“The enormity of life’s tasks weigh and press on the day… they demand and insist on a constancy of attention that is relentless.”
Cheryl Sanders-Sardello.
At some levels modern life resembles a roller coaster stuck on acceleration. With the daily noise and constant stimulus of phone calls, emails, texts, updating and downloading info, posting, texting, and tweeting, not to mention relational and work place complexities, many of us find ourselves in a general state of stress. A scattered exhaustion and distracted breathlessness that lure us to finish off the day mindlessly numb in front of the latest flickering Netflix series. How often do we need to be reminded each day to simply breathe or calm down?
Finding ways to live, thrive and adapt to this sped up life requires one to enter proactively into the learning curve of caring for oneself and discovering the art of de-stressing (decompressing, defragging, grounding and centering). More and more, my counseling office functions as a safe refuge to breathe and be known, while the load of stress that is being carried day in and day out gets unpacked and named, sorted out and de-cluttered.
The advice of the ancient poet/musician feels like needed healing medicine: “Step out of traffic! Take a long loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything” (The Message, Psalm 46:10). What would it look like in our modern stressed out commuting routines to pull off into a rest area for a needed mental health moment, to recalibrate, breathe deeply and be still, letting go gently of trying to control and manage everything? This kind of stillness leads to an invitation to pay attention to beauty, birds, and clouds (which are ultimately glimpses of God).
In Curt Thompson’s book Anatomy of the Soul, the author states that focused attention exercises, such as contemplative prayer and mindfulness practices, form a key component to the neuroplastic triad** that enhance the flexible growth and healing activation of the mind/brain. So it looks very much like the old poet comes to us as a modern therapist with advice that we need to hear. It also fits in seamlessly with the sweet words of Jesus aimed again at our over-burdened souls:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (The Message, Matthew 11: 28-30)
I love the suggestion that getting close to spirit and spiritual things, and exploring the possibility of relating to God, might bring one into a sustainable lifestyle of lightness and freedom. I also love how the counselling process can assist clients in learning how to de-stress and find these sustaining rhythms of living more lightly in our sped up world.
Brent Unrau
Contract Counsellor, CCCA
**By the way, if you are wondering what the other two parts of the neuroplastic triad are, they are aerobic activity (ideally 5 times a week for at least 45 minutes at a time) and novel learning experiences that expand your level of creativity on a meaningful level.