The Skill of Closing Apps in Your Mind [Mental] [Recovery] [Strengthening]

*These are personal opinions

A book that works for your mental health

To get along well with your own mental state.

A book I really like that I found helpful.

Even Bill Gates himself highly praised it.

It summarizes the tips and benefits of continuing meditation in daily life without strain, without being caught up in formalities like posture, breathing, or location, and without being overly formal.

Even if you don't have time to re-read the book, just thinking about it helps you recall the essence and calms your mind.

Just one second, stop what you are doing

The book mentioned at the beginning also writes about practicing 10-minute meditation, but...

10 minutes.

It's surprisingly long.

I realized while practicing that I could shorten this even further to one minute, or maybe even one second would be fine.

A moment before working on the PC.
Right before looking at your smartphone.
Right after jumping onto the train.
Before making a call. Before answering one.

Just for a brief moment.
Stop for one second.
Rest your hands.
Take a beat.

Just by doing that, your mind becomes clearer than you can imagine.

Closing unnecessary apps

Once you get used to it, it's really simple.
I want you to try stopping what you're doing right now.

Just for a split second.
For one second.

The moment you stop your hands.
Try to be conscious of what you were thinking about.
Just that.

Then you'll realize that it's actually harder to think about something for even a split second.

Your mind is empty.

And it feels just a little bit refreshing.
It feels good.

When people say 'meditation,' it's easy to get defensive and develop an allergy to spiritual stuff.

But I think meditation is like the feeling of closing unnecessary apps on your smartphone.

The things muttering inside your head like

'I have to send that email,' 'What time is the next train,' 'I haven't even read the documents yet,' 'Oh no, I forgot to pay that bill,' 'These ads are so annoying,' 'I haven't bought the new volume of Yotsuba&!,' 'I have no idea how to get to the Expo,' etc.

and so on.

Stop and close the unnecessary work apps, reminder apps, study apps, chore apps, hobby apps, etc., that are running at this very moment.

I think that's what meditation is.

Summary

Retreating to the mountains for training or practicing Zen at a temple.
Two hours of meditation every day, and so on.
No way, that's impossible.

For those like me who are lazy and weak at mindfulness.

Just stop for one second for now.
Rest your hands.
Take a beat.

During that time, vaguely observe what you are thinking about.

And feel the sensation of emptiness.

It doesn't seem like much.
But it's a powerful one-second meditation.

I highly recommend it.

Even with a smartphone, if you close unnecessary apps, delete them, clear the cache, or restart it, it will start running smoothly again.

Our minds also feel refreshed if we stop our thoughts for even a moment.

You can focus on what is right in front of you.

Bonus.

This is the old version. It is already out of print.

This is the new version. It has been a modest long-seller.
I definitely prefer the cover illustration of the old version.

Being conscious of the space in front of you is also good.
This book is like a bible to me.

A paraphrase of the Heart Sutra by a life scientist.
The book itself is thin and simple, but it is incredibly profound.
It is a mysterious book that made me feel like I caught a glimpse of the truth of the universe.

Taking photos.
This act can also empty your mind.
The pleasure of pressing the shutter at the decisive moment.
That thrilling instant is irresistible.

A retro digital SLR that you can get for under 10,000 yen even after buying the body, lens, and everything else. Nikon cameras and lenses are sturdy. They last a long time. They are an asset.
My favorite camera is the 2005 model. The D70S is the successor to the D70.

This lens was made in 1987. That's 38 years ago!

Cooking is also a chance to empty your mind.
Mindfulness while humming a tune.
With stews, you can look forward to tomorrow.

A thermal cooker is a convenient thing to have in every home.
Bring it to a boil, put it in the container, and automate the stewing process.
It also saves on ever-rising utility costs.