Originally Cont’d from “In the end, ‘being childlike’ curbs aging” 11-24-09

Experiencing Silence

     “The mind replenishes itself in silence,” Deepak Chopra, M.D, says in his book, called a “Creative Action Plan.” It can be the “quantum source” of energy needed for most activities. Meditation and learning how to use silence to touch your core of creativity provides you with a “resting” period between bouts of “busy ness” [my words] that tend to consume us daily.

Spending Time in Nature

     You can discharge pent-up energies by removing yourself from the artificial “man-made” world and get back to nature, Chopra says. Even for a few minutes a day. Let sunshine in, and the body will naturally help to nourish itself. [I focus on birds and small animals by feeding them in my back yard. I get “recharged” when I walk outside and not drive the car for an errand across a nearby park.]

Experiencing and Trusting Emotions

     Make a list of positive and negative emotions and see how often they crop up in a day, Chopra says. By reviewing them later, you come to know your emotions — something many of us are unable to do — and by understanding what they are, we take the first step in “mastering them,” according to Chopra. Don’t dwell on one single group, even if you get mad or angry several times in a given day. Acknowledge the negative emotion, then skip over it to the positive. It is important to realize we have different ones affecting us throughout the day. They help connect to our “awareness” of the world around us and suppressing them may simply block an appreciation of our world. [I find this the hardest to follow.]

Remaining Centered Amid Chaos

     When things go crazy in the workplace or at home, try to separate yourself by looking within, according to Chopra. Center you attention inside of you, by focusing on your breath, and physically feeling the air going through the nostrils and into the chest. Eyes closed. In just a few minutes, Chopra says, you can return to do battle with a fresh approach.

Being Childlike

    Smile Often. Practice Alone. Think Love.    Do something that you recall was fun in your childhood, Chopra says. Eat ice cream, swing at the playground, laugh out loud “loudly” or be “stupid-happy.” There is a sense of aliveness, of being joyful, of being full of life in being “childlike.” We had it as children but lost that quality along the way. It is still there.

Being Self-Referral

     Chopra advises that you try something completely different from what you are used to doing. If you’re a practicing attorney, study reflexology (I did, and it’s fun!) Trade in your reporter’s hat for that of artist, and paint something. (Did that too; got a few “originals” hanging in my house.)  Do something “totally incongruous to your self-image,” is what Chopra advised. You can do it — and at the same time change from being an observer to one observed. It gets rid of a lot of baggage and helps make you a “free, uncluttered person,” the doctor says.

Practicing Non-Attachment

     Be passionate, be committed, be excited and completely involved, but know when to step back. Non-attachment means “letting go of expectations, preconceived outcomes, and egotistical points of view,” the author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, continues. A good soldier, Chopra says, can find himself becoming a peaceful unattached observer while in battle. You become free from outside influences that can hamper your true self.

     Gotta get back to the book now. I look forward to a rich and happy ending. Enjoy!