The Hidden Reason Why We're Always Rushing
And How To Slow Down To Cultivate Peace
What’s up Modern Mindfulness fam?!
I’m excited to bring a practice to you I’ve been working diligently on this week, and it has to do with rushing through life. Like many of us have realized, we’re probably rushing around more than we’d like.
Fortunately, there’s an antidote to that.
But first, here’s what sparked this endeavor…
The Million Dollar Question
On Monday evening, I was asked a terrific question by one of my mindfulness teachers, Chas Dicapua.
In our Monday night Zoom sit, Chas asked us:
What part of your practice is calling to you right now?
An answer immediately arose from my chest, so I knew it was a heartfelt answer. However, I was a bit wary to join a breakout group and share this with someone I didn’t know. Despite that, I exercised courage and joined my group.
During the group, I tried to listen mindfully.
I really did.
I let go of the mental rehearsal of what I was going to say and dropped back into my body. But despite my efforts in letting go of what I wanted to say, my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about my share.
That’s when I knew the heartfelt answer was right.
There was a boatload of habit energy surging through me.
So that’s what I shared in our small breakout group.
Habit energy was calling my name quite often, which is why I felt compelled to share.
And now, you may be asking this question…
What Is Habit Energy?
Habit energy is an unseen, unthought-of force that can run our lives.
In the words of the famous Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh:
Habit energy keeps us running. We’re always rushing to the next thing without being present in the here and now.
Chas would double down and say:
When we aren’t aware of how these habit patterns run our lives, we get lost in them.
That’s why habit energy is the catalyst for our suffering.
Habit energy is why we’re always rushing around trying to multitask. Habit energy is why we snap at people from the irritability created by doing doing doing, without cultivating any time for ease. Habit energy is why we have scattered, racing thoughts that never seem to end.
This is all due to unconsciously engaging with this habit energy.
However, we must remember, it’s not our fault…
Why Habit Energy Plays A Huge Role In Our Culture
If you live in a capitalist society, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “time is money.”
That phrase may hold some truth, but at what cost?
It costs us our health: physically, mentally, and emotionally. It costs us our relationships because rushing doesn’t cultivate the time or space to develop deep bonds with new people or those we love.
But most of all…
It costs us our peace.
If we’re constantly running around - figuratively or literally - we’re always on edge. And until we become aware of how habit energy runs our lives, we’ll always be on the run.
Fortunately, we can work with this.
Here’s a bit of insight on how to do so…
How We Can Work With Habit Energy (And Start Cultivating Ease)
Shrinking habit energy starts and ends with awareness.
In my experience in my Zoom room, I became aware of the racing thoughts in my mind that were preparing me for my future share of habit energy. When I noticed those thoughts were present, I let them go by noting them. I said the word “thinking” to myself in my head, giving my thinking mind permission to let go.
From there, I dropped back into my body.
I turned my attention to the weight of my body sitting in the chair. Then, I focused on my breathing to allow the words of the woman sharing to flow through me, which made space for embodied listening and pure presence.
I wrote more extensively on this process in the piece below.
Sometimes, the mind is so busy, it’s impossible to let go of thinking. In this case, a different practice may be helpful.
One practice you can turn to is RAIN.
RAIN is an acronym that stands for
Recognize
Allow/accept
Inquire
Non-identification/nurture
RAIN practice also starts with awareness because you’re recognizing the presence of habit energy. From there, you allow or accept its presence. Next, you can inquire about how it got there to understand its root cause. Finally, you can let go of the attachment to your habit energy by letting go of the identification you have with the habit. By doing so, you’re naturally nurturing yourself toward cultivating peace.
To paint a better picture, let’s go back to my example from my class.
I recognized the habit energy of sharing my idea was present. I allowed it and accepted it because I didn’t try to push it away. I simply let it work through me. But when it persisted, I inquired, “What is this?”, which revealed a desire to be validated. Once I realized the root of the habit energy, I let it go and came back into my body.
It’s a simple process, but that doesn’t always make it easy.
But I have faith that it can work for you.
An Invitation
With all this shared, I invite you to tune into your habit energy.
I know it will be uncomfortable at first, but it will be well worth your while, which is why I encourage you to try it for yourself.
After all, you can stop letting habit energy run any time you want.
So…
How will you work with your habit energy today?
Before You Go
If this newsletter resonated with you, please consider doing one of these three things:
Share it with a friend.
Comment with a takeaway.
Consider practicing generosity by buying me a coffee to help inspire more writings on modern mindfulness.
P.S. I’m planning to run an introductory mindfulness course on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness starting on August 9th. Comment or reply “course” if you’d like more information :)