Give peace (of mind) a chance
One of the first things you probably do in the morning is turning on the news while preparing to go to work. As soon as my boyfriend comes home, he plays his favourite serie on TV as a comforting sound background. If I go for a bike ride of more than 10min, I must find a fun or interesting podcast to listen to.
We spend our days checking our phones every minute, as there is always a notification we didn’t popped, or an app we didn’t scroll in a while. And even if the algorithms are designed to be addictive, nobody forced us to spend so much time online. We could also decide not to carry our phones everywhere, turn them off and leaving them in a drawer for a few hours…
We are now caught up in a routine where we constantly overload our minds with information, to a point that it becomes numb from too many stimuli. Podcasts are the new weed, it stops us from thinking too much.
But the brain needs calm and silence to properly relax. We download an app to remind ourselves to stay hydrated, but we don’t realize that at the same time we deny ourselves silence. It is a fundamental physiological need we deprive ourselves from.
This summer, for a change, let’s try to be alone with our thoughts. You don’t have to go all the way up to meditation, but at least grab a book instead of your airpods, and try to absorb all the details of the beautiful landscape you chose to enjoy. This is a memory that you will keep for a long time, and that will help you relax when you’ll be back in the office. This is what your brain craves, to be able to be solicitated again and produce fresh ideas. Let the breeze of your own thoughts surprise you again. This summer, rest your brain to restore your creativity: give peace of mind a chance.