This past weekend I saw a 60 Minutes spot on the current movement of The Supremely Stressed to gain a more “mindful” approach to their lives. To forgo their electronic leashes and all the stress that accompanies today’s lives for their own thoughts and presence-of-mind. Peacefulness.
I find this interesting on many levels.
If you go to the above link, you’ll find you’ll be immediately pummeled by a loud and frigging obnoxious commercial for 30 annoying seconds. Then the 60 Minute spot starts and after mere seconds you are again redirected into the same fricking annoying soul-sucking commercial for another 30 seconds! At least my viewing of it was. I couldn’t X-out of that damned video fast enough.
For real, CBS? Did you not watch your own spot on “Mindfulness”?
My own stress level at the launching of that commercial shot through the roof.
A curious point brought up in the segment was that those creating, marketing, and promoting the very things that lead to elevated stress levels—the iPads, the cell phones, the very technology being eschewed in this retreat—are those being schooled in this new movement.
The condensed version of the 60 Minute segment is that one focuses on the present.
Does not multitask.
Learns meditation.
Becomes comfortable with their own thoughts.
There are various methods for doing all of the above (e.g., focusing on one’s own breathing), but what I wanted to get into was not the mechanics of it all, but that it is so cool that people are really “getting it” that we need to modify our behavior. That doing things like this makes one calmer, more open to listening, cooperating with each other, and that one becomes nicer.
I’m far from perfect, but for most of my life I’ve tried to live by these principles…but, admittedly, it’s not easy in today’s world. It’s like the proverbial Chinese Water Torture…when you constantly get pinged by anything—even the most calmest of us— eventually it’s easy to, well, snap. There are so many different directions I could go with breaking the whys and wherefores out…but, again, that’s not what I wanted to do, here. I just wanted to bring out the movement. To show that this retreat and other methods out there are showing us that there is a better way to live our lives and to hopefully plant a seed in those out there reading this to find your own way to a calmer path in your own lives.
You don’t need to have a bigger and better cell phone. That promotion at the expense of your happiness.
Try this…I dare you:
Sit down to eat any meal—at home—all by yourself. No distractions. No conversation. No music. Silence. Just you and your food. In a quiet location.
You might be surprised at how calming and enjoyable you find it.
Well, as long as I have my iPad and am reading all the horrid news coming out of the Middle East.
I would say, change your subscription….
I’m not lost without my high tech phone and computer, but to sit by myself (frequent since Wen goes on business trips) without the radio or TV turned into news or talk radio, I feel I’m not getting enough info. I don’t tend to get info from within. Maybe I’m afraid of my own thoughts? I’d rather refill my cup than examine what’s already in there.
Wow, that’s so honest of you to share! Perhaps that’s how many feel? I guess I’m the opposite. I only have a few devices (no smartphones) because I need them for my writing work. I’m quite content to be disconnected…but understand their value in today’s society. I’m just hoping we can all find it within ourselves to periodically disconnect and “air out”….
Good post! And ha, yes, that ad placement WAS ironic. You don’t have to be a disciple of mindfulness, though, to be annoyed at the constant pop-ups and video-launches that assault us daily. It’s a bit much at times, no question.
It’s funny you’d post this today — I had a moment this morning where everything at the house was perfectly quiet and still, and I couldn’t help stopping for a few moments and, well, kind of taking it in and thinking about how rare it is. We could all use more peace and quiet, that’s for sure.
Thanks, Paul!
Don’t you just love those captured moments? I do the same thing. In fact, when I’m out mowing the lawn, I pause to take stock of the view we have of the mountains…and of the moment. The clouds, the light, the grass. Time of day. The beauty of being a creature in a perfect moment of time.
Thanks for sharing that Paul—it’s great to hear of others who do the same thing! Way to go!
Mindfulness when I eat requires that I deliberately count x number of bites, count out a pause for a seconds and then count out another few bites. I’ve spent too many years being trained to gulp and run as a life technique since college because of my schedule. Now… well… once again it feels more like the schedule is more important than the eating.
Yes, life has certainly gotten busier rather than…wait—there’s an alternative?! Heaven forbid that bodily functions get in the way of Getting Stuff Done! You know, like eating, sleeping, and bathroom breaks! The nerve of the body!
Well, we all do the best we can, right? :-]
Thanks for stopping by!