29 May Happiness is…switching off!
Happiness and Positive Psychology: Unplug With Visual Nourishment
by Laura Trice for the Huffington Post
Have you noticed how much stuff we have to look at and track every day?
We get dressed, find the car keys, make sure everyone is fed and in the car seats safely. We track all the other cars to drive safely, stand in lines and sort junk mail. Our lives are made up of lots of objects and too many pieces of paper. I find myself spending more time looking at my cell phone, texts and emails sometimes more than I spend noticing the blue sky or some flowers that need watering.
When I look back, my most relaxing moments are often not my most productive ones. It might be closing my eyes for 30 minutes when my nephew has fallen asleep. Or perhaps I am sitting in a grassy park on a hill with family doing nothing. Maybe I’m going for a bike ride and noticing the trees and scents of jasmine wafting by.
When I step away from technology and responsibility and look up and around for simple beauty, something feels rejuvenated and restored in me.
I encourage you to try it once. Just sit somewhere and look for beauty for 20-30 minutes. Or, close your eyes and imagine something or nothing. You will feel differently afterwards.
I am working to follow a rest pattern that requires me to close my eyes for 10-30 minutes every 3-4 hours. I realized most people take a coffee or food break during those times. I’ve been trying it and when I remember it makes a huge difference in my day.
Please let me know how you unplug visually.