PERCEPTION VS. REALITY
OUR BRAINS CAN PROCESS UP TO 11 MILLION BITS OF INFORMATION PER SECOND. Now that alone is mind-boggling, but consider this, it’s estimated that we only consciously process 50 bits per second. Now that leaves a lot of information that is either processed on an unconscious level, or simply left unprocessed or discarded.
Although those numbers aren’t new news, I’d forgotten about them until I was doing some research a couple of months ago and came across them again in a FORBES article from several years ago. Eternally curious and contemplative, I couldn’t help but wonder what information I’m unconsciously editing, discarding or using for some confirmation bias or other, and beyond self, recognized it’s happening with every single human being. Yep, all 7,800,000,000++ of us.
Our 5 basic senses — sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell — shape our experience, understanding and interpretation of life.
If we lose one sense, the others will adjust and become even more finely tuned. Our senses greatly influence and impact ur physiological, psychological and emotional states. The thoughts you have, the words you use, the actions you take all shape your perceptions and experience of the world, and holds the power to influence the perceptions and experiences of others around you, and beyond.
It’s reassuring to know that our amazing mind/body complex filters and handles the deluge of information for us with such efficiency, but that doesn’t mean that we need to put that kind of processing demand on it all day long. You know, it’s kind of like on these hot summer days if you were to you run an old air conditioner day and night, eventually it’s going to mumble, groan and simply stop working. Sure you can probably repair it, but oh the discomfort of having to sweat it out while you wait for the repair person to show up. When we’re looking at stress and it’s impact on our overall sense of balanced well-being, resilience and immune function, information overload can be a factor that contributes to throwing our mind/body system off-balance, and just like that old air conditioner we too might begin to mumble, groan, and want to stop working.
You can think of all these bit of information received through our senses as ‘food’ that feeds our mind, body and soul. The images we look at and our physical environment matters. Our interactions and the words we use with others matters. What we read, listen to and focus on all matter. Each contributes to our mental, physical and emotional health.
We’ve moved beyond the world of Descartes, we can’t neatly package and parcel up each component that shapes the human experience. John Muir simply and eloquently summed it up:
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.“
…and the same concept applies to the multitude of complex components that form the human being, and the experience of being in a multi-faceted world. Key word: being.
Each day we need to take time to pause and simply be. Be aware of our breath (great time to pause from reading this and take 3 deep inhales and exhales…), our body (how about a nice big yawn and stretch?) and notice how you’re actually feeling…bored, frustrated, anxious, stressed, happy, calm, joyful. Tne thing about feeling and emotions is they are pretty much guaranteed to fluctate and change, and each of us can cultivate a sense of agency by understanding how to work with them and how to consciously make choices that take us in the direction we want to go.
I’ve been working with clients and students for well over a decade and the power of the pause is both incredibly simple and, when done with complete awareness and willingness to get honest with oneself, a powerful foundational tool for self-empowerment and transformation. The power of the pause is an easy, no-cost tool that can anyone can integrate into everyday life.
If you’re out of touch with how you feel, if you’re not clear about your life values, and if you don’t hold a clear vision of who you want to be and how you want to be, whether or not you realize it, you’re leaving it up to other people to define these things for you… and they will.
Sure, working on a daily awareness practice sometimes it means you’ll face truths that that can be scary and uncomfortable, that you’d rather ignore, but that won’t actually get rid of them, and over time they can disrupt your overall sense of balanced well-being.
What would it feel like to simply pause, set your phone down, and walk outside for a few minutes to look up at the treetops, the sky, notice the birds singing, feel a gentle breeze, take a deep inhale and exhale, even if just for 3 minutes? Now if you had a twinge of anxiety about leaving the phone behind, you’re not alone, it’s called nomophobia, and pretty commonplace. I’ll leave that topic for another time.
But speaking of technology, it’s undeniable, we have reached fabulous advances through technology. We can use it to create, connect with others, to be of service, to educate, inspire and empower others, as well as ourselves. As with anything, in moderation and with conscious awareness it can be used to benefit and enhance our lives tremendously. And then, as with all things in life, there’s the flip-side.
Technology and continual sensory input is a factor to consider when looking at the rising and deeply disconcerting numbers of adults and teens experiencing anxiety, general stress and depression…worldwide.
What you look at, watch and focus on matters. The music and lyrics you listen to, the shows you watch, the social media and news you take in matters , they all influence you in subtle and not-so subtle ways. We’ve all heard about the dopamine hits that keep us on social media for so long, or that relaxing trance-like state we enter from Netflix binge watching. Nothing wrong with either of those…in moderation.
Every day we need to remember to build in time to pause, to reflect, to daydream about things that are uplifting. and to let natural things fill our senses. Gaze up at the sky, listen to the birds singing, notice the trees, feel the breeze, and yes, please do stop and smell a flower.
Our senses work together to guide us, inform us, protect us. Continual sensory overload with tech devices, with ‘being busy’ can prevent us from noticing the subtler signals from our body, until they get loud enough for us to take notice. You know, headaches, sore back, feeling irritated or depressed, maybe a relationship or two that’s veered off-course can make us feel tense or anxious. The variations on this theme are many and I’m sure you can fill in the blank with your own signal.
The invitation to pause, breathe and be, may sound like an overly simplistic suggestion, but the human nervous system and brain needs that downtime, and needs that balancing effect of connecting with nature.
So consider, for just 3 minutes a day — which still leaves you with 1,437 minutes in your day — pause, walk away from your technology, step outside, take a long, natural, easy inhale, stretch your body, look up at the sky and let go with the most delicious exhale you’ve experienced all day…week…month…year.
Welcome to the present moment, the only place where life is actually happening, and the place from which we can make conscious choices about what our next action, word or thought will be. Enjoy the journey!