Human existence was only a succession of instantaneous experiences, similar to the lives of other creatures. This portion of life that we now spend “in our heads” simply did not exist.
The ability to think abstractly has undoubtedly made people better off, but it has also led to some major issues. More than 60% of doctor visits are related to stress and people frequently dwell on and worry about the past and the future.
It seems that the initial purposes of meditation and other practices were to help us balance the “in and “out-of-head” aspects of our lives.
Exercises
It seems that many people wish they could think less because they think most of the time.
If you fall under this category, try these exercises:
Your focus is on the ideas and thoughts being provided when you read these words. You are conscious of the brightness all around you as you read these lines. There are no thoughts involved in being aware of the light all around you.
Stop reading this now, have a quick look around, and then resume. Do that right away. Take a little look around before returning to reading this.
When you turned your head to look about, you saw things without giving them any thought.
You decide where to focus your attention by deciding whether to pay attention to words and thoughts or to the world around you. Thoughts will dominate if you choose to focus on them, which will obstruct your view of what is going on in the world.
The light and the objects in your immediate environment, on the other hand, will dominate if your attention is unintentionally focused on them, which will obstruct your ability to think.
Perform the following exercise many times per week to help you feel more connected to the world around you:
Observe the lighting around you and the fact that you are oblivious to it. Combining this activity with regular meditation will help tip the scales away from living life “in your head” and more towards the present.
During meditation, thoughts often become less frequent, allowing you to get more comfortable with the calm and stillness that persists. Regular meditation helps you grow more accustomed with that quiet and silence, which then makes it easier for you to recognize and use that stillness and silence in everyday life.
Another technique to familiarize and broaden silence and stillness is to spend time alone in nature. Go for long, solitary walks in the woods, fields, or parks. Put on a rucksack, venture far into the wilderness, and spend several days there by yourself to discover even more calm and silence.
For you, the balance of your thoughts and experiences might not be altered by meditation or time spent alone in nature. You might find that equilibrium shifting through activities like gardening, dancing, yoga, singing, or athletics.
Only you can determine what made the transition for you from living life “in your head” to living more in the present. Stay with them and let yourself get lost in them when you notice the quiet and silence.