I have to think that right now, most of us fall into one of two categories: we are incredibly busy juggling multiple responsibilities or we are incredibly UN-busy because we have little to do while staying inside/safe during the pandemic.
Which category do you fall into? Busy? Un-busy? Either way, we recognize that our current circumstances are stressful. Either way, we can help ourselves deal with the stress by taking time to STOP for a minute. Stop working, stop taking care of others, stop worrying, stop looking for something to do, and just STOP.
In a previous post, I talked about the benefits of meditation. Research supports the benefits of meditating: clearer thinking, better stress management, heightened mood, and improved sleep, to name a few. But, despite all the research, maybe you just don't buy into the whole 'meditation' thing. Maybe it isn't for you, and that is fine. Maybe what might be more your style is the idea of stopping for a moment or two. You can get some of the benefits of meditation, and some of the benefits of savoring, which I talked about yesterday. The outcomes may not be as 'strong' as those found from meditation or savoring, but if you aren't doing either, then you aren't getting any of the benefits, so... let's give this a try.
Whatever you are doing right now (after you read this whole blog, please), STOP.
Stop walking, stop talking, stop thinking, eating, etc. Sit or stand, either one.
Close your eyes.
Listen.
What can you hear? Traffic, people, birds?
Be still and just listen for a few minutes.
Identify each sound individually. The neighbors fighting or singing. The dog down the street barking. The cars. The music. The clanging of industry, the music of life, or the beauty of silence.
Now, listen to all of it together, like a beautiful symphony or an awesome rap beat.
Life is happening all around us. Our lives can be so busy or stressful, or so quiet and lonely, that we forget about what is happening around us. When the world around us is so repetitive, we get used to it and tune it out, forgetting it is even there. When we STOP, close our eyes, and pay attention, we reconnect with what is happening outside of our own world. We forget, for a moment, our own lives. We hear the beautiful symphony of the world around us, whatever it sounds like.
This helps distract us from our own problems, but it also reminds us that there is beauty amidst the chaos, or sound and movement amidst our own isolation or solitary existence.
See the world around you. Hear the world around you. Try it again, but this time SMELL the world around you. That might not be as beautiful if you live near a sanitation facility, so think that one through. :)
Activating our senses, especially one a time, helps us slow down and reconnect with our world in a way that is truly beautiful, unique, and a reminder that we do not exist in a vacuum, but have people around us with whom we can connect, and things around us that we can enjoy and appreciate.
STOP. LISTEN. ENJOY.
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