In a VUCA world where everything goes faster and faster. A world where what was true yesterday may not be true tomorrow... the human being needs to recharge his batteries, to get back in touch with his inner self. And yet, since the end of the confinement, he has started to exhaust himself again, day after day.
Don't worry, you didn't click on the text of an enlightened woman who will make you feel guilty for the little time you devote to yourself on a daily basis and who will try, at the end of the article, to sell you a silent meditation cure in Sussex! The objective of this article is to give you some tips on how to disconnect and reconnect with yourself.
Exhausted, on the edge of burnout? You drag yourself from Monday to Sunday evening between family, professional and social obligations? Why?
What is it about your smartphone that makes you leave it on standby while it is recharging and that you don't have the same respect for yourself? Are you less valuable than your smartphone?
Blowing is not English?
Of course not! And yet, there is always a file to finish, a friend to listen to, homework to check, groceries, cleaning... as if blowing off steam, delegating, doing nothing were impossible. But impossible is not English. Easy to say, less to do? As westerners, having received a Judeo-Christian education, we have not learned to look at the passing time, to enjoy the present moment.
From a very young age, we have been trained to keep ourselves busy: reading, playing, doing sports, learning music theory, playing an instrument... As adults, we continue on the same path: we fill every empty moment in our agenda. Later, as parents, we fill our children's schedule and reinforce this vicious circle that makes us believe that doing nothing is not to exist anymore; and that therefore being in action is to be alive?
What if the secret to resourcing yourself was to do nothing?
Do you remember the last time you had a brilliant idea? The moment when, stuck for hours or even days on a problem, the solution appeared to you as if by magic? That other silly moment when you were looking for your glasses... and realized after many minutes of fruitless searching that your glasses were simply on the tip of your nose?
What do all these moments have in common? The fact that, at some point, you let go. Maybe you sat down, stopped thinking about it over and over again, or said to yourself, "Never mind, I give up." There was a brief moment of nothing, of emptiness, of in-between. And it is at this moment, that the spark has sprung, you have found the solution to your problem, you had a great idea or you finally realized that your glasses were on your nose! That moment when nothing happens is actually the moment when everything happens. Strange, isn't it?
How to put emptiness in your daily life?
Now that you have realized that to be better, more productive, you need to do nothing, the question arises: how can you clear your life to find yourself? The first question to ask yourself is: are all the things in my schedule essential for me? If you answer no to some of them, start getting rid of these non-essential elements of your life either by deprogramming them or by transferring them to someone to whom they will be essential.
Congratulations! You've gotten rid of the unnecessary!
Now let's move on to your sleep, which is the time of day when you recharge your batteries. Know that if you need 8 hours of sleep, sleeping 6 hours will not be enough. On the other hand, many people take what are called flash naps: they sleep 15 to 20 minutes after lunch. This allows them to make a break in their day and re-energize themselves. A study showed that among employees, those who took a nap after lunch were 40% more productive the rest of the day!
Methods to make yourself feel good!
Perpetually stressed, chronically hyperactive, you say that this is all well and good, but that it is not for you. Fortunately, there is a whole series of methods such as mindfulness, yoga, sophrology, meditation... that allow you to refocus on yourself, to take time for yourself, to breathe, to blow. If you wish to change your way of functioning completely, you can also call upon a professional coach.
And if you are looking for peace and quiet, look into the Vittoz method, named after its creator: Roger Vittoz. It is a 3-step method to balance the physical and mental. The secret of this method, which has proven itself for over a century? Simple exercises to integrate into your daily routine that will allow you to find or recover serenity and harmony. Whatever you choose, have a good journey towards the best version of yourself!