Know When to Take a Break and Know There’s No Rush
I originally titled this blog ‘No Rush’ as it reflected an ongoing struggle I had. A struggle to race through life, not relishing the moment, but aiming for the next goal. As someone that trained within healthcare, reflexivity is key. Self awareness creates a deeper understanding of ourselves, our triggers, and also furthers our understanding of others.
Since I entered my 20s, I had felt this continuous urge to rush through life and enter the next phase. I had felt this continual presence that I needed to move fast and be where I want to be right now. This had inevitably caused a lot of anxiety and placed a lot of personal pressure over my life. I’d crammed in as much as I could to the point that it had hindered the things that are most important; relationships, social life, having fun and relaxation. There is such a pressure placed on us within western society that we fail to stay still; embrace the here and now. This constant motion means we miss the moment.
Part of the culture of London living is the fast paced life. We rarely come up for breath from the hectic pace of life to actually truly be still and live. It places in us an ungrateful heart, because we fail to appreciate all that is a blessing around us, at that time, at that moment. If we stopped, stayed still and embraced all that is around us in the here and now, life would appear very different.
I’m aware that, counter to those ‘Type A’ task focused types, there are those that are currently stuck in a rut. So then, how do we stay motivated and pursue our dreams while staying and embracing the here and now? This is something that challenged me; my own personal existential struggle that I learned to somewhat overcome. It is something I will be unpicking in great depth in the coming weeks and months because I fear that if we keep rushing through life, we’ll have nothing worth remembering.
Inner Calm Versus Fear of the Future
Personally, I think that the need to race through life may come from a fear of the unknown and a need to control situations. By developing strategies to relax; such as relaxation music, taking a bath and reading a good book, we can learn to embrace the here and now again. It centres us and brings us back into the moment.
Another strategy is to identify what is truly worth living for. This comes back to my points on fake identity and pursuing something because it makes us look good or there’s a certain expectation on us to do so. If we identify the areas of life that are most important to us we are more likely to be still and enjoy the present.
Acceptance is another key to feeling happy and content in the moment. If we identify our goals and where we want to be, we can work slowly and calmly through them without the need to hurry. If something is really enjoyable, experiencing it will be just as good as the final result.