Do Nothing - Relax Your Mind

This post is inspired by two videos I've seen lately whilst thoughtfully rifling through the internet later at night. The first is a TED Talk entitled "10 Mindful Minutes" by Andy Puddicombe, writer and meditation expert. The second some of you may have come across buried in your news feeds lately and is a poem/video about the effects social media has on society by poet Gary Turk called, "Look Up". Stumbling upon the two videos has lead me to ask an important question about myself and our society; with so many distractions so readily available in our daily lives, how are we expected - and indeed how important is it - to allow time for ourselves to relax our minds? 

Now, I realise the irony that I'm posting this on the internet - but the more I reflect upon the videos I've watched lately, the more I come to realise that our inability to take time out to spend time with our own thoughts and just do nothing has escalated into a fairly big problem in society, and I'm no exception. Most of us, I'm sure, can relate to how overwhelming expectations and pressure from parents, teachers and the government to study hard, achieve good results and find a good job can be as we grow older. Add in the pressure of our personal lives; relationships, family situations, financial issues - and you finally result in a society under a tremendous amount of stress. Many of us deal with the pressure in different ways, some suffocate themselves in work, some turn to alcohol, some turn to self harm or lustful relationships - but how many of us can honestly say that to deal with pressure, we just take a minute to be alone, close our eyes and relax? The technique suggested by Puddicombe can work for anyone, and it's simple; switch off the phone and the television and just be alone, he suggests a mere 10 minutes a day practicing such a technique will allow for a better, clearer thought process. 

Growing up I had a relatively good childhood, however being a middle child I was always competing with my brother and sister and, to some extent, my personality attributes and some of the lifestyle choices I made could be the result of that - but it wasn't until my teens that this really started taking effect. I don't believe my life has been all that bad, and in many ways I've been lucky, but naturally I've made some choice that others have been very judgmental of, not that I can say that I blame them. If you asked anyone who knew me six years ago whether I was likely to pass my A-Levels and go on to graduate from University, they would have laughed in your face - but in the end I've managed to, and furthermore I've managed to do it well. Nevertheless, reflecting back upon my younger years, I strongly believe that I spent years attempting to impress my parents and, as such, achieving for them rather than for myself - never allowing myself to make make decision solely for me, or to figure out what I wanted in life. Until quite recently I suppose you could argue my relationships have been similar, I've always settled for less, put others first and - all too often -  made myself unhappy. I have quite recently, however (if we disregard my job and parts of my social life) started to find direction in my life.

Whatever situation you may find yourself in, it's important that we all allow ourselves time to do literally nothing. The people around me, both friends and family, will be the first to tell you that I think a lot - and so for me to sit there and attempt to clear my head of any thoughts and worry is challenging. I'm no expert of the mind, but I have found by clearing my thoughts, it allows space to think more rationally about the big things like future plans and issues we may be facing at any given time. I'm slowly but surely finding myself again through this process, allowing myself to realise the people and things that matter and have a huge significance in my life. I only hope that more people find success in adopting a similar idea. 

"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind"

- Joyce Meyer

Craig