This powerful hack is so easy and effortless that it’s basically an anti-hack.
Its magic lies in doing less, not more.
Here it is:
Your brain works best when you minimize your interference with it.
In other words, to put your brain into its most receptive, creative, and powerful state you simply need to minimize your thinking.
That means letting go of your expectations, the role you’re supposed to play, all concepts and ways of thinking, and just being an empty vessel ready to take in whatever is before you.
It also means not trying to hack it, improve it or control it.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott
Whenever you feel anxious, insecure, overwhelmed, stressed, or depressed… all you need to do is simply switch your mind off for a moment.
It’s tempting to try to analyze, fix or cope with the problem.
But don’t do it. It’s a trap of the mind.
Just let it be.
Let your mind settle.
However you want to unplug your mind is completely up to you:
You could just let the thoughts be and wait for something new to pop into your head.
Or you could go for a walk.
Or you could chat up a friend or coworker.
Or you could have a short meditation session.
Whatever you do, resist the temptation to analyze, fix or cope with the troublesome feeling or thought and its perceived cause.
Just unplug.
When you unplug, you will inevitably find that the problem either vanished or looks dramatically different from a different state of mind.
What I am pointing to is this:
Your mind already works perfectly.
All your attempts to control, improve, maximize, or hack it are what slows it down.
It’s like running an app to make your computer run faster, but not realizing that the app itself is using up some of the computer’s computing power and thus making it perform slower than if you simply didn’t interfere.
Another way to say it is that calm, clear water reflects reality the best.
There is no way to stir the water to make it calmer and more reflective.
Whenever you feel overwhelmed or the world seems difficult, irritating or threatening, simply unplug your mind for a moment.
When you let your mind be, it will automatically return to calmness and clarity.
And that’s where you think, feel and function at your best.
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