The jokes about the “anchors around the neck” are common, but these resulting laughs have given a bad reputation to poor anchor! In modern society, everything moves so fast that our daily thoughts are often similar to the displacement of Tiktok or YouTube, changing addresses every few seconds. Brain researchers are concerned about what multitasking and displacement are doing to our brains. Dragging our fast thoughts is no longer natural or easy. That is why we need to build anchors in our day.
A type of anchor is to dream awake. The brain researchers are worried that we do not have enough sleep time, because it turns out that disconnecting and dreaming awake is surprising for our brain. Think about your routines, activities and tasks for these dreamy anchors. Do you start your day in silence, passing while preparing your morning coffee? I bet your mind also dream! Are you dreaming during your training or on the trip home? What happens during tasks such as Pale Snow or vacuum? Where else could you add this important anchor?
Brain researchers are also worried that we are no longer reading books, because it turns out that focusing our eyes (or ears if it is an audiobook) in a thing for a prolonged period of time is also an incredible anchor! When do you anchor focusing your thoughts on one thing? One of my favorites is to sit for a board game. Cut the grass with an audiobook is another. I bet that we can find other times when we can save the displacement, forget the multitasking and give our brain this incredible anchor of an approach.
Of course, being in the present moment is another anchor. Yoga and meditation teach us to anchor at the present time using breathing or movement or a repetitive mantra. Solo hikers do this by turning off the songs and focusing only on noticing the nature that surrounds us. Dance or run to music is another.
In modern society, we really need to accumulate anchors consciously in our daily lives.
Until next, anchor!
Laura
