In today’s world, our minds can feel like a web browser with fifty different tabs open. One tab holds a deadline; another is the lingering frustration caused by a traffic jam earlier that morning; a third is a worry about an upcoming doctor appointment, and somewhere in the background there is music playing, but it is impossible to figure out which tab it is coming from.
This state of “buzzing” is a vibration of stress that doesn’t stay in our heads. It can settle in the shoulders, tighten the chest, and make our breath shallow. When the workday ends, the buzz follows us home and can keep us awake at night.
We can’t quiet the buzz if we don’t recognize it’s there.
The challenge is that after living this way for long enough, the buzz starts to feel normal. We become so used to rushing from one task to the next that we stop noticing how disconnected we have become. We eat our meals while scrolling. We talk to our loved ones while checking notifications. And we exercise while worrying about everything we still need to do. When this happens, we begin to move through life on autopilot, which can make it difficult to make choices that are aligned with our goals.
Anytime you feel that something isn’t quite right, you can sense your breathing change, your heart rate increase, a lump forming in your throat, or a queasy sensation sitting in the pit of your stomach; these are all signals telling you to stop before saying or doing anything. The good news is that you don’t have to escape to a cabin in the woods or sit cross-legged in silence for an hour to help quiet the buzz and hear those signals. It starts with small moments that help bring us back to the present.
Maybe it’s taking a slow breath before opening your laptop each morning. Maybe it’s noticing the warmth of your coffee. It could be paying attention to the colour of the sky during your walk or listening closely when someone is speaking instead of planning your response before they’ve finished. These moments may seem insignificant, but they act like a reset button, helping us to become fully aware and in the moment.
Awareness creates space.
If we constantly operate on autopilot, it can be difficult to make meaningful changes because we default to familiar patterns. For example, after a stressful meeting, you might find yourself standing in the break room with a donut in your hand before you’ve even stopped to think about why you reached for it in the first place. Creating a pause can give you a chance to interrupt that pattern.
We may not be able to quiet the buzz completely; there will always be tabs open in our minds. But by getting good at stopping — and using Stop. Challenge. Choose — you are putting yourself in position to know how to control your response to a negative feeling or emotion, allowing you to move forward in a meaningful way.