We are encouraged to live our lives in doing and thinking mode. I know I’ve spent so much of my life being lost in thought; analysing, predicting, telling myself stories about what’s important. At school we’re told to be good at critical thinking, in most work roles we hold data and to-do lists in our minds. The system that we live within urges us to live in our heads.
But it doesn’t really serve us to be in our heads all the time. It’s kind of like living in a made up reality, where we are completely separate from the present moment. It’s like having a cinema screen in our minds that plays all kinds of past or future events. Rarely does it show us what’s right in front of us.
But there is increasing exploration into an alternative way of being. And that is the key word – being. Up until recently there hasn’t been as much encouragement to notice how we feel, or observe what’s around us in each moment. But when we start to take the time to just be, it can be game changing.
In my work here at Bird, I used to be quite frantic with long to-do lists. But now I prioritise going much slower, I try to be more present with each piece of work, to support myself to feel calm and relaxed rather than getting lost in the busy-ness of my head. And I’d say of all the wellbeing, self-care practices I use this has been the most impactful. I feel better able to deal with challenges that come my way, I feel more resilient.
Our egos, our fears, our self-sabotage live in our heads, but joy lives in connecting to the present moment, in prioritising being.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
PS. If this is something you’re interested in exploring more I’d recommend anything by Thich Nhat Hahn, Sam Harris, Sarah Blondin, Pema Chodron or Eckhart Tolle.
Photo by Jocelyn Morales on Unsplash