Sensory Deprivation
Less is MORE….
What would your workplace be like if you were able to unplug from the constant demands of You? Have you ever said to yourself, “I just wish all of this would go away.” “I’d like a nice vacation on a deserted island”. A trip to some isolated location with no work, no kids, no TV, just a place to rest and quiet "the overwhelm" seems like the perfect place for me.
Well, this past Wednesday, I received a ticket to Isolation Island. A friend of mine gifted me with a trip to a local spa for a 90-minute experience in the Sensory Deprivation Tank.
When I arrived I was given a walk-through. I began to question my adventure when I actually saw the tank. Imagine an MRI filled with the Dead Sea. This tank has over 500 pounds of salt added to the water, so your body easily floats -completely submerged except your face.
This ten-by-five foot tank was my personal coffin for the next hour. As I opened the door and crawled inside, I remembered the specific instructions to not rub my eyes under any conditions. This would be like rubbing your eyeballs with salt and would cause excruciating pain.
As I closed the door and lay back in the tank, my heart began to race. I do meditate daily, but being there in the pitch dark with my body immersed in water was a whole new experience. Kind of like a sinking Titanic scene….only warm. My mind began to flood with thoughts….the email I forgot to write….. the stack of bills waiting to get paid….. and I felt the walls begin to close in. My mind started having its way with me and I began having the very thoughts of overwhelm and stress that I came here to leave behind.
“Just Breathe” I said. Like most professionals in the world I want a simpler life with less overload, however taking away all senses of feeling, taste, sight, and sound (oh, did I forget to mention the earplugs?) can be quite a shock to an over stimulated….and over-stressed mind.
“Just focus on your breath” I said again. My mind began to ease its vice grip efforts to control this experience and I rested into my breath knowing there was nowhere to be and nothing to do except to be in this space of nothingness.
75 minutes later in a relaxed state, I opened the door to my chamber. With a hot shower and some warm clothes, I walked outside and noticed the blazing colors of fall. Their brightness amazed and delighted me. I walked to a grocery store and placed a BBQ chip in my mouth and washed it down with sparkling soda. The tastes were incredible, almost as if I was tasting for the first time.
By depriving myself of stimuli for an hour, I was able to heighten my senses of touch, taste, smell, and sense of sight and look at my world with new, and wider eyes.
Monday Mindfulness
You might not be able to get to a Sensory Deprivation Tank this week, however I recommend that you take some time to unplug from your sensory overload. This could happen by simply putting in some earplugs, closing your eyes, and connecting with your breath.
Perfect MindSet 2007
If you're tired of the demands of your work holding you hostage and you're ready to grow abundance in your life, then I recommend enrolling in the upcoming Perfect MindSet Course.
November 13th, 2006 at 8:49 am
EARPLUGS….
GREATEST INVENTION SINCE BEFORE SEEDLESS WATERMELON
November 13th, 2006 at 9:33 am
“Breathe” is such a powerful word! Such a simple (and necessary) concept, but very much forgotten in our busy world. Thanks for the reminder, Jason - Have a great week!
November 13th, 2006 at 11:22 am
Jason, Can you please send this to a friend of mine. He was at my house yesterday saying these thoughts almost verbatim, need to get away, need a vacation, need down time….. you know. thanks, BRIG