Pockets of peace: the practice of unplugging

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Almost everything will work again
if you unplug it for a few minutes,
including you. ~ Anne Lamott

Some people live on autopilot. According to one online site, autopilot means something happening—or doing something—automatically, without thought. In January 2020, I shared the key to a successful year: practicing resilience, or the ability to bounce back when knocked down; to “pivot” or change course. While it feels like this past year set the world on autopivot, our bodies are not machines made to live on “auto” anything—except to breathe. And following my latest post (see “Burnout vs. boredom…”), rather than add one more thing to my plate, I started intentionally creating space to “unplug” each day, as needed. This might look like stepping away from my desk (and technology) to fold a load of laundry, step outdoors, pray or meditate. Even within those few minutes, this practice rewards me with pockets of peace.  

How do you unplug? Share in the comments and visit me at chrismadayschmidt.com.

Muscle mix up: how to avoid plateaus

 

In “Flexing our muscles: use ‘em or lose ‘em,” I talk about unworked muscles and how they lose their strength, and may even atrophy over time. This means any type of muscle—our brains, physical bodies, creative outlets. Which brings me to the concept of “muscle memory” (according to Wiki): that with practice, the execution of a motor task becomes smoother and the muscle activity necessary to the task is performed without conscious effort. However, on that note, it’s also important to practice something called “muscle mix up.” This means to change a routine by stimulating different muscle groups in order to avoid a plateau and/or boredom of any activity in which we’re engaged. Whether it’s hitting the gym vs. the mat or reading vs. Sudoku, or painting vs. pottery or writing a Haiku vs. a screenplay, I believe that stretching our potential challenges us to achieve greater benefits. And we might just find a new passion while we’re at it.

How do you practice muscle mix up?

Image courtesy of toonsteb at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.