Patience at the Waking Hour
By Jason Henkel, Chief Balance Engineer
This morning, I journaled about how at the exact time of waking, I've been feeling a kind of anxiety. This feeling has been lightly creeping up more and more as I age. After a deep dive into a silent self-inquiry as to why this may be happening, something that felt quite true revealed itself.
At the age of 44, the "crossover" from the deep inward and quiet journey of sleeping/dreaming to the rigid and comparatively abrasive waking world that we know as "reality" can be bumpy and jarring. When I was a younger lad, I was able to jump up, pop in and "get 'er dun" all with a big smile on my face… That decades old way of being is still alive in me, but my 44 year old body, brain, and general chemistry simply aren't able to onboard as quickly as they used to.
My all gas pedal setting was still switched on, but reality of an aging body has perhaps started to misalign with that 20-something person's setting, and I'm feeling a kind of guilt about it subconsciously.
So how does a speed racer like me start to enable a new habit of more brake and cruise control at this waking hour? I'm just getting started into this question with myself, but I can tell you something that helped me this morning.
In the middle of this "crossover" anxiety, I took three very deep slow breaths and a hearty casting of deliberate appreciation for another day. That got me to a stable spot, but I could still feel the deep desire to get up and go. So I just sat with that and observed the feeling. I did not allow my body to knee jerk respond to this habit. I reminded myself that I'm at a different time of my life where fear-based action no longer mandates next actions. I "rode the urge" until the wave faded.
This little micros practice while in the thick of it brought me back to my new and constantly maturing self. A deliberate stopping of an old "wake and sprint" self that no longer aligns with my 44 year old self.
I'd encourage anyone to practice this if morning anxiety is a concern of yours. Here at Focus to Evolve, we teach a system and platform of self-management that brings profound organization to your day/life which is a necessary variable to help alleviate this and other unwanted feelings that may be present in you.
If you or your team would like to sign up for our 2 hour Balance and Productivity training to instantly double your meaningful output and find the feeling of lasting flow and optimized work life balance, please click here and say hello!
Mindfully Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team