It's easy to tell who's happiest in this graphic - human being or dog - and just as easy also to tell the reason why.
Whilst the human being is preoccupied with a hundred different day-to-day problems the dog is enjoying the simple pleasures of nature - trees, a clear blue sky and sunshine. One is caught up in the clutter of their own thoughts and the other is fully present in the world.
This simple graphic conveys well the torment which we inflict upon ourselves when we allow our minds to become overloaded with day-to-day worries and concerns.. It contrasts this with the sense of freedom, spaciousness and clarity which can come from living more fully in the moment.
Overthinking is a problem that troubles many of our clients, particularly those who are experiencing stress and anxiety. Somehow we feel we have to hold on to all those preoccupations in order to remain in charge and stop our world spinning out of control.
But by overloading our brains we risk losing our sense of perspective and our capacity to take pleasure in life. We become vulnerable to stress, low-mood and increased feelings of anxiety.
Learning to be more mindful, rather than always having a mind that is full, is not as easy as it looks. It requires practice, self-discipline and effort. It's also about self-care, which some of us are not very good at.
But the benefits are there to be seen in the graphic, without the need of all these words to explain them!
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