In a world that moves at lightning speed, itโs easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We find ourselves rushing from one task to another and constantly juggling multiple responsibilities. But amidst this chaos, have you ever stopped to ask yourself โ are you actually in control here?
For most of us, the answer is no.
Weโre dictated by our internal programs and often donโt even realize why weโre doing what we do. You might just be running on autopilot without a deeper awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
This is the trap of unconscious living, and itโs a rampant problem in todayโs world. Not just because it leads you nowhere but because itโs a deeply unfulfilling state to be in.
If you want to live a wholesome life, itโs essential to live more consciously and be present with the experience of life rather than letting it escape you. Whether youโre going about your daily tasks or eating a meal, every moment offers the opportunity to be present with the experience.
As weโve become conditioned to lifeย on the go, living consciously has become somewhat of a lost art. Thatโs why Iโm going to teach you how to resurrect this lost art form in this article, which will create space for a more wholesome life experience.ย
Living Consciously: The Key to a Wholesome Life
Living a wholesome life means to live a life that is fulfilling and ultimately whole. Generally, this means to have a life that ticks all the boxes, including joy, health, adventure, good relationships with people, and financial freedom. A wholesome life is a full life, one that makes you deeply satisfied with your life on all levels.
Learning to live consciously is also a key ingredient to wholesome living because if you’re always caught in the mind, you’re never fully there with the experience you’re having. Most of the time, weโre just doing things out of habit without really thinking about why we do them. We just do them because theyโre normal patterns, and there are a million other things on our minds.
Since we have become accustomed to such a fast pace of life, we forget to be present with the experiences weโre having, which is what lifeโs about. Your awareness of how youโre living allows you to live life in a better way, that leads to your growth and wellbeing.
Think about it… How often do you watch a show or scroll on social media while youโre eating a meal? How often do you think about something else when youโre talking to a friend, working, or going for a walk?
You might find that your mind is always separated from your body. And thatโs what living consciously is about: Bringing it all back to the present moment and allowing yourself to be here in the now without distracting yourself.
So when you live consciously, you live more fully. Youโre present with the experience youโre having, and that allows you to make better decisions rather than acting unconsciously. This is the best path to feeling more complete in your life.
The Problem With Unconscious Living
Unconscious living is to live passively while not giving thought or focus to the things youโre doing.ย This means living on autopilot without being present in the experience youโre having. Instead, youโre just doing them because they feel normal to you.
Unconscious people usually spend their entire livesย dealing with the same obstacles, because there is no desire to overcome them. So instead, they go in circles and continue experiencing the same painful things in their lives.
Unconscious people donโt look at themselves or reflect on their life experiences. They tend to blame external circumstances rather than their own decisions due to their lack of self-awareness. Until we reach a point of self-awareness where weโre forced to look into who we are and why we do the things we do, we remain dictated by our unconscious programs, and as a result, live unconscious, unhappy lives.
How You Can Live a More Wholesome Life
Living a wholesome life isnโt a switch that you just turn on. Itโs an everyday act and a lifestyle that you need to cultivate. Below are some prompts to think about. Take them seriously and be honest with yourself. If you havenโt thought about one of the questions, make sure to give it some consideration.
- Are you living congruently with your values?
- Do you think critically about your life?
- How often do you reflect?
- Are you aware of your actions and behaviors and why you have them?
- Are you continuously working on yourself?
- How often do you multitask?
- Do you take full responsibility for your decisions?
- Do you act on impulse or think before you do?
- Do the things you do add value to your life?
- What is your living condition like?
- Are you living the life you want to live?
- Do you constantly have issues in your relationships?
- How present are you in day-to-day life?
- Do you have strong intentions for your life?
- Do you have plans for your life?
- Are the reasons why you want to do something dependent on other influences?
- Do you neglect self-care?
Donโt Overvalue Money, Value Experiences Instead
Itโs easy to be unconscious of spending and value materialistic stuff that doesn’t add value to your life way too much. This is something that so many of us lose the ball with because we unconsciously spend on things that donโt give us value.
