It is the paradox of our time. We find ourselves running constantly, trying to fill each moment with doing something. We find ourselves worrying, stressing, feeling exhausted about the enormity of the tasks we have set for ourselves. We cannot help but feeling like the proverbially hamsters on a treadmill, running faster, getting no where.
Physiologically our pulse, respirations, blood pressure are mirroring our feelings We are frenetically being pulled and pushed from one thought and feeling to another. We lose focus and clarity. We feel like mindlesspuppets rushing helter skelter. We are wasting time while we believe we are getting somewhere. We are not really accomplishing what we want and as we recognize this truth our fear just intensifies our stress. We are feeling physically as well as mentally exhausted and overwhelmed by our own self-imposed timelines. There is a strong feeling that we are losing control over our lives and that we never quite finish one thing before being pulled into something else--this is multitasking from hell!
Paradoxically the more we struggle the less we actually accomplish. Ironically the best way to get somewhere is to go nowhere. Doing nothing will allow us to do something better.
Spend a few minutes in quiet repose. Sit and meditate on your breath. Just be with the in and outflow. Thinking and feeling will immediately flood your mind. Take note and gently give yourself the gift of going back to being with your breath.
Enjoy the freedom from thinking and doing nothing for those few minutes. Soon you will feel more relaxed. Your body will feeling calm and rested. Your thinking/feeling mind will settle as well. You can practice the art of witnessing or observing your thoughts and feelings rather than being carried along helplessly by them.
This approach allows you to understand what your mind has been reacting to. Perhaps there are some deep psychological wounds that underlie your perception that you will never get where you want to go. They can be addressed and healed only if they are observed and acknowledged.
This is mindful as opposed to mindless awareness. This more objective position will allow you to respond to the content of your mind in a more productive and healing manner.
This practice of doing nothing to accomplish something will hopefully become a regular part of your daily routine.
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