The world we live in today engulfs so much of the processing allotment anyone has on a given day. From the time you open your eyes to the time you head back to bed, there is often no gap or moment of respite. Most people work through the break they are given at work, I’m even guilty of using my lunch break to pick up the kids from school or complete some arbitrary tasks. We move from one task to the next, multitasking and side hustles are normalized and seen as a beacon of success in some fields. If we took a brief moment to dissect this norm, imagine with me the day as a figurative race car on a track. As the car circles the track normally it runs out of fuel, needs repairs or even new tires. This is why pit stops are common and mandatory during races. Without this the consequences can be catastrophic. The energy in our body, both physical and mental state is the same. This constant “on-the-go”, with no pitstop creates wear and tear on our emotional and physical state whether we stop to acknowledge it or not. Becoming a buildup of blocked tension, pressure, or energy with no release. Similarly, the lack of a release or reset can be catastrophic. While you may be able to go on longer than a race car, eventually even you need repairs, fuel or new tires, figuratively of course. Instead of a pit stop I’ve found there may be an alternate remedy.
Time to decompress.
This concept has some minor prerequisites. One, is first believing the battle is in the mind. Most nights, like many people, I lay in bed and my body is physically exhausted but my brain or the voices in my brain seemed to have just begun almost as if they caught a new stride. The rabbit hole is what I’ve begun to call it. Thoughts that take you down darting endless paths. What will I pack the kids for lunch; did I respond to that email; do the kids have a class activity I’m forgetting, let me check the school’s app; I have to pay that bill; did I format that account correctly, and so on. If thought bubbles filled the room, I’d be suffocated within minutes. Oftentimes the thoughts become so loud trying to quiet them almost becomes or feels impossible.
The truth or a truth about this is that decisions or thought paths bred in noise are not discernible and true realization that decisions bred in mental noise lack discernibility is profound. The chaos within the mind tends to manifest in disorganized thoughts, making it challenging to distinguish rational paths. The thoughts become just as disorganized as the noise they were birthed in and the saying goes, be careful of your thoughts for they become your words and because there is power in the tongue words can be personified into action. Action becomes a habit, taking root, transforming into your character and character shaping destiny. Simplicity or clarity in thought takes work. Taking control of your thoughts takes work. Taking control of your thoughts takes work, silencing the intrusive thoughts takes work and work is only successful or fruitful when done with consistency. Consistent time to decompress.
Different from meditation or time to relax, decompression aims to step outside of the thoughts. Understanding that you are not your racing thoughts and putting distance between you and them. Allowing yourself to recognize the spiral or trip down the rabbit hole and instead of shaming or becoming frustrated with yourself pause and step outside of the thoughts, just let them be. Recognize that they are not you and choose not to give them energy at this moment. Ultimately reclaiming and redirecting your mental energy. Leaving them where they stand and choosing to ground yourself. Exhale, Release the trespassing thoughts and fix your mind’s eye on one thing. More importantly, not just one thing. One Truth, not one task. Understanding that a task does not define you but the truth you choose in this moment will.
What will be your truth?
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