Why does my head need space?

If there is one thing that I notice more than anything whilst raising my 3 children in comparison to my own childhood, it’s the lack of mental headspace that they sit in.

This goes for adults too, but the concern for a growing mind to be so crammed full of external life, is a worry. Is this where we see a rise in mental health concerns in youths? Youths are surrounded by stimulation wherever they turn and are rarely subjected to real ‘down time’ where the brain can process, recover and rest.

As a 70’s child, my upbringing was pretty simple and it seemed to match most kids childhoods around me. Getting in from school in the 80’s was real respite. No smartphone, zero gaming, 3 tv channels, absent social media & chat groups, our minds were forced to switch off. Maybe hang out with friends in person or watch the clouds. Consider taking a nap or perfect a hobby/skill – our time was ours.

Is society used to filling every gap in our day with going through emails, checking social media, watching other people’s lives and leaving very little time for our heads to rest?

What will space give us?

You see, it’s in this space of ‘nothingness’ that everything from within us happens. In the stillness we can catch up with our emotions of how we feel about aspects of our lives, whose in it & how we move forwards.

In the silence we can hear our intuition whisper messages that will guide us. Here is the place where the mind has space to be creative, visualising what’s to come in all its glory.

With constant external noise and distraction of other people, we fail to pay attention to our yearning, calling and lifes alarm bells.

Only recently I noticed that when i’m walking the dogs, I seem to automatically plug in to a podcast episode, distracting me from the natural delights surrounding me. Today I allow myself to be submerged in nature rather than mentally being somewhere else.

So, how can we resolve this?

Are you noticing things regularly becoming too much for you to process or a feeling of overwhelm? Have you noticed feelings and emotions popping up but you have no clue where it arrived from? Do you recognise that your creativity feels stunted and that ideas have stopped flowing to you?

These are all signs that your mind is being over stimulated, almost like a ‘fight or flight’ feeling. You need time to download, rest, allow bordam to kick in and let the mind to wander with no forced direction.

Life is hectic for us all right? Let’s slow it right down at every opportunity. These are the magical moments when life takes form from your authentic self.

• Turn off notifications on your phone
• Switch phone off in the evening
• Spend time in silence
• Wander in nature
• Book a date with yourself
• Minimise plans/commitments
• Create boundaries
• Meditate or breathwork practise ( if you find this tricky at first, try a guided meditation, kundalini yoga or colouring )

Final word

All of us get to choose what we allow into our lives and what we surround ourselves with. Individually we get to push the media away and choose it when it suits us. Say no to following the crowd if it doesn’t suit us individually or as a family. Turn off the selling through our tv screens. Choose not to read false news or play with gossip. We get to choose if we buy into competition with others or not.

Everyone gets to choose what we allow into our minds, what we dispose of and what we will consider.

Allow yourself the greatest, most important gift ever – Headspace to become totally, authentically YOU.

Catch me here chatting about this subject on YouTube