How to Tune Into Yourself
We are very busy people.
It doesn’t matter who you talk to, we each share in the human experience.
And part of that experience is to be busy. Very busy. Too busy.
There seems to be no time for anything!
Between responsibilities towards our families and career, there seems to be little time left for anything else.
However a little time is all you need to tune into yourself.
Use this Time to Tune into Yourself
Who has the time for “tuning into” anything?!
I have to worry about how I’m going to feed my family! I have to worry about the threat of eviction! There’s no money in my bank account. What if this drives my business into bankruptcy? Would I bring the coronavirus home from work without knowing it? What if my child gets sick and I have to take him/her to a hospital with people that may have the coronavirus? Et cetera
Ok. Slow down and take a breath.
Everybody has concerns. Again, it is part of the human experience.
These are all certainly important things to consider. And you would be foolish if you did not take the time to plan ahead and make hard decisions to secure yourself and your family as much as possible.
But there are two ways to make these decisions:
- Flustered and frantic
- You know the feeling of being pulled in a thousand different directions and not knowing what to do first!
- Peaceful and united
- The feeling of calm and a sense of unwavering purpose and direction.
The first of these are where people often live their lives. Making decisions in a state of unconscious reaction rather than a state of conscious response.
What’s the difference if in either situation, you made a decision and took action? The difference is subtle, but profound.
The difference comes from the outer versus the inner world. Reacting to external circumstances, rather than responding from an internal assuredness.
We may develop this by taking the time to tune in with ourselves.
If we do not, we lose ourselves.
How to Tune Into Ourselves
It’s not hard. There is no special trick. You don’t have to spend hours in meditation. In fact, we already tune into ourselves.
What do we do already? We take a moment to breathe.
I do not mean normal breathing in and out all day long. I mean when things get overwhelming and suddenly what happens? We take a deep breath. Also known as a sigh. Or possibly a yawn.
This is an unconscious habit we can use to our advantage, IF we become conscious of it.
Often, we do this subconsciously. Or it happens when we’ve already reached above and beyond our limit so that our brain and body force us to take a breath before going on.
But again, this is purely reaction to a hectic world we live in.
I propose that we create the habit to consciously take a breath. We purposely pick and choose small times throughout the day to breathe well before we hit overload.
When?
Wake up in the morning, take a breath. I know it sounds ridiculous to do first thing in the morning. But if you’re anything like me, my mind is immediately filled with all the tasks I have to do that day. So starting with a conscious breath helps to create a mental distance and bring those tasks into perspective.
Before walking out the door, couples may kiss their significant other. If you don’t take a breath, let someone you love take it for you.
Arriving at work, take a breath before walking into the office.
Take a breath when clocking in. This punctuates the start of your work day, or the end of the work day; providing you the mental shift in perspective to be present in the moment and keep your work problems at work, and home problems at home. Of course, they can become entangled. However when the problem is handled, take just another moment to realign yourself with the present moment.
Take a breath just before you pick up the phone. You’ll be much more relaxed and sound calm. I’ve had patients remark on this when listening to me on the other end of the line since my calmness brought them a sense of calm as well.
As you can see from these brief examples, you do not need to set aside a few minutes for this process. We are not talking about meditation here. We are talking about designing your day to take a moment and allow yourself a mental reprieve on purpose.
Find the nooks and crannies of time throughout your day. Take advantage of those moments to check in with yourself.
Use Those Moments to Express Gratitude
If you want to level up those small pockets of time, express gratitude.
Gratitude has an interesting way of energizing the soul and spirit. It is the source of joy.
However people have a very difficult time expressing gratitude. But that is to be expected when we have not practiced it throughout our lives.
So start practicing. We each have a great deal to be grateful for in this life. And beginning to count our blessings will profoundly impact not only your perspective of the present moment, but also attract a greater life.
Gratitude and joy have a magnetic energy to them which not only attracts even more gratitude and joy, but repels fear and misery. They are polar opposites.
Therefore wen you wake up in the morning, spend a moment expressing gratitude for something in your life.
A simple “Thank You” for actually waking up in the morning would get you off to a great start!
Thank you for this breath. Thank you for this day. Thank you for another opportunity to see my loved ones. Thank you for another opportunity to make a difference in their lives!
The list is endless. It might feel limited. But that’s simply because we are often out of practice.
So practice gratitude. And you will reap what you have sown 10-fold!
