My most important Microstep is to be conscious. By “conscious,” I mean being present in the moment, being aware, taking actions consciously and not compulsively. When we are conscious, our mind and body guide us on what needs to be done in a given situation — be it getting adequate rest, realising the importance of balanced food, or taking a pause and recharging. We need to be conscious enough to listen to our inner voice. If we do, the way that things fall into place will surprise us!
I began making mindfulness a priority when I was blessed to come across Sadhguru and to find out about the Inner Engineering program he offers. I completed Inner Engineering in December of 2019, and that was the turning point of my life. I now start my day with a 20-minute meditation, which I learned during this program. It has helped me to enhance my perception, to clearly differentiate between physiological drama and reality, to see the things as they truly are (minus emotions and prejudices), and most importantly how to be joyful in any situation.
Whenever I feel a need to recharge, I open my list of recreational activities and simply follow one of them. Among many other items, this list includes taking a walk in nature, watching a YouTube tutorial on learning flute, cooking something interesting, singing and recording small clips, hitting the gym, or revering the poems I’ve written. Recently, I’ve started painting and that’s really a joy trigger for me.To combat burnout, I would tell my younger self to be a seeker! When we try to understand the bigger picture of the situation (or life as a whole), we tend to realize what is really worthy of our attention. Once we can see that, stress or joy simply becomes the byproduct. Sometimes reframing your perspective can help you to see what is worth your stress and what’s not.