Un-numbing

blogpic, pixabay, toothbrush

This week I realized that I can鈥檛 do my dishes or sort my laundry without listening to a podcast or a recorded webinar.

Even while I鈥檓 washing my face or brushing my teeth, I鈥檓 tuned into the morning news. During the lockdown, I used to multi-task and pair certain 鈥榤indless鈥 house chores with podcast time. Now, nearly a year since Adelaide last had a lockdown, I find myself constantly tuning into something and tuning out of what I鈥檓 doing in the present. Doing the dishes used to be a wind-down activity, but instead I get all wound up listening to the evening news of getting stuck into the discussion on The Drum or Q+A.

There is an endless stream of news, but that doesn鈥檛 mean I need to consume it as fast as it is being produced. There is no end to the news. Constantly multi-tasking has somewhat numbed me to my body.聽 I鈥檝e been tuning in to all the outside demands that I have tuned out of what my body needs. I鈥檝e hardly had any sleep and my mind has not had a substantial amount of real rest. I realised that if I keep going the way that I am, not only will the quality of my work deteriorate but I might soon find myself burning out.

I needed to re-train myself to doing just one thing at a time and let 鈥榤indless鈥 tasks remain as they are so my brain could have a break and be able to hear itself think if it needed to. Here are some of the little hacks I鈥檝e found helpful in moving away from multi-tasking and improving my focus on the present 鈥 whether it is writing my thesis or sorting my laundry or talking to the barista as I grab my coffee. Tuning into the present means we can also connect with the other people we come across during the day.

  • Body scan 鈥 Just take five minutes to sit still and focus on your body. Close your eyes and scan your body from toe to head. Focus on how each body part feels.
  • Less stimulation 鈥 Most of the time I would need the music pumping when I go for a run or a walk, but I make sure that for short lunch break walks, I go without my phone and just notice things around me as I walk for 10 minutes.
  • How am I? 鈥 Ask yourself, 鈥渨hat do I need today?鈥.
  • Breathe 鈥 Use whatever breathing technique works best for you, there are a few here on the the Wellbeing Hub.
  • Sense 鈥 Connect with your senses by having a warm bath or lighting a scented candle or sitting in the sun or taking a hike to the falls at Morialta or just listening to the rain as it falls.
Tagged in What messes with your head, Productivity, self-care