This is an old and familiar theme, to slow down and savor, smell the flowers, be present, stay mindful. We know the importance of this and many of us value it. However in this fast paced world, this culture of doing, we can easily get swept away in the rapid motion.
Consider the pace of today’s life, if you have been here awhile it is hard not to compare it to times gone by which honestly felt slower. Technology for the most part is the culprit. The devices which have fueled our perverse desire to multitask and be wildly busy.
We are being bombarded by information, so much that we are losing our ability to absorb even a fraction of it. Think of the mind and the energetic body like a sponge, there is only so much it can soak up till the water starts to leak out and pool beneath it.
That’s what is happening to us, we have become sodden with information and tasks, passwords and websites, texts, social media, multiple email accounts, online alerts, weather and news, it goes on and on. We can only soak up so much before we need to be wrung out and allowed to dry.
How many times have you found you receive an email of some import while you were on the go…you read it quickly in the parking lot, you create a story in your head about how annoyed you are about X,Y, & Z. You replay this story over and over, until you finally take the time to quietly and mindfully actually read the email again, only to find you have gotten the information completely wrong!
This is not entirely our fault. We are inundated with information and can’t literally take the time to slow down and read the whole thing, all the words.
That little computer you carry around in your pocket or purse is a large part of the challenge. Giving us access to a vast scope of information every second, of every day.
So what to do?
Awareness…and slow down. Create some structure around your relationship with your devices. Maybe resist the urge to check the email in the parking lot. Give yourself a break from the endless information. Do something human, with humans. Turn the damn thing off every once and awhile. Don’t take it to bed with you.
Go back to nature, slow down and breathe.
Oh and remember, you really do know how to read, the whole thing, every word…did you get to the end of this article!?! 😉