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A Gift to Yourself: Immersion


"It does the mind good to get away"

Truth: It is not just a good idea to escape and detox at times, it's actually very important to the overwhelmed and overstressed mind that many manage on the daily.

We tend to constantly take in and receive heaps of information through pretty much every aspect of life. Media is everywhere, in multiple forms. People are everywhere with opinions and thoughts to share. Books, the News, Social Media, our phones... it's quite hard to slow the pace of our minds when they are constantly trying to absorb. We "feed, feed, feed," but never allow the time for digestion. Our minds become full- glutinous even- and we end up with mental indigestion. Symptoms include stress, anxiety, overwhelm, depression, and panic.

If I may, I'd like to recommend a cure I've found to do the trick. I call it Immersion, or I guess to better explain, Soul Immersion. A time of Immersion where you sit in the depths of yourself and who you are. You think, you divulge, you manage, and you file the thoughts that for so long have piled up on edge of your mind.

Immersing in yourself, in your thoughts, your soul- is a time for just you.

It belongs to no-one else.

It is quiet.

It is pure.

It is still.

And the process is sometimes difficult to begin, because it is like a full halt for a speedy brain. This is why the process takes time. You will need time to escape "life" and break free from the chaos and noise. I, personally, write down thoughts that cloud my mind, things I need to do or work on. I write all of it down so it is out of my mind and gives it room for rest.

As a traveler, many of my personal soul immersions come on the backside of a long cultural immersion. Immersing myself in different cultures for weeks at a time, I always allow myself time to process the thoughts, the information, and the knowledge that I have received before throwing myself back into my daily life in New York City. I allow time for that process to take place... and, I have had the best "ahh-ha" moments during these times.

However, travel isn't necessary for overwhelm. Daily I struggle to keep up, to keep my thoughts aligned, to keep my self aligned and my spirit aligned. Which is why I seek time to close everything down and process it, regularly.

I challenge you to find time to immerse. To immerse yourself in you, and completely cut off EVERYTHING else. Get away, sit in the quiet, journal, paint, do whatever is going to allow you to rest and stop. Find a hotel or Airbnb and go away for a FEW days. (You'll need at least one day just to relax and calm down.) Turn off the social media, turn off the tv, turn off the alarms and emails and phone calls. Leave work at home. Spend this time searching yourself, spend this time to dream, spend this time to clear out past hurt or issues you have yet to resolve in yourself. Do whatever is needed to become clear in yourself and in your thoughts, whilst alone.

It will take planning to have the time- so plan it now. Set aside 3-4 days to leave "all worries behind." Do this a few times a year. It will mean sacrifice, but it will also mean personal wellness and growth. So get up, make a plan, go alone, turn it off-- and seek inwardly.

You will reap the benefits!

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