I have always had an impatient and restless mind and you can see it in every action of mine. They way I type, fingers flying over the keyboard impatiently trying to finish sentences before I can even form them, skipping pages in books because I can’t wait to get to the next part and the description is too long and boring for my taste, pacing up and down nonstop during calls that go on for an hour, shifting from one room to another or desk to bed and then back to desk when I’m working from home… I can go on!
My mind cannot stay still and that reflects in all my actions, behaviour and day-to-day habits. It takes immense effort for me to make myself slow down, breathe or just contain my mind into stillness. While the positive aspects of this are that my mind is always buzzing with ideas and I can easily jump from one task to another and carry on multiple tasks over time (not the same as multi-tasking). The down side is that it is exhausting! Either I am 200% productive in a day or I do absolutely nothing at all. There is no in-between, and it can take a toll on your emotional health.
This is why my line of work suits my personality perfectly. No two days are the same, some days are really hectic, I deal with ideas and strategies for 3-4 different businesses, different verticals, simultaneously, I take care of multiple aspects of a business like communication, marketing, content, strategy and growth at the same time.
But as I grow older, I’ve realised the importance of slowing down, however difficult that might seem for me. While I could carry on like this before, now I need some time-off to get rid of all the anxiety and restless energy for me to be able to focus better and be more productive. If you can relate to anything that I’ve said, these tips would be useful for you too!
Change of location
Well this is the obvious solution for someone who has a restless mind and wings on their feet. A change in location does wonders to my mood and energizes my mind, which in turn brings out fresh ideas!
Music
Certain tracks have the knack for setting the right mood for you to focus on. While working my go-to music is always trance or EDM
Writing
Writing for me almost always involves list making, jotting down post ideas, business ideas etc. There’s something about pen and paper that brings forth better clarity (the mandatory doodling also helps)
Exercise
A good run or a long walk or even a few minutes outdoors breathing in fresh air can calm your restless mind
Finish tiresome tasks first
The though of pending tasks is enough to cause anxiety and restlessness. Especially when they are things that I hate doing. So I make sure I attack and finish those first and then move on to more easy and enjoyable tasks.
What are your tips and ideas to calm a restless mind?
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Photography: Meghna Chinaiah
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