Feeling Overwhelmed? Try This

I came across this experiment more than once over the past few weeks, and I think it's telling and worth taking a closer look.

Back in 2014, participants were asked to sit alone in a room, free of any distractions, with nothing to do, for 15 minutes.

In the room was a device with an option to press the button, that would deliver a mild, but painful shock. In fact, before the experiment, the participants were given a sample shock, and most said it was so unpleasant, they would pay money to avoid it in the future.

The results were shocking! Sorry for the pun, but 67% of the men shocked themselves at least once in the 15 minute period. One outlier actually shocked himself 190 times. Yikes! 25% of the women chose to shock themselves, rather than just sit quietly and think.

Overall, about half of the participants gave themselves a shock, in spite of the fact they already knew they didn't like it. But it was a better alternative to the quiet.

Psychologists concluded that people struggle with entertaining themselves using only their minds. That in a world filled with distractions, even 15 minutes free of them is too much for people to manage. It's just too uncomfortable.

Taking it a step further, many in the experiment preferred a negative stimulation rather than no stimulation.

So let me ask you...how would you fare in that experiment? Would you embrace 15 minutes of silence as a gift or see it as torture?

Maybe you're like, "Dan, I would have no problem staying quiet for 15 minutes...no problem at all."

Let me ask you more questions, then.

Q. When was a the last time you sat quietly for 15 minutes free of any exterenal stimulation?

Q. What do you do while standing in line at the grocery store?

Q. What do you do at a red light?

Q. Do you fall asleep to the TV or Netflix every night? (I know some who can't sleep any other way)

Q. Is background noise (radio, TV, etc) typical for you?

Q. Is your phone the first thing & last thing you see every day?

I'm convinced that we now live in an age, (digital age specifically) that makes silence almost impossible, and this to our detriment.

I believe living a meaningful life, requires peace & quiet on a regular basis, and if you are struggling with overwhelm, lack of focus or direction, this may be a missing piece.

Over the next few weeks I'd like to go a little deeper and explore further how we can combat the relentless pressure we live with to stay connected 24/7 and what we can do about it.

For now let's try our own experiment.

Over the next week, set aside 15 minutes where you will do nothing but sit with yourself, by yourself, with no external stimulation whatsoever. No phone, no music, no background noise, no conversations. Just sit, quietly and consider the following...

What's going on, inside?

How are you feeling?

Where does your mind go?

What's the experience like for you?

Are you game? I'll do it with you and then I will report back to you next week.

Until next time - Dan