Take some time in your life to ‘chill’
‘TO chill’ is to be free of thoughts, concerns, judgement and as a result limitations. It is a place where things don’t ‘bother’ you. It is also a place of creativity, productivity and growth. It is a place of being grounded with no restrictions. It is a place of freedom. For a business leader or anyone that wants to be productive and effective in the modern world–it is the ultimate place to be–a place of blue ocean thinking with zero limits or excuses.
Why ?
Modern life is full of busyness and many weapons of mass distraction. There are so many things to consider, emails, targets, customers, staff, deadlines, problems, growth, Brexit etc. Being able to access your space of inner chill, is the perfect preparation to help you identify the truly important things and harness your energy so you have the clarity, courage and drive to deal with them in the best way. Regular visits to ‘chill’ and freedom brings awareness, acceptance, the right perspective and enables you to focus your energy for action and results in daily life.
The busyness of the modern world is overwhelming many. Too much thinking can easily turn us into machines living without fulfilment. Alternating between the autopilot, and being ‘always on’ and doing or thinking erodes joy, intuition and innovation.
Ireland currently has one of the highest rates of mental health illness in Europe, ranking joint third out of the 36 countries surveyed in the annual Health at a Glance report (OECD, 2018). In 2016, 18.5 per cent of the Irish population was recorded as having a mental health disorder, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, or alcohol or drug use. Unhealthy stress is contagious.
The world is changing rapidly. Higher demands and expectations, the global economy, a 24 hour always on culture and expectations for instant service and response all adds to the stress and fear people feel.
Here are a few ways that will prepare you to be more chilled.
1. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep creates a lot of physical and mental stress and puts the body out of balance.
2. Spend time outdoors every day. The fresh air and sunlight helps you reset, energizes you and provides a valuable dose of Vitamin D daily.
3. Take regular breaks. People who develop routines of being ‘always on’ over long days have more difficulty slowing down and lose their ability to enjoy meaningful relaxation. They are more inclined to have difficulty getting to sleep or getting back to sleep if they wake up in the middle of the night. Regular (a few minutes every hour and a little longer every 2 hours) breaks also boost growth, learning and productivity.
4. Don’t be a busy fool. When we do this, the neuropathways in our brain expect to be ‘busy’ and it becomes a habit which makes it harder to slow down over time. When we are busy all the time, we lose perspective.
5. Practice Meditation to help you disengage from the outer busyness and pressures of the world.
6. Have healthy boundaries with technology and screens. If you can avoid it, don’t answer emails as they come. Check them a few times a day. Limit phone use. Ultimately technology should enhance or lives and we should not be slaves to it.
7. Spend time with people that also take time to chill.
The best way of improving your life is to improve yourself and your inner world. Visiting a place of inner-chill on a regular basis prepares you to live a more productive, peaceful and joyful life.
Calodagh McCumiskey designs and delivers bespoke wellbeing at work programmes to grow people and companies. She also offers regular meditation classes, personal development workshops and wellbeing consultations to help people thrive 053 9140655 | info@spiritualearth.com | www.spiritualearth.com