Simplicity has almost become a foreign concept in our lives, yet sometimes it actually vital to our survival and health. Other times we might be taking the “too simple route” and ultimately end up stagnant/stuck and disappointed aswell.
In this article I want to talk about how to balance out the two extremes that lead to anxiety: being overwhelmed by information; thinking too much (about the future, for example) and wanting to “run away from it all” and the “thirst for more” as a means to filling the void within with more and more information and details to the point of breaking.
The original principle of functioning = only one thing at a time
Our human organism functions best with one task at a time. We are “just one” so we should acknowledge that and do just one task at a time but put 100% focus onto that – creating so called “absolute focus”. Means putting all of our focus onto one task in the moment. That way we are likely achieve maximum effort and max results too, because we don’t waste our energy by doing one thing while thinking about another. In the latter case we actually divert more energy to the task that has yet to happen! In other words: “Worrying about the future makes you go through it twice” and both times energy is used up. This ties in very well with “the art of taking it with you“.
Running away is NOT a solution
Running away from everything (“ignorance”) is a form of avoidance and does give short term solace but makes things even worse in the long run. This causes stagnation and “spiritual suffocation”, let’s say. That, in turn, in the long run even builds up inside the physical body as excess tension and ultimately manifests in various forms of sickness/ailment/disease (even cancer). “Things DO happen for a reason” as we know. And so does everything we encounter. While we don’t and shouldn’t take up everything we encounter, what we should learn in moments of “overwhelment” is to take a step back if necessary, assess the situation, then take up one task at a time. Taking a step back sounds similar to “ignoring”, but I like to think of it as “ok, relax, take a deep breath… why am I getting so worked up?” See? It gives the intention of “wanting to find a solution; move forward”, whereas ignoring would sound like “oh, this is too much, I can’t handle it/it’s unfair/why me/why can’t someone else do it, etc.” There’s not much hope for the future to be felt there, isn’t there? 😅
“More” isn’t always “better” either
Wanting to know too much, on the other hand, is similar, except that we take up more than we can physically/psychologically bear. This usually happens due to our inherent “rationality” – that everything has a fixed shape and form and is “logically plausible”. But as we come to grow and learn in life that’s not really realistic, is it? Reality, life, is much more complex, highly unpredictable despite “understanding fundamentals of how things work or how they should work out”. Tie in to this: “the observer bias” – how merely observing an experiment in some way influences the outcome (due to our intuitive expectations, for example). To top it off, in my personal opinion, some things simply cannot be understood.
Or better worded: “some things don’t need to be understood”. At least perhaps not in that very moment and place, but are likely to be understood at some later point, spontaneously (aKa “epiphanies” or “eureka effects” 😉). We don’t need to always understand everything, usually we merely need to understand the point and give our minds a break with excess details and information. There is always going to be more learn out there… so trying to get it ALL is Sisyphus’ work – it’s senseless. WE are the ones who determine when “we’ve learned enough/everything” (for the moment!).
“Understanding” is not the same as “knowing”, let alone “living it”.
Žiga Grušovnik
How to get out of this cycle?
Some aspects that have high potential to save us from this downward spiral are actually really simple and can be expressed in keywords such as: curiosity, awe, openness, wonder, surrendering, unconditional love, kindness, amusement and joy, faith and trust… but all with intention! The intention behind the sentiment always matters!
In practice it usually boils down even simpler – to focus.
“Where we put our focus, we give our energy to.”
It’s a simple matter of how we perceive things – if we focus on bad things, our perception is negative. But if we focus on directing our intention to the good things, no matter how small they may seem, things are perceived as positive! It really is that simple. 🙃
“The school of life” said in their wonderful YouTube video: “How to simplify your life” – “because sometimes some things and/or people are so irrelevant to us as the inhabitants of the Egyptian court of king Sneferu in the late 2613 b.c.” 🤷♂️
Some things are vital many others are actually irrelevant if we think about them. It just comes down to the change of perception. We humans are incredible when it comes to adaptability and change. We’ve merely keep misplacing/forgetting about that aspect to our nature. It is likely the healthiest for us to be determined, and/or hardworking at one point, but laid back and spontaneous in the next moment – we can be both! We are allowed to do so. There is a time when we should face our responsibilities, rise up to our fears and grow, but other times it’s perfectly reasonable to say: “F*** it! I feel good right now and the thing CAN wait.” 😁
Hopefully this article has inspired you to either lay back OR be productive (or both, one after the other 😄). If it did, share your inspiration in the comments – we all can always benefit from an inspiring story, even if it involves mere intentional rest! 😌
Stay balanced and I’ll see/read you in another moment in time. 💜
Moment in time 