One of the main challenges in our busy, fast-paced world is slowing down and stepping out of the hamster wheel of our unconscious routines.
My husband and I had booked a hiking trip to Tasmania, walking the Overland Trek in winter. I was really looking forward to the challenge and some nature time…and then another lockdown cancelled our adventure. For a brief period of time, I was considering to just keep working (I love my work and there’s always plenty to do). Luckily, my husband convinced me to take a pause and recharge. It was worth it – I highly recommend it.
Instead of the ‘doing’, I focused again on ‘being’. It was an eye-opening experience. With all the doing – mainly in front of a screen – my vision had become a bit limited. By spending more screen-free time outdoors, practicing wide-angle vision and slow walking, I rediscovered forgotten sources of energy and new perspectives on issues where I had been stuck.
Achieving better self-awareness is like the difference between running and walking through a beautiful landscape: things just pass by when you run, but when you walk slowly and consciously you discover some amazing, new details. Think of it like a quick-cut GoPro video versus a carefully taken macro photo. What offers you a better chance of experiencing new insights?
When you are not slowing down and are not fully aware, you might already be experiencing too much stress. This might be causing you to lose energy and mojo without noticing your precarious state. But even if you do not notice — other people will.
This idea of slowing down and becoming aware may seem to contradict some of our strongly held beliefs on how to become successful today.
We still believe that we have to DO a lot — instead of BE a lot.
You might feel an overall sense of overwhelm without being able to identify exactly what causes the energy-draining feeling. Once you manage to calm your mind to a certain degree, the causes of the overwhelm often become obvious and tackling them becomes much easier. Your mindset and thinking often create too many unrealistic expectations and put pressure on you. This leads to taking on too much in order to maintain the image of being an in-control overachiever who makes things perfect. This leads to inconsistent results, which, in turn, makes you put in even more effort instead of stepping out and noticing what is going on.
Psychologist Carl Jung said, ‘Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.’
Increasing your self-awareness gives you the opportunity to pause a moment, and then decide more pro-actively how to respond instead of automatically reacting without thinking.
When will you take your next break?
Right now, a full holiday seems to be very unrealistic for most of us. Thus, think of something small and achievable that works for your current circumstances. It could be a micro-adventure in your neighbourhood. During a lunchbreak, walk slowly and become more aware of your peripheral vision. Relax your eyes to explore what’s happening at the edges around you. There are many new perspectives waiting to be discovered.
Stay well.
Naturally yours,
Ingrid