Be idle in the mind
We live in anxious times where we have to be on our toes all day. So, the idea of consciously ‘pausing’ our lives to find some me-time may sound undoable to many. Nonetheless, it needs to be done. But how? Calming the chattering mind is not nearly easy. But, consciously tuning out from the external world to focus inwards gets you there. Though it might sound like a tremendous waste of time to some, human-potential coach Sanket Pai in his book The winning you: Master Your Focus and Avoid Distractions writes: “All successful people including business tycoons, musicians, poets, writers and sportspersons have attributed their success to their habit of being idle.”
The great mathematician and physicist Newton, for instance, discovered the concept of gravity only when he was sitting idle under an apple tree. Acclaimed composer Mozart often got his musical ideas while taking a stroll after a sumptuous meal. And physicist Niels Bohr discovered the atom’s structure whilst half-asleep—he literally dreamt the atom with a nucleus at the centre and electrons spinning around it. Perhaps, doing nothing may have its benefits, after all.
Be loyal to a self-care routine
No matter how tight your daily schedule is, find time for a non-negotiable self-care routine while balancing work and life. Add self-care to your calendar like all other important tasks and activities. You could even set an alarm to drink water, take a walk, and sit idle for self-reflection. Finding such moments every day will not only heal your body but also the mind.
Have a conversation with yourself
As social beings, we engage in conversations with others every day. But the idea of talking to ourselves could seem abnormal to some. Yet, it is one of the most powerful ways to discover ourselves and our innate nature.
In the talk-show London Real, Hindu priest Dandapani explains that having a conversation with ourselves is no different from initiating a conversation with a stranger. Initially, the conversation could linger on trivia—our day-to-day activities, work or the weather. But as the conversation goes deeper, we grow closer to our conscious mind. “Eventually, you see all the beautiful things about yourself and all the ugly things about yourself. And the way to survive, right off the bat, is to learn to accept yourself for who you are and see yourself as a building under construction,” says Dandapani.
Ravinder Kaur
October 26, 2019 at 8:12 pmThe very need of the times.