We all know those moments when it’s suddenly all too much. Often, we’re a bit late in recognizing that a change is overdue. These past months, I’ve reconnected to the knowing that I can achieve much more if I focus and cultivate calm. Slow down in order to then leap ahead with power. Reconnect to my vitality.
I’m a daily people watcher. On the train, in the street. They often look like zombies, staring at their phones. Sometimes I’m tempted to take a picture when I see a group of youngsters sitting in a café, looking apathetically at their screens rather than interacting with each other.
Through my own work as an online-professional I’m particularly aware of the detrimental effects of hanging out online on our peace of mind. This is often the culprit when it comes to insomnia and serious exhaustion. Those who spend hours of their day hooked on social media end up emotionally cross-eyed and completely out of touch with themselves. Not to mention the wasted time.
Don’t we all long for the days when we checked our analog mailbox once a day? The peace and quiet we enjoyed back then. Nowadays we live as though we’re constantly inviting the whole world over to our place for a huge party. At least at the energetic level, as long as we’re constantly preoccupied with social media or other internet content. Our mind needs peace!
I’ve developed some tools and guidelines that really help me to stay centered and focus on my work – and to live my life in peace. I have to remind myself too, and it takes some discipline, but it’s so worth it!
Email discipline
I only check my email twice a day. Not before 10:00 a.m. and not after 7:00 p.m. I only check in between in cases of emergency. Every morning and evening I take 30 minutes to reply to emails. As I receive countless messages every day, I have to be strict – otherwise I won’t get to anything else. This simple rule alone gives me peace of mind. There’s nothing worse than quickly reading a disconcerting message right before Yoga class starts, for example. We never arrive in our spiritual center if we’re constantly preoccupied with the outside. Anyone who writes to us can wait a few hours to receive a reply!
No wasting time on social media
I spend maximum 30 minutes per day on social media channels. That’s effective. I search for the things that interest me, and then I leave the bubble again. That way, I stay inspired but don’t get lost in the madness.
The early bird…
The phone stays off in the morning. That feels good. My first impressions when the day is young are not of my phone. Of course, I have to keep my curiosity about what’s new in the world in check, but it’s much more important to me to start the day in peace, with meditation, beautiful music, essential oils, tea and snuggle time with my kids. That might sound cheesy, but this is how I set the tone for the day ahead. Here a detailed description of my morning routine.
Reading meditation
My favorite thing for settling down is reading. Get offline. I devour books. Here an article on why we should read more. It is among the simplest tools for quieting the mind. Reading meditation: so lovely!
Mind expansion
I love learning new things. It helps me to focus and slow down, and it keeps my mind fresh and open. It’s never too late for something new, and it’s so wonderful to discover a new world and to immerse fully in something unfamiliar.
We should not simply build islands of calm in our lives, we should become those islands.Click To TweetWe don’t need to pick up the pace, quite the contrary: we will find our strength through serenity.
#keepyourheadclear
Madhavi
