It’s good to talk!
What am I thinking about?
India – I leave for Bangalore tomorrow (Sunday 14 April, 2024) morning for a client delivery on Monday. A shorter blog this week.
My mind, body, soul, and spirit are otherwise engaged in preparation for the delivery. Both in terms of arriving and navigating Bangalore and getting into flow to deliver a customised workshop for the client.
Travelling to a foreign country can be a load on our thinking brain. In an instant, courtesy of aeroplanes, everything is ‘new’. New culture, people, food, sights, and sounds. And India can overstimulate our senses. As I write this article, I am smiling and the phrase ‘everything, everywhere, all at once’ comes to mind when I think of India. I love travelling to foreign countries, even ones I have been to several times before like India.
The brain likes ‘new’ experiences and mine will certainly experience new things. I have been warned that pollution in Bangalore is bad now and traffic is manic. Bangkok is no comparison I am told. But I shall go with an open mind and see what Bangalore has to offer.
So, I am using today (Saturday) to prepare myself both physically and mentally for India and my client. I shall update you about my Indian voyage in my next article.
Did you know…?
I am not a big fan of podcasts but this one, shared by my friend, was a wonderful listen. It is Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast series. This one had Brene chatting with Esther Perel about AI - Artificial INTIMACY. I was not sure who she was until I listened to the podcast. I learnt about someone new and her thoughts. And so much of what was shared by Brene and Esther resonated with me. I hope it resonates with you too.
The conversation is about real relationships and how ‘superficial’ we have become/are becoming. We crave the likes on social media and can equate them to popularity and connections yet they are not ‘real’ connections. ‘Likes’ will not ‘hold up your hair as you throw up’ Brene says. Brene speaks from experience. She went off social media for an entire year and shares her experience of this. Esther chimes in with her past experience and work on human connections.
I am balanced with my use of social media. In fact I am quite a laggard compared to the average human. Just this week I was asked if I am on Tik Tok, and my answer was a resounding ‘no’. Neuroscience tells me that the brain is a social organ and it loves (human) connections/interactions. There are insights to be gleaned from every conversation. There is a need for balance between social media and in-person ‘talking’. The latter can be life changing and hence my focus on ‘talking’ this week.
It’s good to talk
This week I was reminded about the importance of talking. If you follow me on LinkedIn, I wrote a post this week about connecting with others - talking!
When I worked in England, British Telecom (BT) ran a marketing campaign - ‘it’s good to talk’. A brilliant set of advertisements were aired within this campaign. If you google ‘it’s good to talk’ by BT, you can watch them. They are well done.
Talking to someone else about your challenges or doubts can give you a different perspective or insight you may have never considered.
In every conversation I have had this week, with clients and friends/family, some of the feedback included:
“I didn’t know that”
“I didn’t see it from that angle”
“That’s a great question!”
The brain is a CONNECTION MACHINE, but it needs a catalyst to help it connect the dots or create new possibilities and neural pathways. Or what neuroscience calls the ‘a-ha’ moments. And talking is the catalyst!
And those moments JUST AFTER your conversation are equally precious. Your pathways are alive with possibilities. Use that time to journey with your brain. And WRITE down everything that pops up for you.
So, the next time you feel a little off-centre or hit an impasse, please TALK to someone, and let your brain do the rest. (and I mean talk, NOT text).
Because it’s good to talk!
As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com