When In Doubt...Don't Zone Out

I've discovered the key to the universe, the secret to happiness. It's called being conscious. Sounds pretty simple, huh? If you can concentrate and stay in the moment, maintaining balance mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally, you indeed can and will find joy. But just try staying in the moment, let alone being centered while maintaining your equilibrium. Not an easy feat. How many times do we zone out to avoid feeling the feelings or dealing with the issues?  

Staying in the moment is a real challenge. Our thoughts continually go to what has happened in the past or what we think might occur in the future and completely take us out of the present. Often stress moves us out of our center as we cope with the intensity of the day whether at work or at home, and we must listen to the constant internal voice telling us what we should or shouldn't have done. Not to mention if you have unresolved issues from the past that crop up when triggered by events throughout the day. Our constant thoughts and the "itty bitty shitty committee" that keeps up an ongoing litany inside your head can consume you during the day and long into the sometimes sleepless night.

As a means to ward off that noisy bunch, we tend to choose activities where we don't have to think and use them as a distraction; television, addictive food, alcohol, drugs, sex, friends, video games, web surfing, social networking, mindless chattering conversation, pulp fiction or gossip, etc. It's in the quest to escape, even when the choices aren't particularly destructive, that takes us out of the present moment and into a limbo where we aren't thinking or connecting with our feelings or thoughts. And that works…for a while.

What happens eventually when you ignore something long enough, it rears its head to be heard. This could be an unresolved issue, a health problem or anything that needs your focus to work through and clear as a block. A block is anything that keeps you stuck or limits your forward movement. Continually disregarding your feelings and letting a problem fester, will not make it go away. If you discount a health issue, the body has a way of making the symptoms worsen to get your attention. And in all cases, eventually you have to come back to the present moment and deal with the issue. Delaying the inevitable rarely makes it better and it certainly doesn't make it disappear.

So if we dealt immediately with our issues, removed all the blocks and limiting beliefs, there wouldn't be any bothersome worries to consume our thoughts and our emotional and mental well being would be balanced, right? If we ate nutritious foods and took excellent care of our bodies and exercised, most likely we would be healthy and disease free.  And if we weren't constantly dealing with the voices in our heads, or our bodies acting out, we would be clear to just be, to live in the moment. So what is the problem?

Like I said in the beginning, I believe I have it figured out in terms of what you have to do to achieve happiness. Now the trick is doing it on a regular basis. It starts with awareness and understanding the process one goes through to avoid dealing with issues. If I can begin to look for the signs of when and why I start to drift out of awareness, then I can counteract it.

And once I get all those pieces working together, I look forwards to the day when I can CONSCIOUSLY watch reality tv , while surfing the internet and eating a doughnut, completely enjoy the moment without zoning out.

Becky Arrington guides individuals and businesses to discover their purpose and live authentically. Whether you’re a company looking for innovative ways to lead and engage employees or an individual trying to prioritize, reduce stress or decide what you want to be when you grow up, learning to accept and thrive in change is key.

                          Discover the Passion, Power and Purpose Within.