Our assignment this week was to review a video that discussed the value of keeping one’s mind in the present by doing nothing, or in other words, emptying the mind.  We were to attempt this for three consecutive days and reflect upon our findings.

Interestingly, I found the practice much harder than I thought it should be.  One of the major stressors was that of time.  It seemed that my mind would wander to thoughts of how much time was left, or trying to organize my next steps after the exercise was finished.  This occurred quite frequently during the first session, but was less frequent the last two times. 

I did find that clearing my mind was made easier by simply watching or observing my surroundings in greater detail.  By just looking at something in a deliberate manner, such as the lamp on the end table or some other innocuous object, I felt a little more “lost” in though. 

Having achieved this state, it was only after the fact, or when I “woke up” that I did sense a difference in my subsequent state of mind.  I found myself being a little more deliberate in my actions and thoughts.  This more “deliberate” state seemed less rushed and worried about the “next” task or thing I had to do.  I seemed just move more naturally to the next item. 

Unfortunately, this only lasted for about 20-30 minutes afterwards, but the effect seemed very real.  While I did find this beneficial, it was an exercise that required a bit of planning and fore though – I just couldn’t “unplug” very quickly.  As such, I’m somewhat reluctant to advocate this exercise to others since I’ve only tried this a handful of times.

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