We live in an Age of Overabundance and it is killing us.
Too much bad food.
Too much media noise.
Too much stress.
Too much stuff to get done in a day.
We consume more and more without regard for how it affects our well being and my sense is there is an inherent wisdom in cutting some of this stuff out.
I see the toll it takes on friends and family members and the people who come to me for help.
I see the toll it takes on our energy, mood, cognitive functioning, and physical health.
So What Do We Do About it?
How do we begin taking our time back?
How do we begin taking our attention back?
How do we begin taking our health back?
We begin with one thing…
Find one thing that is depleting you. Something you do or consume that deep down you know is hurting you.
Maybe it is something that is damaging you physically like garbage foods or alcohol.
Maybe it is something that is stealing your valuable attention like doom scrolling social media on the weekends or in bed.
Maybe it is an acquaintance or a client who is draining your spirit because they take too much and offer too little.
I would not be surprised if something comes to mind almost immediately as you read this post, even if you were not consciously thinking about it before.
Ok, now define it. Write it down on a piece of paper. Keep it brief but make it straightforward and in your voice.
Then, make a pact to banish this one thing forever. Do whatever you need to do.
This will free up some time or attention for you that you can use for something better like taking a walk or going to the farmers market and cooking a good meal or playing with your kids.
See how that works? You get rid of one thing that is depleting you and replace it with something that is nourishing you.
One thing I did was stop social media consumption on the weekends. This gave me back a long slow run in the woods with my dog.
We have so many useless things we have accumulated over the years. We get used to them and we become insensitive to how they negatively affect the quality of our lives.
Plus, we just hate letting things go.
The beauty of this exercise is that once you do it once and realize how much your quality of life can improve, it gets easier to find the next cluttering thing and toss it like garbage.
Hey, check out my new podcast. Here is Episode 2 where I talk about The Complexity Illusion & how life is more simple than people think.
I am not currently taking new clients at Pearl Institute but if you would like to get on the wait list for spring, shoot me an email at ppearlman@gmail.com.
Great stuff - I find these perspectives so helpful and introspective !!
A tangible way to achieve behavioral, and as a result, cognitive change. Love it.