Iโm not saying that you have to be frugal, but consider each purchase before you make it, and ask yourself whether itโs actually in your best interest. You can still have fun and enjoy your money; after all, whatโs it for if you canโt enjoy it? But focus on buying things that improve your life.
You could spend a hundred dollars on a drunken night out, which could be some fun. But you could spend that same hundred dollars on a course that benefits your life. Likewise, you can buy lots of junk food, or you can invest that money into a healthier lifestyle.
Be Conscious of Your Time
Do you tend to waste your time procrastinating? Are you constantly scrolling on social media, watching shows, and playing games? Assess how youโre using your time, and ask yourself whether youโre using it wisely.
Time is the most valuable asset in our lives because it canโt be replenished. Therefore itโs important to be conscious about how you use your time each day, and to really think about what youโre using it for. For the most part, are you investing your time into productive activities that move the needle in your life?
You donโt always need to be doing something productive. This will lead to burnout. But you should be regularly using your time to work towards bigger things in life, whether itโs a better career, a happy family, a great lifestyle, or an avocation that can make the world a better place.
Get into the habit of leveraging your time, and make sure youโre using it to progress your life in some way. If youโre wasting it away on activities that donโt even make you feel good, be aware that youโre doing it, and change.
Your Relationships Are Important
Relationships are the staple of a good life. Without developing proper, deep relationships, it can be hard to have a truly wholesome life because people are such a big part of it. Therefore, you should prioritize your relationships because if you are surrounded by quality people in your life, you are abundant.
Take Care of Your Health
The choices you make regarding your health are important. Itโs easy to let ourselves go and barely think about what our bodies need. So think about how conscious you are when it comes to your health. Do you tend to neglect yourย physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health?
Whatโs important is to build your lifestyle around nourishing yourself and finding a balance. If youโre constantly eating junk, never exercising, swallowing your emotions, and watching TV, of course, youโre going to feel like shit.
Live Life According to Your Values
Do you think about everything you do before you do it, or do you make decisions out of habit? Do you consider where that decision might lead you and what outcome it may have?
After all, your decisions create your life. If youโre making unconscious decisions, you might wonder why your life didnโt turn out the way you expected. If you are conscious of your decisions, then you are always moving in a positive direction.
If you value spending time with family, then weigh that up when youโre at a crossroads between going on a lucrative work trip or staying at home with the people you care about. If you value adventure, make decisions that facilitate an adventurous life rather than settling for a comfortable yet vanilla life.
Refine what is important to you, and make sure the decisions you make on a day-to-day basis revolve around the bigger picture.
Be Conscious About the Environments You Spend Time In
The sorts of environments that you spend your time in make a big impact on the overall quality of your life. So, to live consciously, you want to assess the environments you spend your time in and the people you spend your time around.
For example, if youโre in a toxic relationship or perhaps a living situation that isn’t calibrated with your highest timeline without being aware of it and striving to change it, then you’re going to feel unfulfilled.
If you hang around people who are no good for you, whether they are bad influences, energy vampires, or simply just donโt make you feel good, then you need to change it up.
You need to be conscious about where you are in life and what sort of settings you are in because your set and setting do make an impact. So make sure youโre around positive influences who bring you up, not unconscious people who suck you dry.
Live With Intention
Ultimately, living a wholesome life is to live your life with intention. When you have intentions about where you want to go, what you want to do, and what you want your life to look like, it gives you a sense of direction.
So, think about what you want out of life and where these desires come from. Hold your intentions close and use them to pave the path forward, knowing that thereโs a reason why youโre doing what youโre doing.
Think about your intentions for your career moving forward. Do you see yourself climbing the ladder or changing it up? Do you intend to buy land and have a nice place, or are you looking to have an adventurous life and perhaps live in a different country? As you can see, itโs important to know what you want with life, as a way to know where youโre heading.