I've got a question on conceptualization and mindfulness. I recently went to a job interview and as I noticed the anxiety build up in the body while I was noting and driving to the interview I was okay with anxiety as I noted it and it would disappear. I enjoyed that and my anxious thoughts didn't have much room to move precisely because I looked at everything I was doing like it was an experiment and noting about every 2 seconds.

Now when I got to the office and waited for the interview I got stronger anxiety pangs and continued to note them but this time I felt like my equanimity was challenged even more but I held it together for the most part. As I met with my interviewers I calmed down more and in the office I got going with the interview. Now that I was talking I wasn't noting at all which is similar to when I'm studying, and actively thinking.

Since my job is in finance and includes mostly conceptual thinking I would like to know from yogis in similar situations and how they deal with noting during conceptual thinking? Do you use less words and more non-verbal noting? (BTW I only use verbal noting in my mind but not out loud). Can it be done (when you're more advanced) at the same time? Or do you just switch quickly between concepts and noting as needed?

Thanks!

Richard

Glad you are finding these experiments interesting.

It is much harder to note when doing conceptual work, so, if you wish, it is probably easier to open awareness somewhat and allow thoughts to do what they do when you need to think hard, but leave a little space to just keep a corner of your awareness on the body and how it responds to the thoughts in some general way, so that, maybe 90% of your attention is to the problems solving you need to get done but 10% is on the stomach, heart, throat, head, gut, that sort of thing, just to realize the physical components that accompany certain stories and trains of thought.

Formal noting is not always the best technique when having to face content-heavy situations with the full processing power needed for those, unless you just do it every minute or when really strong things come up and then go back to dealing with the situation.

Helpful?

Daniel

Okay I think I see what you mean. Something like this?

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1594&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=1



Except I would tone this down a lot to give room for a strong thought process and use the body as a cue to which thoughts are painful or limiting and the rest of my thoughts are naturally on target.

I'll try it with my next study session and report back what I found.

Thanks!

Richard

Okay trying "Direct Path" I find that studying is easier and I notice major mental hinderances and issues arise much clearer by noticing how I feel in the body. Noting is better for lower brain computation power.