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Letting My Brain Go On Vacation
When 2020 feels like an out of control game of disaster Bingo (Pandemic! Power outages! Fire!), it seems impossible, impractical and ever so slightly insane to be able to achieve the kind of zen state you might reach while on a dream vacation, sipping a piña colada on a beach watching the waves completely relaxed.
Yet it’s precisely at this moment of cognitive overload that we all should be packing up and running off to our mental beaches. There are the obvious reasons for this — first, sanity. Second, sanity. And lastly, sanity. However, there’s a bigger reason — during these times of high stress, our decision making is impaired. This can be a vicious cycle. Whether it’s a small decision (forgetting a carton of milk at the grocery store) or a larger decision (hosting friends outside of your quarantine bubble) our decision making is off kilter. Or as you might hear it in your head: “What was I thinking? What were they thinking?”
The better question is how were you thinking, and the answer is: you were thinking under a great deal of stress. If you are reading this thinking, “nope, I’m great under pressure,” you may be right. Yet as none of us have experienced this kind of long-term, external stress situation before, it’s unclear where everyone’s tolerance is or where the impact on decision-making may be occurring. We have to find a way to reset.
