FREEDOM IS DELICIOUS
What does freedom mean for you, right now?
I am out for my daily morning walk. I leave my phone at home! I live in a beautiful valley, which today is covered in pure white frost, so pretty. The sun is showing its bright yellow face, easing up and over the hills in a clear blue sky, to melt the frost and warm the earth.
NOBODY KNOWS WHERE I AM!
I am totally alone, apart from the kangaroos hopping around me. They seem to congregate in groups of 10 or 20. Suddenly 3 of them appear in front of me. I decided Mum, Dad, teenager and baby in pouch. Reminder to self: don’t mess with a new Mum, a very large protective Dad and a distracted teenager. I stopped, spoke gently and quietly to them, admiring their beauty and power. They stopped, looking directly at me (not the teenager!) and I could feel them listening. And then they were off. What a privilege to come so close to these magnificent creatures.
That was my freedom.
Not thinking about my day, the work that lay ahead, feeling overwhelmed with tasks, I need to check my phone…….
Because absolutely nobody knows where I am right now.
No-one can get to me
It almost feels a little bit wicked, certainly indulgent, and delightfully delicious. This freedom that clears my mind and sets me up for whatever is to come today.
The dictionary tells us that freedom is “the power to determine action without restraint” and “exemption from external control, interference or regulation”
We all have rules and regulations we must follow. The good ones, of course, are those that keep us safe, like road rules. Sportspeople happily follow rules that keep things fair. Your work place has rules and regulations and whilst many believe that those of us in business have total freedom, this, unfortunately is not the case. There are many rules and regulations in business, whether it be small, medium or big. There are also self-imposed rules in business, like accountability for your brand and personal interactions.
But there is a deep yearning in humans to escape and experience FREEDOM.
A fine example is the government imposed isolation during the pandemic, maybe a blessed freedom for some but left others frustrated and angry. Choice was removed from each and every one of us which resulted in emotional turmoil and chaos for many.
Freedom of mind, body and spirit is essential for physical and emotional health.
Here are 5 simple ideas for you to easily install in your day:
- Walking – no listening to podcasts, music, conversing with the work colleague – leave the device at home and feel, see, smell the nature around you
- Swimming laps – the repetitive and hypnotic nature of gliding up and down the black line is freeing
- Meditation – of course you can ‘learn’ techniques for ‘how to’ meditate but doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Meditation is intuitive and there is no right or wrong way. Just find a quiet, undisturbed space and breathe – inhale deeply and exhale slowly and deliberately until you feel those lungs empty. And then listen, listen to the silence. For those with very busy minds, regular practice reaps rewards.
- Hypnosis – as a Hypnotherapist I can guarantee being in a ‘trance’ state is a magical place. Mind clearing, Mind healing, and the deepest relaxed awareness you can imagine.
- Reading and movies can transport you to another world and gives you freedom from whatever challenges you have – right now.
