focused and undeterred by negative emotion.
