It's been a long day and you're driving home with plans to go to pick up groceries along the way. There is a lot on your mind but you're looking forward to making a nice meal when you get home. What was that last meeting at work all about anyways? Thirty minutes later, you find yourself pulling into the driveway without any groceries. Having taken the familiar route home, you realize that you drove right past the grocery store.
Sound familiar?
Habitual thinking occurs when the brain becomes so accustomed to certain tasks that performing them becomes automatic. Everyday examples include brushing teeth, taking a shower, eating, and even managing our emotions (which we will get into the second part of this post). The nature of the mind is to think and to problem solve. In doing so, it quietly steals moments right out from underneath!
Psychologists Daniel Simons and Daniel Levin conducted an experiment at Cornell University, to see how aware people were to their surroundings. An actor carrying a campus map asked students for directions. As the conversation ensued, the psychologists arranged for two people to carry a large door between the actor and the student, taking the actor out of view for a brief moment. Quickly, a different person with different clothing, height, and voice, replaced the actor. Of the students, only 47% noticed that they were no longer taking to the same person. In a second study, only 37% noticed!
How aware are you to what is happening in your life in this moment? The truth is that at any given time the mind is thinking either in the future or in the past. It is rare that we find ourselves truly content with, or even aware of, where life actually exists, in the present…NOW! Future associated thinking is linked to emotions such as anxiety, fear, and hope, while past associated thinking is linked with emotions such as regret and guilt. This constant vacillation from past-future-past-future is like a seesaw of emotional states and a significant cause of stress. Stress that often goes unnoticed.
With a little skillful practice we can step out of autopilot. Here are a few ideas to help you get back into the driver’s seat:
1) Do 1 thing daily 100 percent and with full awareness. Choose a routine daily activity and resolve to do it with full awareness. This can be washing dishes, brushing teeth, driving. (Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh)
2) Breathe! - Take a 2-3 min every day (or several times a day) to close the eyes and notice your breath. The connection between breath and emotional state is real. Take a breathing class to explore the power of breath. (Happiness Program, Art of Living).
3) Become more attuned with your body. Start with becoming more aware of your posture. Whether you are feeling stress or immense joy, take time to notice where it hangs out in your body. Where does it physically originate or manifest? How does it really feel? Is it changing?
4) Take time to detach from your mobile device. Allow yourself the space to put more value on the people and situations right in front of you. E’nuff said.
5) Nourish gratitude. Take time every day to think about the things you are grateful for in your life.
On the road of life, you are the one in charge. Take time for yourself to slow down to appreciate the journey!
Look for Part 2 of this post – “Navigating Out of Autopilot”