Take some time to quieten your mind
Our minds are like parachutes. They work best when they are open — not closed, or discarded. Everything in life works on the same premise — the more receptive we are, the better we will be. This holds good for our sleep-wake cycle. We go to sleep each night in an ‘automatic’ manner. We, likewise, wake up each morning at a ‘fixed’ time. Our bio-clocks know it. When we defy the sequence, we upset our biology and also our sleep cycle.
What is most fascinating, in the midst of it all, is we are like sponge — absorbing a glut of information. More so, in our ‘gizmo-oriented’ world, where we have the habit to awaken from deep sleep to check electronic mail on the ‘smart’ phone. Most information processed is ‘relayed’ into the brain from our eyes, sound, taste, touch and smell. The result is not just sensory overload, thanks to multitasking, but also mental exhaustion. This actually robs us of some of the simple pleasures of life. Like sharing pleasant moments with a loved one, or chatting with the family at the dinner table.
All of us are expected to imbibe and dissipate information at warp speed. We have no choice, but to accede to the demands of time. The fallout is — we strap ourselves for a speedy ride to impress others. If we don’t, we face everyone’s wrath — while getting thrown out of a job, too. This is all the more reason why one cares less for work-life balance and more for work-survival balance. Blame it also on recession blues — the point is real balance, or inner peace, cannot be achieved, in the present dispensation, by shutting out reality, or depriving our five senses of the time for ‘stillness.’ To quieten our restless, preoccupied or multitasking mind is not easy. This is only ‘celebrated’ at ‘meditation-in-easy-steps’ workshops, or workplace manuals — a delight for the eye, not for the soul, which knows the factual truth. It is up to us to choose what we want, or don’t want. This is the only mode in which we can episodically disengage from our work pressures and also from multitasking — while taking some time off to calm the gathering storm in our mind. When we achieve this equilibrium, we can reconnect with our deepest self, which was ignored, or, dodged, for long. We should remember that our mind is primarily a result of our brain physiology, or function — and, what drives our thinking apparatus are a host of neurochemicals that relate to every thought, feeling and action. All of this synchronises with the cerebrum, or ‘conscious’ brain, the ‘seat’ of rational thought and language skills. There are two sides to it — the left processes information in a linear manner, while coordinating both artistic and numerical skills. The right connects with spatial attributes, including allegories, metaphors, similes and also melodic patterns relating to music — the rhythm of the spheres. The whole ‘connect’ is sophistication exemplified. What lies ensconced beneath is another part of the brain — this connects with emotions, memory and feelings.
What does this signify? That the mind simply uses the brain as its principal organ of choice and that too much sensory stimulation, or multitasking, leads to reduced concentration, mental exhaustion, indecisiveness and poor communication skills. The outcome is stress — the familiar artefact of emotional distress, or illness — followed by physical and emotional ‘burnout.’ Is there a way out? There is, provided we ‘make’ time each day for some ‘empty’ or complementary ‘breathing’ space for ourselves. This simple, but profound, credo of ‘empty’ space adds to subtract stress. It also helps us achieve tangible balance.
(The writer is a physician and a
doctorate in philosophical literature)
