the practice of zooming out: contents vs. container
whenever I feel overwhelmed by the contents of my mind, or unfocused and uninspired, I try to become aware of its container & conditions, instead. it’s like checking the weather; or observing the state of a garden — instead of living in the weeds of thoughts, things, feelings, plans. I’m sensing into the negative space. the shape of rabbit holes in my mind. if I can give it a form, then I can choose to return to it later, calmly.
what does this practice look like?
perhaps, something as simple as this:
what’s taking up space in my mind? (the contents)
how do these mind-objects feel?
what is the space and environment that holds it? how does it look and feel? (the container)
it’s about traveling to the “meta-layer” of the psyche, rather than slushing through the swamp of thing-ness. if you’re a little bit detail-oriented / obsessive-compulsive / rabbit-hole-friendly, like me, then this practice of detachment can feel like a soothing balm.
💌 I write a weekly newsletter on creative alchemy & world-building called guide.notes. I also have a podcast: botanical studies of internet magic.