00:00

00:00

Awakening Out of Autopilot Mode

Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:

Hi and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Have you ever gone to get something from a room in your house, only to get there and realize that you can't really remember why you're there? Have you ever started to drive to a particular event only to take the turnoff you always take on that route out of habit? So these are examples of when we fall into autopilot mode. And now autopilot mode is when we're no longer fully present in the moment because our attention is caught in our wandering thoughts. And the problem with autopilot mode is that when we're in that mode, we tend to act out of habit in automaticity, and it's frighteningly easy to forget where we're going and get caught up in old habits and reactivity, or completely lose our way when we're stuck on autopilot. So one way to think about autopilot mode is it's more like living your life as a passenger rather than the pilot.

You know, we tend to do things out of habit, instead of making deliberate choices. We tend to stay in the comfort zone and in our routines, even when it's not making us happy. We tend to play out the same kinds of thoughts, emotions and reactive patterns, even if they're painful or harmful. And now here's the thing. Autopilot mode can feel kind of familiar and safe in a way, because you just go through the motions, you go along for the ride.

But when we're not deliberately choosing our path, it's really easy to end up somewhere we didn't want to be. You know, perhaps your relationship ends up breaking down, or you're in a job that's really not right for you. Maybe your health or lifestyle just end up way off course. Or maybe you end up living with that sense of a robot-like existence. You know, just putting one foot in front of the other, but not really living.

Mindfulness wakes us up out of autopilot mode, and therefore it gives us back control of our lives. It puts us back in the pilot seat again. Now we may feel that we have no choice but to be pulled around by our thoughts, our emotions, our habits, and our reactions. And we may feel that we're stuck as passengers, but the truth is we do have a choice, and it's this ability to choose the direction of our lives and not to be pulled around. That we're cultivating through mindfulness.

So in today's meditation practice, we're going to focus on developing our ability to wake up out of autopilot mode and return to a greater awareness of the present moment.

Melli O'Brien

4.3

Awakening Out of Autopilot Mode

Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:

Duration

Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.

Hi and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Have you ever gone to get something from a room in your house, only to get there and realize that you can't really remember why you're there? Have you ever started to drive to a particular event only to take the turnoff you always take on that route out of habit? So these are examples of when we fall into autopilot mode. And now autopilot mode is when we're no longer fully present in the moment because our attention is caught in our wandering thoughts. And the problem with autopilot mode is that when we're in that mode, we tend to act out of habit in automaticity, and it's frighteningly easy to forget where we're going and get caught up in old habits and reactivity, or completely lose our way when we're stuck on autopilot. So one way to think about autopilot mode is it's more like living your life as a passenger rather than the pilot.

You know, we tend to do things out of habit, instead of making deliberate choices. We tend to stay in the comfort zone and in our routines, even when it's not making us happy. We tend to play out the same kinds of thoughts, emotions and reactive patterns, even if they're painful or harmful. And now here's the thing. Autopilot mode can feel kind of familiar and safe in a way, because you just go through the motions, you go along for the ride.

But when we're not deliberately choosing our path, it's really easy to end up somewhere we didn't want to be. You know, perhaps your relationship ends up breaking down, or you're in a job that's really not right for you. Maybe your health or lifestyle just end up way off course. Or maybe you end up living with that sense of a robot-like existence. You know, just putting one foot in front of the other, but not really living.

Mindfulness wakes us up out of autopilot mode, and therefore it gives us back control of our lives. It puts us back in the pilot seat again. Now we may feel that we have no choice but to be pulled around by our thoughts, our emotions, our habits, and our reactions. And we may feel that we're stuck as passengers, but the truth is we do have a choice, and it's this ability to choose the direction of our lives and not to be pulled around. That we're cultivating through mindfulness.

So in today's meditation practice, we're going to focus on developing our ability to wake up out of autopilot mode and return to a greater awareness of the present moment.

Melli O'Brien

Available everywhere.

Access on the web or in our mobile app.

Melli O'Brien

4.3

Duration

Melli O'Brien

Available everywhere.

Access on the web or in our mobile app.

Play in-app

Scan the following QR code with your camera app to open it on our mobile app

Already purchased?

Get Unlimited Access

Start your mindfulness journey today.

A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.

Over 1,800 meditations, sleep, calm music, naturescapes and more
Daily mindfulness video meditations 365 days a year
100s of courses and tools to help manage anxiety, sleep and stress

Available on

Email Missing

We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.

Mindfulness Guarantee

We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.

If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.

Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.

Mindfulness

Bring balance into your everyday life.

We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.

2,000+ Guided Meditations
Daily Coaching
Sleep Content
Mindful Exercises
Mindful Radio
10+ Courses from world-class teachers

Private Browsing

Added to your cart!

Claim your free access

Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.

Start a free trial to play this session

7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.

Finish personalizing your account

Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.