I find it amusing that some of the most profound and insightful, epiphanic moments I have come in the simplest of ways and about the simplest of things.
Take, for example, this afternoon.
Upon leaving my desk for my lunch break, I decided on a whim that, instead of sticking around the building I work in, I would walk a good distance away to another building on campus that I hadn’t been to in a long while. And there, sitting on a bench, enjoying the peaceful stillness of a college campus in the Summertime, I felt wonderful—lighter, renewed, full of inspiration and ideas. My mind was cleared of the cobwebs that stuffy office air and fluorescent lighting have a tendency to spin during the work week. My mood soared up into the clouds after the sandbags of frustration and stress dropped untethered to the ground. I sat there, delighted, and then the moment of epiphany hit me.
What changed? What brought on this utter alteration of my mental and emotional states?
All it took was changing my physical state.
WHY HAD THIS NOT OCCURRED TO ME BEFORE? Why had I never made the connection between a change of scenery and a subsequent change of mind? Of course, "getting some fresh air" wasn't an unknown concept to me, but it was more than just air, more than a simple swap from indoors to outdoors--it was that I took myself and moved myself somewhere different, somewhere new, somewhere that had such an effect on me, physically, that the effect seeped into my mind and heart as well. I didn't even have to consciously try to make that happen--it just happened.
As I sat on that bench, my mind racing, I realized this principle doesn't just apply to taking a walk. It applies to so many things in our physical surroundings that we have control over every day. It applies to the clothes we dress ourselves in, the care we put into our appearance, the art we hang on our walls, the cleanliness of our homes. Putting care into and emphasis on these things is not superficial--it actually has a deep effect on our mental and emotional states, for better or worse. And it also applies to our relationships, too.
We live in an increasingly ephemeral world, where most of our conversations and interactions with others take place behind screens and in isolated places, apart. While for many of us this doesn't seem like a problem--especially for those of us who rank high on the spectrum of introversion--in reality I think it's harmful. The physical distance, over time, dulls our mental and emotional states and causes us to feel increasingly distant inside as a result. There is such a difference when you speak with someone in person--such a strong, palpable connection that is built when you come together face to face. There have been many times that I've walked away from a visit with a good friend and felt like a piece of my soul has been fed. When we are physically distant from others, connected only through our phones and devices, we're missing out on that spark that we need, that part of physical proximity that, subconsciously, improves our minds and hearts, too.
It's really that simple. The external pieces of our lives have such an effect on our internal well being. If you've been feeling listless or discouraged lately, perhaps you would do well to think about what you can do to change the physical things in your life instead of continuing to dwell so much on your thoughts and feelings, trapping yourself inside your own head.
Clean your house. Cut your hair. Find a new place to walk to on your lunch break. Meet up with a friend and exist a few feet apart together for a while. It really can change everything.
The physical isn't just the backdrop to our lives, the insignificant adornment to our inner monologues and dreams. Its influence is powerful in its subtlety, profound in its simplicity, and potentially life-changing in its ability to enhance and uplift our innermost feelings and experiences.
Now please excuse me while I go tidy up the front room.
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