The Sound of Silence

Silence.
Can you hear it? 

Lately I find myself driving with the radio completely turned off. The only noise I hear is the engine running - a kind of white noise that blends into the background, completely unnoticed. I find it's one of the few times that I can manage to slow down my thoughts just a little. The tornado of to-do's and what-if's will slow down to a breeze - at least for awhile.

This past week was chaotic.

• My dad went in for heart surgery. (Check him out stealing a french fry post-surgery! Don't worry - he just had one!) 
• My youngest kid, Max, lost the use of one of his back legs and had to go to the vet for a biopsy. 
• At work, my department faced some unexpected and significant staffing changes.

(Don't they say things always happen in 3's?)

I consider myself to be a minimalist (or at least a minimalist in training). You can read about a few of my experiences with minimizing in 2017 and in 2015! I've been loving my clutter-free home, and continue to work on getting rid of "stuff."

Well, this past week was the first time I had the chance to test the mental side of minimalism. I was balancing hospital visits, pet meds, banquets, and pool parties. My mind was racing, and I had to find a way to "Cut - It - Out" (sorry, couldn't resist)! 

So how do we get rid of mental clutter? 
Here are two quick take-aways that we can put into practice today!

1. Breath. Let's take a clue from the Navy SEALS. SEALS are regularly put in high-stress situations, but did you know that they practice deep breathing in preparation for deployment? Deep breathing can help to decrease heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle tension. Check out this great website complete with timed imagery, and try breathing like a SEAL for yourself. CLICK HERE.

2. Turn off the radio. Did you every notice how some of your best ideas come to you when you are in the shower or out for a run? Studies show that there are benefits to what we often think of as "down time." In a recent training I attended with Chief Global Instructor for Apple, Kamran Loghman (organized by CEO John Dame), he presented this information and it stuck with me! Even though our minds aren't actively working on a problem, our minds are still working. So sometimes the best thing for us to do is to step away, hit the gym, take a walk, or even just turn off the car radio.

How do you get rid of mental clutter? Share your own thoughts in the comments!

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#minimalism #minsgame #experiencesnotthings #takeabreath