Need to Slow Down?
I believe we all are addicted to being in motion. It is not comfortable to sit quietly.
Activity: Turn on your phone timer for 10 minutes. Close your eyes and sit quietly for 10 minutes. Do nothing during that time. When the alarm goes off, open your eyes.
How did that feel for you? Did you do it without moving, checking your phone, writing notes on a nearby piece of paper, or planning for tomorrow? I know, it’s not easy.
It is not comfortable because we don’t allow ourselves to do this. In fact, somewhere along the way we learned that we need to be productive constantly. To sit and think, read, ponder, mind-wander, is a waste of time. When actually, this is essential to the processing of the body, mind, food, challenges, or relationship situations we find ourselves in. It is essential for our well-being.
When I was living with my parents during my formative years, we couldn’t watch TV unless we were doing something else at the same time. Major and Jan Boddicker, my wonderful parents, were in the business of selling animal calls, Crit’r Calls, that needed to be assembled. So, unless we were doing homework or hand-sewing a 4–H project, we had to assemble calls while watching TV. That was handy for my parents. I still love mindless work that I can do while watching TV. It was not a bad thing, it just explains how infrequently I just sit and watch a show, read a book, or just day dream.
These days, if we have a moment where we are waiting on someone, riding in an elevator, or stopped at a traffic light, we hop on our phones to check our Instagram or Facebook feed, look something up on Google, and check our email. It’s crazy. We are constantly stimulated by images and input. It exhausts me just thinking about it.
How can we break out of this? Here are five things you can do to be still and break the cycle of constant motion:
1. Stop and notice
Stop and notice what’s around you—When you have a minute where you are waiting for something, someone, the bus, or traffic to move, rather than reach for your phone, look at the people around you, look at the sky, flowers, animals, skyline, birds in the air. Don’t grab your phone! Leave that darn thing in your purse or pocket.
2. Start a conversation
Smile, say, “Hello” to the only other person not looking at their phone. Have a conversation with a stranger. Everyone is put in your path for a reason. We miss this benefit when we do not engage with others. When you are paying attention and harnessing the power of Universal Intelligence to help fulfill your heart’s desire (possibly starting a business), you will come upon people every day that can help you realize their goals. You will be amazed when this starts happening. Make sure that you acknowledge this power when you see it happening. Say a hearty, “Thank you,” to The Universe. A few weeks back, I wrote a blog about Blessing Disguised as Inconvenience, where I talk about this exact situation happening to me. Read About it here.
3. Set an Intention
Set an Intention to be still and notice the difference. When you set an intention to be still and recognize the changes it makes in your life, you will be presented with more opportunities to learn this new skill. You will find yourself waiting for people. See this as a chance to hone the new skill of appreciating your environment, being OK with stillness.
4. Zone out and Daydream
Allow yourself to zone out and day dream. I read a great book recently, called How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain, by Andrew Newberg, MD, and Mark Robert Waldman. They address the importance of taking mental breaks throughout the day in order for proper neuro functionality. Here’s what they say:
“As you relax, some areas of your brain actually become more active, especially your frontal lobe, and your mind begins to wander and daydream. Not only is your brain refreshing the neurochemicals needed to make decisions, it is actually engaged in creative problem solving. It’s also essential for memory formation and recall, but most important, this relaxed state of daydreaming allows you to enter the higher stages of awareness where the path toward enlightenment often begins.” *
So, by all means . . . daydream and let your mind wander.
5. Meditate
Meditate for 5 minutes, 20 minutes, or one hour+. Your 10-minute, timed sitting-still session is a mediation. Eyes closed. Doing nothing. So what if your mind races and doesn’t sit still? That comes with practice. The stilling of the mind is the eventuality of meditation, not something you should think too much about while you are getting started. Here are the four steps for meditation as suggested by experiencelife.com:
- Stop. Let yourself come to rest.
- Take a breath. Notice the breath moving in and out of your body.
- Open yourself to how you’re feeling at that moment. Observe yourself and the world around you.
- Proceed. Let go without judging what you observed and move on.
There you have it, five ideas for becoming still. I want to hear how this works for you. I want to read about how you become still. Please share in the comments below.
If you know someone who needs to calm down and sit a second, send this to them. They will be grateful.
*NEWBERG, A. (2017). HOW ENLIGHTENMENT CHANGES YOUR BRAIN: the new science of transformation. S.l.: AVERY PUB GROUP. pg. 102.