I texted a friend yesterday to tell her that I had spent an hour or so ‘mindlessly’ exploring one of my favourite local woods in Uckfield that I know well. And it was the most relaxing and carefree hour or so that I’ve spent in a while. I meandered my way through the wood, singing away to myself (and the trees), stopping when I wanted to, touching things or looking at things, before moving off again. I simply followed my internal impulses without thinking – except when certain things demanded my attention such as the slippery slopes (I didn’t want to end up in the mud) and a vibrantly orange fungi – which I’ve never seen before.
Mindfulness has been a part of Eastern philosophies for thousands of years and became popular in the West in the 1990s. It has been increasingly promoted as a way for people to improve their mental health by encouraging them to focus on the here and now and not get caught up in the mental hurly-burly of daily life and everyday preoccupations. The idea is that we take the time and energy to experience our present environment with all our senses – touch, sound, sight, smell and taste – and without judgement. Mindfulness is often built in to many well-being activities and exercises, e.g. yoga, forest bathing, meditation and breathing practices and no retreat or self-care programme these days, it seems, is complete without some element of mindfulness being included.
Mindfulness certainly plays an important role in keeping ourselves well. But what about mindlessness? Well, it tends to have very negative connotations. ‘Mindless violence’ springs to mind, and we tend to think that when we do things mindlessly we are on autopilot – we are not thinking or engaging our mind fully. And this can lead to mistakes, thoughtless, unkind behaviours or even dangerous actions.
But I would like to offer a different perspective on being mindless – and one which also benefits our wellbeing. Dropping into ‘mind-lessness’ means that we take conscious thinking, focusing or paying attention out of the picture and let the body take over. We may notice and react when we’re hungry, thirsty, hurt, tired or cold/warm but many of us aren’t so good at noticing and giving in to other unconscious impulses that arise in our bodies. Sometimes this happens when we dance – when we follow our internal responses to the rhythm, mood or lyrics of a song. Similarly we can allow ourselves to be led by our body and not our mind whenever we have the space, the time and, if it feels important, the privacy. Being carefree or spontaneous and following your gut instinct are other words and phrases that describe this process. Young children and animals, by the way, are very good at this.
This is how it was when I was walking in the woods yesterday. My body was relaxed, my mind was relaxed and I lost my sense of time and direction. My body took me to places in the wood that I’d never been before. And I found something – most unexpectedly: a pond that I’d never seen before though I have often walked in this wood. It was a delightful discovery and only possible because I’d followed the impulses of my body not my mind, which would have taken me along my usual routes.
Being mindful and mind-less are both important for our mental health. Yes, stick with your usual mindfulness practice but try giving yourself up to mind-lessness every now and then. You never know what you may discover….