Here are some exercises that have worked for me, when attempting to achieve awareness. It is not a sure guide, not a sure thing. It is simply some stuff I tried out and worked out pretty well for me.
1. Acceptance
When you are faced with 'undesirable' situations, you create unhappiness. Unhappiness is simply resistance to the present moment.
Now, can you be okay with what you are feeling? Fighting your emotions will only make it stronger. So just be still, and can you be okay with yourself being in that state, feeling what you feel?
As soon as you accept that, you sense a space around it. That is awareness.
2. Freedom.
The mind is constantly active. Try accepting the static. Acknowledge the chatter. And then, also listen to your heart. Find it. It is there. You need to be honest with yourself, not through words. In fact, if anything speaks, that is just the mind.
The heart does not speak. Awareness does not speak. It simply is.
When you can see yourself thinking, that's when you find your heart, and that's when you awaken.
3. Know your roles.
We all play roles. For various reasons. So always, always be aware of your roles, and exactly what role you are playing at any given time.
The ego, which is unconsciousness of the mind, happens when there is complete identification with the role, the character you play. The writer. The worker. The employee. The employer. The husband. The wife. The man. The woman.
Roles, as well as the ego, the mind and the pain-body serve a function.
I use my pain-body to sing songs more effectively. I connect with people's egos when writing or construct a business plan.
They all have a use. A function. But they should not be there to make you miserable.
You can be in control when you execute the functions of the roles without losing sight of the real you. The nameless you. The one without an assigned character.
If anything, just try and do number 1. Accept the state you are in. You don't have to like the situation and want to change it. If you can accept the situation, then fine. But if you can't, try to go to a deeper, more basic level where you can be okay with yourself experiencing whatever it is you are experiencing.
