There is a traditional SOP we all follow when machines/devices behave weirdly - Power off & Power On.
However irrational the solution may sound, one has to admit it works wonders many times. That's why many of us love resets - it jump starts things from very dark places.
When we look at nature, we find 'resets' everywhere - We have 4 seasons that restore balance in the planet.
The sun keeps coming up & going down everyday.
The moon keeps shutting down and coming up every 4 weeks.
A seed grows, and comes back up to the soil. And it goes on to show everything is cyclical.
When it comes to us, human beings - reset seems to be something that is confined to the odd vacation and the meet-ups with friends that happen once in a blue moon.
We need a disease to force a shut down on us.
We need a non-acceptable external situation to stay quiet.
We need someone screaming at us to shut the laptop and sleep.
We need a pandemic to slow down. Then also we wouldn't. And we carry our badges of martyrdom everywhere.
Its as if our mind never wants to shut down. Ever wished we could have a power on, power off button?
These are some ways you can build resets in your day and not wait for the black screen :-) or the vacation.
Rituals: Most of our body runs without our conscious awareness. Our heart pumps blood day after day, our stomach digests food, our brain thinks etc on its own without us having to order them around. That system understands 'starts & stops' by simple things we do before and after completing an action. For eg: Making your bed after you get up signifies you are booting up to seize the day. Brushing your teeth once you wake up - is a signal that you have woken up and you are progressing towards starting your day. Lying down in your bed signifies you are ready to tone down all activity required for a good night's sleep to rejuvenate you. Similarly when you are starting your work day - have a small practice that signifies a beginning and end the day with a small practice that signifies ending. For eg, you can begin the day with setting intention of what you want to accomplish. You can end it with a reflection around what went well. This will tell your body that work is over and rest of life has begun. Building these will give you periodic resets in a day. Our mind can also be allowed a reset by reflection, gratitude journal or meditation.
2. Scanning: At specified intervals, scan your body for sensations, discomfort, emotions etc. This gives your body the signal that you listen and it doesn't have to amplify intensity to get your attention. For your mind, watch your thoughts as if you are in a movie theatre watching the screen. This brings in some sense of detachment from your thoughts and allows you to relax.
3. Water: Experience of water - drinking, bathing, touching etc changes state within us. In the Indian culture, washing our hands and feet once we enter home, bathing before we start our day, prayer rituals with water has been practiced for very long. Whatever seems possible in your context, use water for reset.
4. Physical Spaces:
Our body understands a lot of things with spatial awareness. So in home and work place, there are designated space for everything - drawing room is where we meet people, dining room is where we eat etc. Each space holds a certain energy based on what we repeat doing there. Changing physical space also helps us change state. A walk in the park, watching the sunset at a beach, going to a place of worship are all formats to change internal state of mind by changing space.
5. Living without an agenda: If you are a planner this sure will freak you out. Spend a day with no agenda. No need to accomplish anything. Just be. Accept who you are being without resistance to be any different. Let the clock be unseen.
A healthy body and mind needs reset.
What would you like to try out?
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