I similarly have gone through (and constantly am going through) a shift in noticing physical sensations instead of heady interpretations as to what's going on in my life, thanks to therapy and being away from constant work. Love the thinking surrounding experimentation.
There was a low point where I was basically connected all the time - headphones all the time, podcasting all the time, tracking everything by spreadsheet, diet getting really weird and constrained, and doing everything to optimize my anxiety away.
After leaving work and now 5 months into my sabbatical, I feel like I'm hitting the cusp of what most people talk about when they say "I'm just following my energy" - which sounds simple, but surprisingly is not, especially if you've had work trauma and default conditioning run your brain for the better part of life.
Nowadays, as an experiment, I look for beauty in the mundane - the sounds of nature, the gentle clink of my dog's collar when I'm playing fetch, the vibrations of driving my 21 year old car, the imperfections of day to day life. Anytime I start feeling like I'm "bored" or "tired", I look for this beauty, and it settles me down. 😌
There is something pretty mind-blowing about how there are so many layers of detail, complexity, and nuance when you enter a state of presence. Appreciate the comment Frank, thanks for reading.
I love the term coherence and thinking about it as balancing and listening to different parts of myself.
Also, this part helped me feel some peace of mind and optimism since I'm currently navigating a lot of ambiguity:
When we're truly curious, we're not just passive observers but active participants in a conversation with the world around us. We become attuned to subtle cues and connections, noticing patterns and coincidences that might otherwise slip by unnoticed.
I similarly have gone through (and constantly am going through) a shift in noticing physical sensations instead of heady interpretations as to what's going on in my life, thanks to therapy and being away from constant work. Love the thinking surrounding experimentation.
There was a low point where I was basically connected all the time - headphones all the time, podcasting all the time, tracking everything by spreadsheet, diet getting really weird and constrained, and doing everything to optimize my anxiety away.
After leaving work and now 5 months into my sabbatical, I feel like I'm hitting the cusp of what most people talk about when they say "I'm just following my energy" - which sounds simple, but surprisingly is not, especially if you've had work trauma and default conditioning run your brain for the better part of life.
Nowadays, as an experiment, I look for beauty in the mundane - the sounds of nature, the gentle clink of my dog's collar when I'm playing fetch, the vibrations of driving my 21 year old car, the imperfections of day to day life. Anytime I start feeling like I'm "bored" or "tired", I look for this beauty, and it settles me down. 😌
There is something pretty mind-blowing about how there are so many layers of detail, complexity, and nuance when you enter a state of presence. Appreciate the comment Frank, thanks for reading.
Loved this piece.
Especially this line - "As time unfolds, I find myself more attuned —not just to my surroundings, but to my subtle internal shifts."
Being in tech, I always relied on apps and devices for everything - food tracker, mood tracker, sleep tracker, habit tracker, water tracker, etc.
But since I took a career break, these things slowly faded out as I simply started to listen to my body.
I love the term coherence and thinking about it as balancing and listening to different parts of myself.
Also, this part helped me feel some peace of mind and optimism since I'm currently navigating a lot of ambiguity:
When we're truly curious, we're not just passive observers but active participants in a conversation with the world around us. We become attuned to subtle cues and connections, noticing patterns and coincidences that might otherwise slip by unnoticed.