We all have a habit of letting our minds drift and roam, wandering from one thought to another. It can be sweet to daydream, imagine, rehearse or romanticize. Or simply mull over a problem.
There isn't a living soul who doesn't slip into an inner world of reverie. Our minds tend to wander more when we are stressed, bored or uninterested by the task at hand. While catching up with a friend this weekend I confessed that I have been experimenting with consciously choosing to give my thoughts free rein — letting my mind wander without direction— curious about the ideas and feelings below the surface. I give this activity a start time: I let my mind dart wherever it wishes, creating whatever fantasies and stories it desires. And it does so with great abandon. I admit this feels indulgent. I am aware that I am allowing myself to daydream. And, it feels very different from the daydreaming that happens when you are reading a book and realize you haven't absorbed one word, because your attention has wandered. I think we need to let our minds wander freely, without any particular goal. To pursue a degree of mindlessness, from time to time. But to do this well we also need, in addition to a start time, discipline and an exit strategy. For me, this is being able to turn OFF the ON switch to my daydreaming sessions. On a dime. When our daydreaming becomes addictive or compulsive, and leads to excessive rumination, the rehashing of old stories, or repetitive analyses of who did what and when, I see this as a negative form of mindlessness. It leaves you unhappy, worried, overwhelmed and unproductive. It lacks an on/off switch. I prefer to cultivate a mindful meditation practice, where you pay more attention to your breath and not your thoughts, but if you need a dose of mindlessness, just make sure you know to flip the switch. in mindful mindlessness, Coach Minda
5 Comments
On September 17th, I led the workshop, "Energize Your Time: How to Be a Better Manager of Your Most Important Resource," to a packed room at the International Conference on Physician Health, in Boston. It was a very good conference. I chatted with exceptionally friendly people, many who are working hard to create a culture of health and wellness for physicians - in the universities, hospitals and clinics. The room was packed not because I'm a known speaker, but because of the workshop title. What I learned from this workshop and from my many informal discussions over two days with American, Canadian and British physicians, is their tremendous desire to figure out how to be more effective with their time. To assess this, I said during a workshop exercise, "you have to start first with defining for yourself, and according to your own criteria, what does it mean to YOU to be more effective? What would be the professional and personal benefits of using your time well?" I suggested to participants who were having a hard time defining what it means to be effective, to consider instead what happens when you don't use your time well? For example:
After two days in a hotel conference setting, sitting for most of the day without fresh air and natural light and not exercising at all, coupled with eating what felt like non-stop 'free' snacks, I felt totally ineffective. So I headed to the backwoods of Maine, to a cabin. Had the hot water tank not emptied so quickly, I would say this was the best shower I ever had! Walking on rocky shorelines, beaches made of shells, biking in Acadia National Park and hiking on Blue Hill was a great follow-up to the conference. And, a great way to end my summer. I wish all of you health and happiness and lots of opportunities to enjoy breaks in the backwoods. Or even backyard.
Coach Minda Special: All clients will receive a free Honeycrisp apple with every coaching session, during the month of October. That's four of the best apples you'll ever have, not to mention the best coaching sessions. (see this blog:http://www.coachminda.com/blog/unforbidden-fruit) When I first launched the Coach Minda website (May 2013), I made a personal commitment: write one blog a week. I had researched the business side of blogging and how to reach readers who fit the profile of would-be clients, but I wasn't ready for that kind of approach. I just wanted to learn how to express my professional interests, in writing. And publicly.
Writing 52 blogs a year (not exactly each week) has been challenging, nerve wracking, time-consuming. Difficult! Months ago, feeling I should be writing more, but having nothing more to express (publicly), I whispered to myself, "You don't have to write every week or even every two weeks. Just write when the feeling strikes. When you have something to say." So the blog went from a weekly, to a bi-weekly, to a monthly and now, the longest interval yet, two months (since the previous blog). I let myself off the hook because after a few years:
A few conclusions:
When the feeling strikes, Coach Minda And ever so lazy Winter feels officially over in Montreal. The weekend sky is blue, the sun is shining, the air is a lot warmer and the snow has melted (lots of snow still in the Laurentians). In spite of what should be energizing with this great weather and sweet smell in the air, I'm feeling lazy. I just don't feel like doing very much. Admitting laziness for me is akin to facing the fear that every ounce of ambition, willpower and motivation I own will slip-slide away and I will be trapped in Dante's slackerhood inferno if I don't get cracking, moving and doing. In short, if I am not productive I am doomed. Thankfully, I'm in the grip of this irrational idea for only a few fleeting moments because I'm a natural at cognitive reframing: I can change my mindset and find the positive or alternative explanations for most negative ideas. I reframe by reminding myself that:
Regardless of your personal and professional challenges, it is necessary to lessen the unsustainable pressures and demands for output, productivity and efficiencies, especially when off the work grid for a few days! What I have done today amounts to this:
Coach Minda Please:
|
My family, relationships, movement, nature, flexibility of mind, exploration of alternative perspectives & openness are central to my life.Archives
December 2021
|