Jim & I were reading in bed on a recent warm summer
night, with the windows open. He must
have thought I was nuts when I turned and asked him that question. He didn’t notice the refrigerator running,
the crickets chirping, or the frogs croaking.
I wondered why he didn’t seem to notice it and for me, it was just too
much noise.
I think, perhaps I noticed it, just slightly at first,
but then I started to concentrate on the noise, instead of my book, Russka. Sort of like when you have an ache of
some sort and you start concentrating on the ache, it seems to hurt more. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say, I can stomp
on your foot and then your (whatever) won’t hurt anymore, right? Same thing.
We tend to be more aware of the things we concentrate on.
So, how do we quiet the noise, or ease the pain? One simple thing would be to quit thinking
about it so much.
After I got up to investigate the constant annoying
noise, that turned out to be the refrigerator, I was able to get my mind back
into my book. Soon, the frogs and
crickets seemed to disappear while Peter the Great died and Catherine the Great took over ruling Russia.
What annoying, or painful, things are you concentrating
on these days? Could a simple shift in
your concentration be a help?
Here are some ideas to get your mind off your woes…
·
Read a book
·
Listen to music
·
Play a game with someone
·
Call a friend
·
Do a puzzle
·
Take a hike and have a picnic
·
Go on an exciting adventure
·
Dance like no one is watching
·
Give it up to God
·
Insert
your favorite distraction – grin
Sometimes, of course, the things we are concentrating on
need to be addressed. Do not ignore the
big stuff, but don’t sweat the small stuff.
Find a fun, relaxing way to change your mind set.
*Pam
Horton is a Certified Stress Management Coach.*
