The Mental Side of ThingssteemCreated with Sketch.

in #blog6 years ago (edited)

One day while I was taking the bus to work and thinking about random stuff like one does, I stumbled upon something I hadn't thought of before even though it has been pretty obvious for a long time.  

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First a bit of context: I was thinking about the benefits of mindfulness; which in simple words is clearing your mind through meditation without any spiritual mumbo jumbo. The most obvious thing that happens while you exercise mindfulness is that all the voices in your head that tell you random stuff, like reminding you how annoying x or y person was the other day, they disappear and the mind becomes more clear and you get a feeling like a weight you've been carrying in your head for a long time is lifted.

While all this was going through my head, it dawned on me: that's why I like being in nature so much because then all the stressful or annoying voices in my head shut up and I'm able to really enjoy my surroundings and feel relaxed. Maybe it doesn't sound like much but it gave my a deeper understanding of how my mind works.

In the age where we are constantly bombarded with information, a lot of it useless, I think the ability to stay focused and clear your head has become vital. Unfortunately I've been less able to concentrate to the degree I consider normal in the past couple of years; a considerable portion of the blame needs to be put on being constantly distracted with non important stuff. I have found myself being less able to remember information, being less focused in the present and sometimes day dreaming when I should have been alert and paying attention.  All these things I feel are crucial to functioning well at work and in general.

So I'm wondering: what is the actual long term damage of being bombarded with random information all the time and not noticing it? or maybe I'm more sensitive to it? One of my solutions is to try and "meditate" while I'm on the bus or walking home. Of course it's pretty difficult because I also want to look normal while doing this and not close my eyes and look like I'm sleeping or something.

The more I think about it the more I feel I'm not designed to live in densely populated city but rather in a more natural setting. This little trick to do on the buss for example I feel it will help long term but it will also require a lot of practice. So I'll try to keep track on how it will affect my ability to concentrate in the future.

I'm planning on starting another new series about the psychology of running and spending time in nature and how that affects anxiety and other mental aspect. I'm very interested in the field of psychology and I also have a lot of personal experience with anxiety so this will be a lot of fun :) Stay tuned 

Take care, 

Adrian

   

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Nice post! It reminds me that I should meditate every day but it's hard to keep up ...

It's all about working on your daily routine and finding a place where it can fit in. I may sound boring but it's worth it :)

Yeah it is about a daily routine. I'm currently reading The Power of Habit and I try to implement some of the techniques mentioned in this book :)

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