Living Consciously - Consumption Edition

"A lifestyle that is driven by an intention to navigate life with with a malleable sense of self awareness, that fuels our choices and directly impacts our experience of life and interactions with the world"

A part of living consciously involves being conscious of what we consume. Baring in mind we are not "living perfectly" to some unobtainable standard. We are simply just being conscious of what we consume, aware of how this effects the body, mind and our life experiences.

From this space we can make adjustments and conscious decisions regarding our consumption. This may be to have avocado on toast for breakfast or it could be to have a full English.

Consumption - The art of using, buying, eating or drinking something.

When we make conscious decisions, we find opportunity to take responsibility for the outcomes perceived or not.

I find it really interesting observing cravings and how they show up in the body. Then the mind play that attaches to these feeling and urges. And how consumption can envoke anything from comfort to chaos.

Robert Spira talks about the red shoes. And how when buying a new pair of shoes when we first look at them or wear them we get feelings of happiness and comfort. However if we put those same shoes in the wardrobe, over time that feeling wears off. So was it the shoes that gave us that feeling of happiness or was it a momentary break or clearing from wanting to fill a void? And during this break we experience our innate nature beyond the conditioning and layers that life experience that we have held onto?....

Consumption is more than food and things we buy. Recently I chose to address my social media consumption. I was aware social media was effecting my life experience and even though I could feel and see the negative effects this activity was having, something still kept me hooked. My theory is that our intimate relationships with these apps is fuelling a feeling of a need for social media.

Thankfully it got to the point the decision to keep using social media changed from yes to no. Instagram, had tipped the scale and had become almost a constant in my life. "For the Gram" became a theme, but it was the scrolling that really ended our relationship.

That coupled with information overload, dopamine rollercoasters and getting the ick on the regular. The decision to move away from social media was made.

The app was deleted from my phone and the thought process was that this will be difficult. Will we make it through a week without Insta? Prepare for withdrawals and night sweats lol. How will I stay in contact with others... How will I promote Conscious Lea?

The process of coming away from Instagram (which has left me with no social media) has been so much easier than the thoughts about it would have lead me to believe. Isn't that the way most of the time?

"When we blindly believe the thoughts we allow the mind to lead us away. When we look from the heart we realise we never left home"

Since leaving I've near completed a course I wanted to finish. Started blogging and doing more here. I'm enjoying moments more fully and notice more presence less distraction. Sleep quality has increased and moods feel balanced. I've noticed momentary and habitual thoughts about using Instagram but those seem to pass quickly and I've not missed having social media to hand.

Consumption is also programs we watch. TV programs often have an agenda when watching TV lets use an example i.e a Netflix documentary. When watched consciously, openminded free of attachment, zooming out and seeing the bigger picture not becoming consumed means the program isn't influencing the mind in the way it may have been intended to. We can use this level of awareness in life situations too - that's another blog.

Consumption isn't just what we eat and drink. It's also what we watch, listen to and "take in" to our bodies.

I have noticed when listening to Satsungs with Mooji or Podcasts with Rubert Spira or Ekhart Tolle there are feelings of calm resonation. Then when listening to Nicki Minaj I feel like a bad ass and when listening to Ajeet feeling connected with nature and grounded. When playing the gong feeling peace and focus, when eating chocolate cake feeling warm and satisfied and then guilt comes to visit. And when eating watermelon and drinking coconut water for breakfast I notice feeling hydrated and enjoy the thoughts and feelings of contributing towards the wellness of my body.

So you see, living consciously we can consume from a space of radical self awareness, self honesty, love, open mindedness we realise we have a choice and can even consciously observe any judgements that may arise also.

So what's the verdict. Can we experiment and consume consciously? Can we evaluate the effects that the things we consume are having on our minds, bodies, lives and maybe aim towards some kind of balance even? Yes.

Can we walk away, all be it a process from addictions or things that are tipping the scale, no longer serving us how we would like? Can we have the cake and eat it. Can we consume things in moderation? Can we take what we need? Can we take more than we need or take something harmful and in doing so learn rather than beat ourselves internally to a pulp? Can we consume consciously and in doing so take responsibility for the outcomes...? Yep.

Living consciously, I realised the grey area and the way home. There's more to this subject which I'll write here in my blogs.

Are you conscious of what you consume. Are you aware of how the things you are consuming effect your mind, body and over life experience? Does this resonate? Leave a comment below if you feel to share.

Lea x