Letâs play a little guessing game. Who says learning lessons canât be fun?
Answer: School. Luckily, this isnât directed by NY State Common Core Education so we are free.
Hint #1: We (hopefully) do this at least 5â7 times a week
Hint #2: There is no limit unless you want to feel like a broken sheet of ice after 10 or so
Hint #3: We wish the process was sped up which in fact impedes you from generating the best ideas in the first place!
Guessed it yet or shall I say, should I come clean?
The mighty but underrated shower! Iâm not talking about baths, strictly showers. This is the only moment in the day where you arenât bothered, typically alone, and do it as a task, not usually for fun unless you love staying clean and in which case you must be that person in some room we are all trying to chase that smells like roses and the Sound of Music, as if we knew what that smelled like.
I treat showers like my iPhone. Iâve had this iPhone since 2016. For technology, thatâs pretty old and I choose to keep it that way. Old, slow, and broken so I use it less. I have enough money for a new fancy one that depreciates in value but just like with my shower time, I keep it because I only use it when I need to gain a benefit out of it.
I donât take showers for hours so I donât use my phone for hours!
Every minute Iâm with my phone, not only my creativity declines, my mental stamina diminishes, depression increases, addiction and less resilience kick in and I feel simply more stupid with my time and life.
Baths Are Dirt, Showers Are Power
Showers arenât going to cure my phone addiction. Trust or smell me, Iâve taken showers long before I got my sticky fingers on a shiny new iPhone. Until I discovered that I got my life together, planned out my day more efficiently, changed my personality for the better, and completed more tasks than I could ever all dry, things that I never thought could happen under the rain shower wet and naked seriously changed my life. Itâs all in your head. You could be in front of the computer and notepad all day looking at the same thing sprouting no new ideas.
No kidding, why would you expect it to? Just like taking a walk, a shower is even more powerful becuase you are completely alone. You can do whatever you want, no one is watching. They might be listening but it still doesnât bother you. We get into a crazy elusive state that in the public park we simply canât risk doing. Taking a shower is one of the most unique activities you will do as a human.
We donât think of it as interesting becuase it is the norm. It has to be done, like a chore and we rush through it since we assume our ideas sprout from staring at Google all day but they really donât. Try it! Your mind is more powerful than anything. Just like you feed your brain fuel to grow, stimulate and test it out underwater instead. Youâll be surprised as to how much youâll mentally grow as I was 10 years ago!
Baths donât suit me. Iâve only taken about 2â3 in my life and always feel like a dirty dog just sitting in my dirt the whole time. That feels like the opposite of cleansing, literally, getting dirtier and letting your mind race more within the bubbles, champagne, rubber duckies, and whatever else you have in there. Baths are made for pure relaxation and no thinking for a period of time. Showers are for your ideas to rebirth and strengths to flourish.
Showers have truly lead me to where I am today. Without showers, I donât know where my life would be. Something would be missing or maybe I would be like you all. Scrambled in my thoughts and trying so hard to figure out life when it can all be figured out in a bit more clearer way in that 5â10 minute soggy time slot I dedicate to myself each day.
Curious, what you all do in showers?
Sing, think about what you have to do tomorrow, regret the choices you made today, or rush through it so fast that you canât even remember if you did or not. We waste so much time sitting in traffic, binging reality TV, eating, and being mean to ourselves, instead, go jump under some running water instead and take control of your life! After habitually being present, mindful, and at peace with your thoughts, it will feel like you are on Cloud 9.
So whatâs so special about showers and how do you make it work?
Thereâs a formula for making a famous TikTok and banana bread but thankfully none on how to take a shower.
Now thatâs a problem.
The average amount one spends in the shower is 10 minutes which seems a bit long for me as someone who takes below freezing showers for 3 minutes to get my metabolism going, energy up and mind calmed down at the same time, releasing all of my thoughts into a downward waterfall and into the drain condescended back into something great! This isnât about taking hours. Might as well just take a dirty sauna bath. Your best thoughts come out of nowhere. Itâs just like luck. You canât plan or time it. It comes when the universe believes it will suit you best.
Let Go But Pay Attention
Did you know Albert Einstein supposedly found out about relativity swimming in the ocean and washing his hands and Shakiraâs best songs most notably: âHips Donât Lieâ taking a steamy hot shower?
The more pressure you put on yourself to spark your ideas, change your behavior or feel better, will lead to something dull. The point is to be aware of taking a shower and using that time to benefit you, not waste it. Donât pay attention to the temperature either.
There are no rules, just make it a task for a short period of time. Like your phone, use it because you need to and then stop when youâve had enough. Easier said than done, I know. But youâll thank me the next time when you need to write, compose, present, publish, create your next something after staying vigilant and present in the shower. And if you missed it this morning, donât worry, you always have tonight, tomorrow, and forever.