I learned to drive on a stick shift. At first, the task seemed daunting, coordinating my two feet with three pedals: clutch, brake, and gas. Yet in time, driving became second nature. When we do something long enough, our brains grow new neural pathways and a task becomes automatic, embedded within our procedural memory.
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Now I drive an automatic and the car does the shifting for me. If I wanted, I could even use cruise control, letting the car maintain a consistent speed on the highway. But I prefer to keep my foot on the gas. Last week I saw one of Google’s “self-driving cars,” controlled by a computer program. In the future, the driver could become a passenger, ferried around by an automatic program. But self-driving cars are far from perfect. One was recently involved in a major accident.
Sometimes I wonder if my body has become like a self-driving car, mindlessly driven around without my awareness. Too often I move through my days programmed by habit or other peoples’ expectations, out of touch with my own feelings and needs.
If you do this too, the next time you catch yourself moving from mindless habit instead of choice, stop for a mindful moment:
- Take a deep breath and ask yourself,
- “How do I feel?”
- “What do I need?”
Then take another deep breath and look around you, returning to your activities more mindful, focused, and serene.
Diane