Do you like a good road trip? You know the drill – pack the car, load up some snacks, set the GPS and drive for the day (feeling clever along the way for saving money on airfare!).
When do a road trip, do you use cruise control, that helpful autopilot mechanism that saves gas and conserves a little of your brain energy?
I enjoy the occasional road trip and my husband and I did one recently. We drove 675 miles to Ohio – in one day – to visit family. It was a long drive, so we definitely used cruise control. When conditions were safe – dry roads, not too much traffic – automatic pilot kept our pace steady and freed up a little of our attention so that we could converse and listen to an entertaining recorded book. The miles flew by…
Autopilot is a great device for road trips. But I found myself thinking, “What about in my life? Am I living on autopilot?”
If so, that doesn’t feel so good.
I don’t want to live on autopilot – going through the motions, living life by rote or habit. I don’t want to be slightly removed from life’s richness.
Last spring when I had Covid, one of my symptoms was a lessened sense of taste and smell. These dulled senses impacted my feeling of engagement with my physical environment and reminded me how important our senses are.
Fortunately, my physical senses have been restored by and large. But what about the rest of life? What about the “senses of our consciousness,” those qualities that create and enhance our connection with life’s vitality, with our spirit?
What are the senses of consciousness? For me, they include awareness, noticing, attentiveness, engagement, connection. The combination of these qualities adds up to vitality, life’s powerful force and energy that enrich each moment.
Are we ever served by being on autopilot in our lives? Perhaps. When I’m feeling over-stimulated, for example, or doing a repetitive task, being a little dulled down mentally can be helpful.
However, repetitive tasks might just be an avenue into the senses of consciousness rather than away. Instead of hurrying through raking the leaves or washing the dishes, these tasks can bring us into connection with the moment’s stillness.
By being gently focused on one simple task/moment at a time, we might find ourselves feeling calm, stability, peace, even contentment. For that moment, we are present, not worrying about the future, not ruminating about the past.
This centered place is the proverbial eye of the storm. Our life is swirling around us, but inside we are quiet, gathered, present.
This central point is a good place to be and one which we’ve all experienced at times. How can we stay there longer, more continuously? How do we get ourselves back to it when we realize we’re not in that desirable place?
The first key, as always, is noticing. Noticing brings awareness – that crucial step of consciousness that takes us out of autopilot and brings us back on the road to consciousness, to engagement.
“How present am I?” Fully present? Hardly present at all? The aim is to at least get from somewhat present to more fully present.
Once we notice where we are, we can use some practices – consciously – to return to fuller connection.
The first tool is, perhaps, the most obvious and well-utilized tool – the breath. It’s interesting to note that this practice uses one of the body’s functions that basically operates on autopilot – to take us out of autopilot!
A conscious, deep, cleansing breath is the super-highway back into connection, into calm. Try one right now and note the effect of even one breath. Amazing, isn’t it?
A second practice is patting/tapping. In qi gong, patting all over the body stimulates the nerve endings and promotes blood flow. Gentle patting awakens the body and reminds us we are ina body!
Tapping on meridian points (EFT – emotional freedom technique) also stimulates the body, mind and spirit and is used to awaken, to shift moods, even to change our learned behaviors.
I use both of these techniques and also simply tap my third eye lightly to help me connect with my Higher Self’s viewpoint or tap my heart to remind me to stay heart-centered.
Smile! This is another technique to awaken and come back into the moment. Do you ever walk by a mirror and notice that your face is devoid of affect? Completely neutral? Smiling – even a half smile – can return you to yourself and the moment. Dialectal Behavior Therapy uses smiling to help patients with depression, anxiety, and other concerns.
Smiling helps me remember to enjoy the moment I’m in, to step away from being too serious, to appreciate my life.
All of these practices are contained within your body, so you always have them at the ready. If you’re interested in an external tool, I suggest using a Tibetan singing bowl. The tone of this instrument calls you into yourself, into a deep place of inner calm. If you need a source, here’s a link to explore.
Autopilot in your car eases some of the burden of a long drive. Autopilot in life means missing out on connection with life’s vitality and richness. Coming back to consciousness through the breath, through patting, smiling, through the tone of a singing bowl – we can easily step out of autopilot and back into engagement with life’s richness and centered calm.
Cultivate your connection with your consciousness senses. You’ll find the drive along life’s highway a lot more interesting, satisfying, and full of vitality if you do.