Jokes about “anchors around the neck” are common, but these resulting laughs gave the anchor a bad rap! In modern society, everything moves so fast that our everyday thoughts are often similar to scrolling through tiktok or YouTube, changing direction every few seconds. Brain researchers are worried about what multitasking and scrolling is doing in our brains. Dragging our fast thoughts is no longer natural or easy. So we need to build an anchor in our day.
One type of anchor is fantasy. Brain researchers worry that we don’t get enough time to fantasize because unplugging and fantasy turns out to be amazing for our brains. Think of your routines, activities and chores for these fantastical anchors. Do you start your day with a quiet silence while you make your morning coffee? I fantasize about my heart and myself! Have you noticed you were daydreaming while training or on a drive home? What about chores like squeezing snow into snow and vacuuming it? Where else can I add this important anchor?
Brain researchers are worried that we are no longer reading books. Because it turns out to be focused on the eyes (or the ears in the case of audiobooks) over a long period of time. When do you lock yourself in by focusing your thoughts on one thing? One of my favorites is sitting for a board game. Mowing the lawn with an audiobook is another thing. I think you can clear up scrolls, forget about multitasking, or find other times you can give your brain to this amazing one-focus anchor.
Of course, being in the present moment is yet another anchor. Yoga and meditation teach us to use breathing, movement, or repetitive mantras to hold them in the present moment. Solo hikers do this by turning off the song and focusing solely on realizing the nature around us. Their running towards dance and music is yet another.
In modern society, we really need to build an anchor in our daily lives.
I’ll be anchored until next time!
Roller
