There’s times where I just feel like my mind is about to flipping explode. It feels like it’s overheated. Overwhelmed, and overstimulated, I’m not the person you’d want to be around. I could go from zero to 100 when things around me are going too fast. Here’s how I slow down. The ironic thing is that while I’m writing this, I’m extremely frustrated. The TV is blaring in the background, and I have a time limit to write this post. Great.
To do lists
I’m actually surprised that most people don’t use to-do lists. For me it’s a big MUST. Starting your day by writing a quick to do list saves you a whole lot of mental energy. Giving your list a quick glance every now and then helps you stay on track. Personally, it helps me envision the dynamic of my day and what tasks must be accomplished.
There’s an economical concept called ‘opportunity cost’. Basically if you make a decision, you miss out on another opportunity, or task, because you’ve decided to commit time to the activity you have chosen. You only have so much energy and time, so prioritise your priorities. This is a trap I always fall into. Loading up my to-do list with 200 items thinking I’ll be more productive that way. It ends up with me feeling like I haven’t accomplished enough.
Perspective
You think everything is going too fast because your mind is overloaded with information/stimuli. There’s a wonderful book I read this year called: ‘The things you can see only when you slow down’ by Haemin Sumin. My oldest sister recommended it to me.
He mentions we know the world only through the window of our mind, so if our mind is busy, the world is as well. If our mind is peaceful, so is the world. It’s important to remember that we’re responsible over our emotions, and how we react to situations. I’m the person that needs to listen to this part the most. I’m always complaining/sulking about past events. It’s a bad habit that I need to get over.
Meditation and mindful practices
I’ve been meditating for over a year and a half now. Quite impressive actually, mash'allah. It clears my mind and always make me feel rejuvenated. It trains your mind to focus more and not zone out recklessly. Gain control over your thoughts. This was great for me because I was getting overwhelmed constantly, as I was ‘overstimulated’.
Stop multi-tasking
Remember how I said the TV was blaring in the background? It was making my brain itch. As I’m writing this, it’s STILL on. I took a walk to ease my frustration, so I broke my time limit for writing this post. The time limit that I mentioned earlier. Are you even focusing on this post right now? Lord have mercy.
Anyways, back to my point. Our phones have made multitasking incredibly easy right now. In the middle of a film, convo, gym session, or ANYWHERE, we can just pop it out. When we have breakfast, we watch TV (I’m the biggest culprit of this). We never just do anything on its own anymore. This gives our minds too much to handle, leading to frustration again.
An antidote to the headaches of multi-tasking is to simply perform actions one by one. For example, when having breakfast, just have breakfast. When having a bite with a friend, don’t whip out your phone to snap it. Just relax and enjoy the moment.
If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget that this is a weekly thing. Actually I didn’t post last week because I had a graduation ceremony. Free from the shackles of school at last. Share this post people! 👇
What an amazing post! Always delivers a banger.
Can't wait for the next weekly beginner post🤙🏻
Keep it up bro, excited for next week already ❤️🙌