I once tried a cocktail called an Attitude Adjuster. I just couldn’t resist the name. After a fairly lively evening, I couldn’t honestly say whether it did what it claimed! These days I don’t drink alcohol very often (it’s my age!) but do have another attitude adjuster which definitely works.
Anyone who’s interested in animal tracking or watching animals will be aware of something called “zoning in”. You might not give it a name of course. It’s simply the process of quietly and unobtrusively existing in a place while you adjust to the environment around you.
You’re aiming to clear your mind so it’s more receptive and tap into the rhythms of what’s going on around you.
I’ve never knowingly practiced things such as meditation but the more I find out about them, the more I realize they’re actually very similar to what’s going on here.
Indeed, from my own practical experience, I often use this very same process to solve problems. If I’m thinking too much, need to think more, or just want to think about nothing, it goes something like this:
- Find a tree or some other place I feel ‘at home’.
- Sit under it, lie under it, whatever, but be still.
- Let the breeze carry away my thoughts. It’s like a mind wash.
- After a while, I notice my awareness is increased. If I need to think, this is when it happens through new eyes. If I don’t want to think I just carry on with the tracking drill and start to drink in my surroundings.
If you’ve never done anything like this I can’t recommend it enough. I might sound like some old tree hugger but it really is such a powerful thing. It raises so many primal feelings which interrupt all the modern everyday nonsense. Try it and see what happens.