FINDING KEYS IN QUARANTINE #2: ENERGY AND MIND STORMS
Last week, I began sharing some insights that I have been learning from my time in quarantine that might resonate with others. Most of these insights have always been in me, however, like finally finding lost keys, when you have been looking for ages, it is only when you slow down that you see that they are, and have always been, right in front of you.
These days, one of the reasons I can’t see the keys is because of the ‘storms’ that occur in my mind. Mind storms are when a thousand thoughts and ideas are all crashing together at once. They may be positive or negative, and they always feel intense and beyond control. I wanted to share what I have learned to better recognize when the storms were coming and to prepare for and minimize the negative impact.
MIND STORMS AND MEDITATION
What is interesting about mind storms is that, for me, they are simply the result of a collision of energy. These energy disruptions normally come as a result of an interaction and/or experience with another person and usually show up physically first, with a sensation in my body. The challenge is picking up on these signals early enough to prevent the storm. To help address this gap I’ve implemented two simple practices: Daily Meditation and what I call my Energy Exploration Exercise (EEE).
TRACK YOUR ENERGY
Over the past number of years, the importance of meditating and mindfulness has become well documented. That being said, none of my family could have predicted that I would end up spending a minimum of two fifteen-minute sessions meditating every day. This habit has been one of the most impactful shifts in my life. Leveraging a simple meditation app (I use CALM) has significantly deepened my awareness of pending mind storms. With this deeper awareness and in order to understand my storms, I decided to begin to map my energy and my responses to the energy of others. Over a period of two weeks, leveraging my Energy Exploration Exercise (EEE), I began to track every time I sensed my energy spike and capture my answers to the following questions.
What am I sensing and where is it showing up? (for me it is tingly skin and a rubbing of hands)
What am I feeling? (i.e. excitement, anger, annoyance, joy)
What does it make me want to do? (how do I want to respond?)
Keeping a simple journal and reviewing my answers helped me to become aware of certain patterns. It helped me better sense the energy and predict and prepare for the storm. It was like I had discovered my internal doppler radar. It didn’t necessarily stop the storms from coming but it positioned me to better adapt and respond more quickly and effectively to them.
Understanding the impact of energy and my personal mind storms is a work in progress. I still have times when I recognize that I have missed the warnings and the damage has already been done. Like any habit, awareness is the first step. Strengthening my early warning signals and better understanding the impact of the disruption on me was critical. Next, I need to learn what to do with the energy and how to channel it towards more positive responses.
Until next time, keep safe and if you have discovered other keys within quarantine send me an email at greg@lighthouse9.ca so that we can help each other as we go through this unique and turbulent period.
Take care.
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