Curiosity

The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.
Ellen Parr

Replacing judgment with curiosity
is a key element in becoming unstuck.
Francie White

Curiosity is…
-a state in which you want to learn more about something
-an emotion related to inquisitive behaviour
-the tendency to ask questions, investigate or explore
-the desire to know what is happening or has happened

It is the “cure” for boredom, as in the quote above. It is also a cure for anxiety, “stuck”-ness and feeling overwhelmed. It focuses attention on the subject of the curiosity. When we are anxious about the unknown, it is useful to focus attention on what we do know. We can do this using curiosity. Shifting into a curious state has the effect of pulling apart the elements that contribute to anxiety or “stuck”-ness or feeling of overwhelm, thereby reducing those emotions.

Fear and curiosity cannot exist together. Curiosity is absent when we’re overwhelmed with anxiety or fear. Conversely, when we engage our inquisitive nature, fear rarely comes up. We can use this dichotomy to direct our attention with curiosity to the tastes and textures of foods…we may then let go, even if momentarily, from an over-focus on calories, or fear of gaining weight….

Our natural curiosity comes out when we encounter something of interest to us… It can be challenging to tap back into curiosity periodically when something becomes familiar- a person, place, feeling, etc. We may think we know all about this thing/person/emotion, yet there is always more to discover. With everything in life that may feel boring or dull, shift back over and over into that place of not knowing; of pure curiosity; inquisition.



Think about a child. They constantly ask questions; unashamedly seek answers. They don’t know a lot, are not afraid to admit that, and consequently their world remains EXCITING, STIMULATING and FASCINATING. They do not get caught up in FEARS…they are always CURIOUS…..

Sometimes we are ambivalent about making the changes we know will serve us, and so get stuck. Often we don’t know what keeps us stuck. Eventual change emerges when the many elements of the ambivalence are examined and accepted. We can invite ourselves to do this by steadfastly maintaining a curious stance and letting go of the need to “fix” or resolve right away.

Curiosity has the effect of encouraging acceptance of what is. A basic model for changing troublesome behaviours is to accept the impulse behind the behaviour while still wishing to decrease the behaviour. Monitoring the behaviour with curiosity to learn more about the impulse implies acceptance of it.

We can adjust our self-talk/thoughts and language to encourage a process of curiosity. Using curious language in areas we feel rigidly stuck in terms of our way of looking at something (perspective), reframes the situation.

For example:
“Let’s remain curious about that…”
“Imagine...”
“Hmm, that makes me curious about…”
“Can I explore this more?”

Cautions:
Change is least apt to happen when someone is feeling judged (or judging himself). “Why” questions are usually heard as judgment. Even when our question comes from genuine curiosity, we will feel such language sub-consciously as judgment. When we re-word our questions to “How…” and “What…”, our curiosity is elicited.

Practice your curiosity today and observe the difference it makes. Curiosity is FREE of JUDGMENT, FEAR and ANXIETY. It is a purely OPEN, INNOCENT and GENUINELY interested perspective. It truly changes your everyday experience of LIFE, YOURSELF, OTHERS and SITUATIONS! :)

I have edited this piece from a US counsellor, Molly Kellogg.
Her website is www.mollykellogg.com and I am sure you will find MANY MORE interesting ideas to keep you CURIOUS about yourself and the world! :)

Enjoy and have a FAB day! :)

If you have ANY questions or comments on this piece, please feel free to send them through :)

I absolutely LOVE hearing from you!

Sincerely,


BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru
Writer, Speaker, Consultant
www.newleafnutrition.com.au
http://bridgetjaneguru.blogspot.com
http://bridget-jane.blogspot.com
http://bridgetthompson.blogspot.com


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