Therapies
The Secret Power of Nothing
What are you doing when you are doing “nothing at all”?
How exactly do we define “doing nothing” in this busy, sometimes stressed, and permanently connected modern world that we live in?
Nothing is often used as a synonym for nothing productive or not working (may this be a formal job, a hobby, being a parent, a homemaker, or even a student). Nothing usually equals to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, streaming movies, etc.
Let me ask you: When was the last time you truly did nothing at all? How often did you really, and I mean really do nothing at all? Just sat for a few moments alone with your thoughts, without any external distractions, without engaging in any activity in particular and without a specific purpose or goal in mind?
Hustling World
We run on high octane all the time. Always wanting to mirror society’s demands of perfection and happiness, ever productive and responding to the eternally more urgent requests of whomever (boss, spouse, children, friends, family, etc.), being perpetually intangibly connected to it all and always available.
We might miss something important if we take a moment to ourselves. We thrive on stress; we believe we perform better under pressure, to be stressed is synonymous to being needed, wanted, desired, busy.
We feel a constant urgency humming in the air. Meanwhile, in our typical day to day activities, nothing is genuinely urgent; most things can wait a moment or two, before being tackled.
Mindless Complexity
In 2020, the complexity and interconnectedness of the most straightforward tasks distract us from making decisions consciously.
We merely seem to want to react to outside stimuli quickly, somewhat efficiently, and move on to the next point on our neverending to-do list.
It seems that we have forgotten how to wind down, how to take a moment for ourselves, how to recuperate from our daily stress and recharge, reconnect to our essence, and perhaps reconnect to others in a meaningful way.
A Moment Just For You
What happens when you take this precious moment for yourself? Just being present with your body and allowing your mind to be busy or still, allowing it to drift into daydreaming, be silent, or going over your day.
All this without intent, without a specific goal, without judgment or any self-criticism, what your mind does o fails to do is unimportant, for this moment is aimless.
As little as a few minutes, being moored in the here and now and leaving the world outside is a perfect place to start reconnecting and recharging yourself. A perfect place to perhaps begin a Mindfulness journey.
Just you, just now.
Mindfulness 101
A simple and easy exercise to decompress, unwind, and reconnect with yourself, consist of taking a few minutes to yourself without having a purpose or goal. Weird, I know. But trust me on this one.
3 Minutes
• set a timer if you need to
• sit comfortably
• close your eyes if you wish (less external stimuli)
• take two or three deep breaths; inhaling with your nose for 5 seconds and exhaling through
your mouth for 7 seconds
• continue breathing at your own pace
• do nothing, nada, zilch, zero
• let your mind do what it wants; observe where your thoughts go without judgment
• mentally take note about the content of your thoughts
• try to refrain from reacting to any discomfort you might feel. If you feel pain, move
consciously. No need to feel uncomfortable here.
• You are done! Congrats!
TIP: to get less distracted, perhaps you can let a white noise play in the background and concentrate on that. I like to use the sound of “wind in the desert.” When I focus my attention on a sound, I find it easier to let go of everything else.
You can use this simple yet extremely effective exercise as many times as you need during your day. You can do this in the comfort of your home, on the bus while standing, in the office, anywhere.
It might take a few times to get used to it; practice is the key here, as for any new skill that you want to acquire. Should you find it challenging to sit still for just a few minutes, then this is the perfect place to start! We are merely unfamiliar with sitting still and taking some time for ourselves. Perpetual motion seems to be the motto of this century!
For those who like it extra easy, I will be happy to share with you a complimentary 10-Minutes Meditation Audio to guide you through “doing nothing” on your WhatsApp.
May you always live in The Golden Moment of Now!
Samantha
http://www.thezurichinsider.com
WhatsApp 076 464 54 88
