Act, Don't React

 

Hi,

Welcome back!

In the last two years, during this lockdown and staying at home, I have thought a lot about how to instill a healthy routine? More importantly, how not to fall out of a healthy routine?

It is interesting because the focus is on the thing itself very often. For example, you work in the same environment as your fridge, where all that food is. How can I even think about exercising when I am in the same space as I sleep and work? It just doesn't feel right. 

It is interesting that we focus on the food, perhaps, or on the exercise rather than what's going on in our minds. Let me give you a context around that, so let's say we are thinking about exercising. Now for me trying to get out of my stuff the night before, so I am more likely to use it first thing in the morning. But let's say that the alarm goes off I wake up, I open my eyes, and the thought arises in my mind, "I don't feel like running or working out today." Now, if I took that thought seriously, I would end up not running. I would think, "Ha! perhaps I am a little bit tired, or I could do with a rest, or it would be nice to have maybe a quieter, nicer slower start of the day". And all of a sudden, because of that first thought I didn't bring to mind, it simply came to mind. I have created a scenario in which I am not following through with the exercise.

The exercise at this point is almost immaterial. It was what was happening in my mind prior to that. In the same way, let's say we are sitting in front of a desert. The food doesn't leap off the plate into our mouths. I mean, there is a decision; something is happening in our mind before that takes place. And so if we can see that thought, Oh! I really like that Gulab Jamun, and rather than reactively reaching out and grabbing it and taking a bite. If, in that moment, we can pause and observe the thought, this doesn't mean there is anything wrong with having deserts. That is not the point here, but if there is the ability and opportunity to see that the first thought of I could eat another Gulab Jamun, then we have an opportunity; we can either buy into that story and follow through, or we can pause for a moment and just notice the thought itself and ask ourselves "do we even need that dessert, do we feel hungry?'. 

 

I think very often we are so caught up in those reactive patterns of mind that they almost disrupt what we actually want to do. We would like to follow through with what we know will make us feel better and healthier in our lives.

 

So it is good to focus on the things themselves it is also really important to look after the mind. So alongside getting some exercise and watching your diet and everything else in modern times, just take a few minutes out each day to make sure your mind is calm and clear that you are able to respond in a way that you really like to rather than simply coming from a place of a knee-jerk reaction.

I hope this helped you as you go into your day-to-day tasks.

I hope to see you back here.