Did you know your surroundings can say a lot about your internal mental state? The messier your space, especially your personal space, the messier your mental processing. For example, if your desk at work is crowded with paper and/or left-over dirty food containers, then your mind tends to be crowded with unprocessed information and may even be forgetful.
A house and body that appears to be deteriorating could indicate not only lack of interest in those specific things, but also life in general. A person who does not care about their appearance, health, home, personal space, etc. could be a person who has somehow given up on life.
The psychology behind this concept is that anything left unfinished adds to the mental to-do list. That’s why it could feel as if there is always so much to do but not enough time to get it all done. Feelings of stress and overwhelm are common here and adds to the overall dis-ease and poor personal contentment.
Of course, on the other side of this is the tendency to over-perform, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. Doing everything that passes your way the moment arrives can also lead to feelings of stress and overwhelm. Especially, when you do things in advance in an attempt to ‘free more time later’.
A reminder that there is only now, tomorrow is experienced as today, an hour later is experienced as now. Any chore, email, work, to-do list item can wait until a more aligned time especially when tired. It is important not to punish yourself, in hopes that later will feel easier or better. It rarely does, something else to do fills that space.
Many times, our minds and bodies don’t agree. Like when our mind is focused on the task at hand, but our body is screaming for us to slow down and take a break. When we are so mentally focused, especially over extended periods, our bodies have no choice but to become louder to get our attention. It does that by getting sick, or having headaches, typically some kind of pain.
The trick is to listen to the body when it communicates, before it gets louder and forces you to acknowledge it. This is a delicate balance that is crucial if you want to avoid discontent and exhaustion. When actively practiced, the well-being of the mind and body is not only attainable but sustainable as well.
We all just want to feel content in our lives. Acknowledging our habits and how they make us feel is a great place to start. Once acknowledged, we can identify if we want to continue feeling that way or not. If the conclusion is no, then we have the ability to choose to behave differently. We are not slaves to our habits, contrary to how we have lived most of our lives. Habits are very much behavioral choices; Key word here is choice.
When we choose to continue behaving in a way that does not serve our well-being, we are also choosing to continue feeling poorly, discontented and exhausted. Prioritizing how we feel can assist us in identifying what no longer serves us, and where we can make changes in our lives.
As always, courage is required. It is an on-going process to change habitual behavior, that becomes easier each time we do it, to the point that we don't have to actively try anymore. You are essentially re-programming your brain to let go and accept a new way of being. Opportunities will present themselves constantly, allow yourself to be a beginner and don’t expect yourself to perfect it at your first attempt.
Being gentle with yourself for not being perfect is a fundamental step in the journey of growth and evolution. That means no negative self judgement, negative internal dialog, or self-punishment. When we let go of who we have been, we allow ourselves space to become who we are destined to be, a calmer happier person.
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