Too Busy or Worried to … Smell the Roses?
By Komal Vaishnav
In today’s fast paced times, when working hours begin as soon as one has any time to gather oneself after getting up in the morning, the quintessential work-life balance has gone for a toss.
According to online counselling website ‘Yourdost‘, 50 percent of corporate India is under chronic stress with 30 per cent having problems such as addiction and marital discord.
Today it requires a constant conscious effort on every individual’s part to take out time for oneself. In the midst of the hassle and fulfilling various responsibilities, we often forget to maintain a clear balance between reaching out to our social circle as well as taking out time for ourselves.
Since I am a college undergraduate currently doing an internship, I could almost feel myself settle into a similar lifestyle and worry that I’m on the path of becoming a stagnant self…
My day would begin with the worries of what are my future prospects for post-graduation going to be like. Would I be able to get into a university of my choice? Would I be able to fulfil my dream of studying abroad? etc etc. The constant drone of noises in my head would forever be on.
But, as luck would have it, one day I stumbled upon a self-help book ‘The power of now‘ written by Eckhart Tolle. This book mainly focuses upon the importance of functioning in the now, that is the present moment. The book preaches that when one finds oneself totally immersed in the present, then new doors of help and magic open up as the consciousness — being present totally in what one is absorbed in at the moment — thinks of means and ways to finish the present work at its perfection.
The author finds the obsession with the past and present quite unnecessary and pointless.
Upon trying to implement the same in my life, I consciously tried to see where my mind would go while travelling in buses, absorbed in a boring conversation with friends etc…And I was surprised to find that it was either with some complication of the future that had never occurred…Or with an event of the past that I was mercilessly mocking myself for.
To quote from the book via Goodreads:
“All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of unforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”
The former exercise has helped me a lot to be a little happier and peaceful every day. Hence I strongly recommend the same for all my folks going through a tough time or otherwise. It is most definitely a lovely, blissful and wholesome world that we are living in, and the God of love has gifts scattered all around, but one can notice it only if one consciously gets out of the voice in your head, and communicates with the present.
Cheers to the now!
About the Author: Komal Vaishnav is a TISS Hyderabad undergraduate student; presently interning (virtually!) with The Health Collective. Feedback is welcome @healthcollectif
