Welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, we're going to explore how we can effectively work with the problems in our lives. So it's been said that a problem is like a pool of muddy water. The more you stir it around in the mind, the cloudier it gets. And there's a truth to that, right? Like how many times have you tossed and turned at night, ruminating about a difficulty in your life and then woken up the next day, feeling really agitated and tired.

How many times have you, you know, maybe had a conflict with someone and it was only a short conversation only to end up replaying it over and over for days or weeks or even months, causing you anxiety and distress. And how many times have you not been truly present, you know, at work or maybe at the dinner table, because something is mentally weighing you down as you just replay this problem over and over again. Most of us have been there. Mindfulness helps us to clear our minds and find inner calm. It also gives us the mental space to look deeply at the true source of our challenges and how we can heal, grow, find acceptance, or take action if needed in a wise kind and empowered way.

And the truth is, is that the human mind really is a problem solving machine. It detects dangers, analysed the situations, predicts outcomes and makes plans. That is what the human mind is really good at. This is what the human mind has evolved to do over the last 200,000 years. But the exact same abilities that led to our success and survival as a species have also led to some of our greatest struggles.

The challenge is, is that our problem solving skills work incredibly well when it comes to logical tasks, but when those same logical abilities run away on us and turn inward, you and your life become a problem to be solved instead of an experience to be lived. Everything can become a problem, right? Everything can become not good enough. Something that needs fixing, improving, and changing. And that causes a lot of constriction in the mind, you know, cause we can never just relax and let things be. Mindfulness allows us to see this tendency and unwind it so that we can bring more joy appreciation and lightness back into our lives.

And when challenges do come our way, which they will, instead of ruminating about them constantly, we can practice constructive problem solving, that is choosing a time to think about the issue, weigh up the options, take action if you need to. And if no action is needed, we simply accept things as they are and let them be. In meditation, we're training in letting go of this constant problem-making habit of the mind and relaxing more fully into the here and now. So thank you for your practice and your presence here and just inviting you now to settle in for today's meditation.