Thoughts from a walk
How peace of mind comes at unexpected times
Even during a crisis, you can find peace of mind
A month ago, it was my turn to go on unpaid leave for 3 months. Picking up the phone that day threw me into a spiral. What am I worth, how replaceable am I, what defines me?
I swallowed my pride and moved back to Switzerland with my family. Saying “See you soon” to London, to my partner, to the life I was building there. What a surreal feeling… All of a sudden my life is on pause, everything seems to be moving at a slower pace. The things I was used to are no longer there, I will not wake up with my partner for… I do not even know how long. Every day you open the news and see that thousands of others are going through the same thing uncertainty rising by the second.
Yet, as I am walking by this quiet lake in the Swiss Jura, I feel at peace. My problems seem far away; my job, this chaos do not define me.
Who are you?
A profession can be a passion, it can make a difference to you… to the world around us. At the end of the day you are much more. Your worth is elsewhere. You are more than a title tag. Think about it. How many times do you answer the question:
What do you do?
Well I am a [insert job title]
We let others define who we are, and worse - what we are. Of course, your job is important, will shelter you financially, and may fulfill you but there is a soul behind each job title. Understanding who you are comes through introspection, to understand what lies beyond the conscious.
“Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Flow and Mindfulness
As you are walking in this little piece of paradise, each of your steps has been taken by thousands before you, and will be taken by many after. Yet you enter some kind of trance, hypnotized by:
- The silence
- Your thoughts
- The wild deer hidden between the trees
As if you have become more than just yourself, lost in some kind of limbo. An ongoing involuntary meditation.
It is scary at first to be left alone with your thoughts — letting the internal demons knock at the door. But, step after step, breath after breath, you let go. There is only you and the path at one with nature. ‘Is this what peace of mind feels like’, you wonder?
When entering this secondary state of consciousness, you become completely self-aware. Yet your mind seems clear and empty of all thought. You are one of 2 options:
- In a state of flow
- Involuntarily practicing mindfulness
Let’s have a look at what each implies, what they mean, and how they might be the path to peace.
Flow
What is the point of flow? It puts you in a state of extreme awareness, and increases performance. Pro athletes often enter this state during competition, seeing lower results when “they get in their head”.
A setting in your brain switches on automatically. It lies within the 2 systems driving your mind. System 1 is automated — it represents your extremely efficient subconscious mind. You cannot switch it off. It is the driver of most of your actions ranging from breathing, to muscle memory, to your sense of orientation. Yet, you are nothing without your conscious mind (System 2), which feeds off of the creativity of System 1, and excels at complex computations and overthinking. (Source) When you enter a state of flow, your conscious mind is put on the back seat — heightening all of your senses.
Losing yourself can paradoxically be the key to your mind being at ease. Not because it is being lazy, but because your powerful subconscious has taken over.
“Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.” Lao Tzu
Mindfulness
The definition is twofold. This state is commonly achieved through meditation, or as stated by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer, comes by setting aside distractions to focus on the now. Mindfulness will improve reactions to both stress and anxiety as it creates new pathways in your brain.
Being mindful is simply living in the moment and being aware of all that surounds us. It is also nested in the theory of the 2 minds. You trigger this state. It is easier to reach through meditation, and being in nature is also a path to finding mindfulness.
Living in the moment will allow you to forget:
- the past
- the future your worries
It is a great stress reliever — a natural path to peace.
“Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.” Louis L’Amour
Peace will come
These blissful moments of quiet are to be cherished. Whilst the world, goes mad you have found some peace. Just like everything else, it is not eternal, beauty comes in ephemeral things.
I cannot answer the question ‘Who are you?’ With Flow or Mindfulness, you truly become yourself. By returning to these techniques and letting your mind be in the moment you will find the answer bit by bit. It is a long journey — I have only just embarked on it.
Overall, this walk taught me that to understand, I must listen. It might be scary at first, yet it is nonetheless a freeing experience.
Let us keep looking, the answer will come. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the peace within the chaos!
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” C.G. Jung
About the Author
Lionel Piguet is a Cluster Revenue Manager at Hilton, he is passionate about human behavior, contemporary philosophy and how they are applied to business and entrepreneurship. He is a graduate of the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne where he received a Bsc in International Hospitality Management.
You can connect with me directly on LinkedIn.