There are so many apps, podcasts, videos, tutorials, and streams out there to help "guide" us to tranquility. From apps to help us sleep or relax, to yoga videos to guide us to inner calm, to ASMR podcasts to relax us, to audiobooks on meditation, our choices are limitless. We're lucky to have so many resources at our disposal. The thing they all have in common though, what makes them unable to grant us absolute peace, is that they all require the attention of our eyes and / or ears.
Disclaimer: I'm not knocking any of the aforementioned aids. I know a lot of people benefit from them in one way or another.
View from our cottage in Gore, QC
A big downside to having access to limitless content and material is that we are almost always being exposed to it. Whether it's the radio in the background, a podcast during a walk, or the barrage of visual and auditory data coming from our personal devices and computers, most of us have something demanding at least part of our attention.
What does this do to us? I have no idea, personally. I haven't studied this or done any real research on the matter. What I have done is thought a lot about it and considered it in my own life. I'm not prescribing anything, just spitballing.
We've all seen movies or TV shows in which someone is brainwashed by having their eyes taped open and being subjected to a constant stream of images and sounds. Yet most of us willingly subject ourselves to this level of stimulation for hours upon hours every day. And sure, some of our livelihoods depend on it. But there must be some consequence to the constant mental download of so much information. Right? Didn't our parents tell us (and I'm speaking to a certain demographic, I know) that "all that TV will rot your mind"? I know we've all heard the adage "Crap goes in, crap comes out", or some variation of it.
This isn't to say it's all crap. Or that we're being brainwashed or having our minds melted. It must have an impact on how we think and on what we think, though. No analogy is perfect but take, for example, flower dyeing. Take a white flower, mix a bit of blue food dye in with its water, and bam! Blue flower. We're not flowers and I'm not talking about chemical processes (or am I? I don't actually know) but it illustrates the point I'm trying to make.
What do we lose when we have so much data being sent into our brains? I'd argue we're not only thinking differently but that we're thinking less, even worse. And it's easier, right? Why think about that shitty day at work when you can listen to a hilarious podcast instead? Why listen to the sounds of traffic and other people on our bus / train / walk to work, when we can listen to some good music? Why have a silent, depressing house when we can have episodes of The Office playing while we get our homework done or fold our laundry? Why work to sleep or relax when we can plug our earbuds and have some sultry voice lull us into dreamland?
Are podcasts bad? Is music bad? Is The Office bad? In my opinion, none of those things are. I'd argue they're all very good. I'd also argue whiskey and burgers and cookies are good. Too much of any of those, though, and we all know what the results can be. Why are we so protective about our bodies and so much less so of our minds?
I'm not suggesting any of us should go without these things. Just, maybe, less.
Speaking from experience, it's a tough thing to get used to again; hearing yourself think. Especially if you aren't used to being alone with your thoughts. I went through a period of a few years where I constantly had something either on TV, or playing in my earholes. If that wasn't the case, then I was almost certainly reading something. I love books and read a lotso trust me when I say I'm not speaking ill of that. I also love movies. I also, also love a good podcast, especially one with an engaging story. Just like a good whiskey, or a good burger, it's entirely unhealthy to be ingesting those things constantly, without respite.
The reason I mentioned things like meditation apps and the like is because they all sell the idea of peace but none of them really give you the opportunity to actually experience peace. I'm the first to advocate for white noise to help you sleep. I'm not talking about sleep time though; I'm talking about time with yourself, in your own mind, without the guide. If a voice is telling you how to breathe, to relax your mind, to picture a calm lake, you're still subject to that voice.
As a writer, I'm sort of obligated to daydream. A little while back, I realized I felt guilty about daydreaming. I felt like, if I had the opportunity, I should be learning or experiencing something new, as often as possible. And yes, learning and new experiences are hugely important. But we also need time to process what we learn, to deal with and think about our experiences. If we're taught how to meditate, we should take the time, sans guide, to actually meditate.
I don't say that we should toss out our earbuds or delete our meditation apps. But it might be healthy to set out ten, twenty, thirty minutes each day to just be. I started with my dog walks - at least one walk a day is done without my earbuds. I just walk and think (or not think - sometimes the brain just needs to stretch). These days, I've been more deliberate about actual daydreaming. Typically I'll take advantage of Gideon's nap time to allow my mind to wander. Sometimes I'll try to focus it on a certain project. Other times I'll find myself planning out meals for the rest of the week. Sometimes I'll just reflect on life. The mind usually knows what to prioritize.
I think it can be scary for some to engage in this sort of behaviour. After all, nothing tangible is getting done. Also, do I really want to think about what happened this week? Do I want to confront my own behaviour? Not always, no. But it doesn't have to be that scary. I think giving ourselves permission to think, to explore our own minds, to daydream, without additional stimulation, can lead to overwhelmingly positive change.
It's as good a time as any to try it. In some way or another we've all been forced to slow down because of COVID. For a lot of us, this means we have a bit of extra time. There might be a lot to worry about and, yeah, that might be where your mind goes at first. Thinking through our dilemmas, our worries, our trials, might be a good place to start making reparations or to change course. And, to think of it more positively, it could provide us with an opportunity to relish the good things that are happening, to dwell on what's nice in our lives and what we want to pursue further.
I can tell you some of my best recent ideas have come out of this practice. I don't say it's easy. And it probably isn't for everyone. I'd encourage you to give it a shot, though. A big diet trend these days is intermittent fasting. While I can't speak to the efficacy of such a diet for your body, it might be worth a try for your brain.
As the great visionary, Morpheus told Neo: "Free your mind." Go ahead, try the blue pill.