While away last month, I “re-remembered” the importance of downtime (which in Europe included ample time for sitting and writing and eating croissants, pizza, pasta, gelato – which now means making ample time to put on the running shoes), so I’m now making a deliberate effort to meditate every morning.
During a yoga class this week, the instructor asked us to sit in silence for a few minutes and clear the mind of thoughts. “When a thought comes up,” she explained, “try to view it as an outside observer would, separate from your own mind. Then let it go. Release it.” I’ve heard this advice many times in meditation sessions, but that day, the prompt resonated with me.
A month away from everything I knew meant a lot of time spent in my own brain. And while I was able to “get to know” myself on an entirely different level, I also learned that too much time in your own head can get you tangled up in a mess of thoughts that aren’t necessarily helpful.
That’s where the detachment comes in.
When a negative, stressful, or otherwise unpleasant thought pops into your head, it’s important not to identify with it. By this I mean don’t let it become a part of you or define who you are. Instead, acknowledge it – it’s real and it’s present – and deal with it if need be and the time is right. But remember that it’s just a thought. It doesn’t have a life of its own, and you have the power to bid it farewell.
We are separate from our thoughts. It sounds so obvious, but it’s one of the hardest truths out there to internalize.
How can you let go today?
Namaste 🙂
Rachel
Detachment – Cinque Terre, Italy
Freelancing to Freedom 
Hello Rachel,
I want to say that I really like your blogposts; especially the ones about finding the balance between spirituality and productivity. Your blog is currently the only one that seems to discuss about the challenges that I face on a daily basis.
I’m someone that loves projects and that really believes that achievement is part of the process of self-development. Sometimes though, it feels like the stress associated with ambitious projects can drain the happiness out of the equation rapidly.
Like you’ve mentioned previously in “the active contentment”, I think it isn’t obvious how to find a balance between achievement and contentment. I can recognize the same pattern here with connected detachment: We think we need to be nervous in order to get stuff done, but at the same time, we can reach higher levels of focus by being calmer.
Please keep publishing about such themes. It helps me to keep grounded.
Chris
By: quantumleapyourmusic on December 16, 2013
at 4:45 am
I’m so happy that I read this today. Thank you!
By: T.J. on January 4, 2014
at 7:40 pm
I’m so happy you read it too 🙂 You’re the best!
By: faultlessfinish on January 4, 2014
at 9:39 pm