Even though it doesn’t necessarily have to be, I’m glad it’s already Sunday where I’m at, so the whole point of #slowlivingsunday becomes much more sweeter. At least in my head.
A chaotic environment is something a lot of people don’t wish for. Note, I said chaotic not busy, cause there’s a difference. So yeah, no one is really fond of chaotic environments, but at least there’s a way you can escape it.
So, what happens when the chaos is in your head?
Your head is banging, your heart is racing, there’s a whole whirlpool off thoughts cascading through your mind. How then do you escape when the chaos is you?
I’ll be honest to say that I rarely have moments like these. I like to tell myself that I’m in absolute control of my thoughts. What to think and what not to think. What to feel and what not to feel. But there are some days (and I’m quite glad that these days are few) that I'd find myself nearly drowning in the pool of my own thoughts. As ghastly as the idea sounds, I’d find myself wishing for the very chaotic environment that I scorn.
I had one of those days recently. And when I tell you I couldn’t breathe, I mean it in every sense of the word. So, I did something very uncharacteristic. I took a walk. I say uncharacteristic not because I wouldn’t love to take a walk but because I’m usually not inclined to, especially after coming back dog tired from school.
So, on this day where the thoughts in my head were nearly all-consuming, I took a walk. And let me just say that this thing where people say “I’m going on a walk. I want to clear my head,” is absolutely true. When you’re on a walk, even if it’s a busy environment, you clear your head in more ways than one.
For one, you’re too occupied with people-gazing to remember your own issues. On that day, I had jazz music playing sweetly in my ears. It was about 7pm, and I walked from my friend’s place where I was to my university, circled it, and came back. I won’t lie, it was quite a journey, and at some point, I asked myself if I’d gotten some screws loose in the head for attempting it.
What did I achieve? The calmness of the environment because I couldn’t hear anything anyway, the music in my ears, the cool evening breeze tousling my hair, and my mind slowed to a pleasant almost-stop. By the time I returned to my friend’s place, I was all smiles.
While I do not guarantee that you may smile afterwards, what I can most confidently say is that your chest will feel lighter, and the knot in your stomach loosened. Of course, if you think about the very things that sent you on the walk while on the walk, the entire purpose is defeated. Which is why I recommend music while paying attention to your environment: the people, the sights, the structures, the calm in the chaos.
It’s been a week since that happened, and while I do not hope for chaotic and dire conditions before I remember to slow down, I have a remedy I’m sure to work wonders. What’s your slow down technique?
Happy Sunday, good people!
Images are mine.
