From Autopilot to Awareness: The Power of Noticing

When I find myself watching another food video, when I end up reading a novel till 2am, when I eat so much at Thanksgiving I hurt … it isn’t that any of these are bad things to do (except for the overeating at Thanksgiving, but safe to say few of us haven’t been there), it’s that I find myself doing them automatically, unaware of it until I’ve been doing them for some time.

In other words, I’m doing them unconsciously. I get immersed in whatever it is, really enjoying it, and don’t notice I’ve gone too far until it’s too late. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way of becoming aware of what I’m doing a lot sooner?

In fact, there is a way. It’s simple in concept, somewhat hard to do, because it requires noticing signs that tell me I’m doing something unconsciously.

Sounds like a contradiction, but it isn’t. Even when we do something automatically, there’s always some kind of indicator that, when we learn to recognize it, can bring everything into awareness.

When I’m watching that video, it’s almost always because I either need a break from something else I’m doing, or actively avoiding doing what I need to do. That comes with a feeling – either a sense of relaxing in the first instance, or a slight tightness in my chest in the second. If it’s relaxing, then I’ll probably have no trouble keeping the video-watching to one video. If it’s avoiding that feeling of tension, then I’ll probably be looking for more videos before I know it.

That tendency to find other videos is the mental sign for me: once I notice that, I can begin to feel possible tension. Now, I’m aware, and once I’m aware, I can do something about it. Maybe my body is telling me I’m pushing forward too hard or too fast and I need to ease off; maybe it’s telling me that I need to do more preparation; maybe I’m afraid I’ll miss a deadline. Whatever it is, the unconscious activity, brought into awareness, gives me knowledge that I really need.

Quote of the Week

The ego isn’t wrong. When you observe the ego in yourself, you are beginning to go beyond it.

― Eckhart Tolle

How to tap into your awareness

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Maryanne Nicholls is a Registered Psychotherapist.  To find out more, gain access to her weekly newsletter, meditations and programs, sign up at www.thejoyofliving.co . 

If you’re interested in the topic of avoiding burnout for people who do too much, you may be interested in checking out my youtube channel.