S1E8 12 August 2020

Consuming

You are what you consume. No, you're more than that. Unless you let it consume you.

Transcript

You are what you eat. Your leafy greens and your delivery junk food.

You are what you read. Your inspirational quotes and your fake news.

You are what you listen to. Your podcasts and your Spotify playlists.

You are what you surround yourself with. Your tidy home and your busy neighborhood.

You are what you think. Your wildest dreams and your worst anxieties.

You are what you consume.

No wait....

You're more than that. Just don't let it consume you.


Welcome to a quick pause. A weekly podcast offering a moment of reflection, a chance to care for ourselves and to show up for each other.

Each week I'll offer you an inspiration and a practice to try.


Well-meant advice starting with "you are what you..." are a dime a dozen. There are TV shows, books, insta gurus, you name it.

And whether you believe more in free will or the energetic entanglement of everything, I would argue that you might not be everything you consume, but everything you consume has an impact on you.

And if you let a thought, an activity or a diet get out of hand, it might even start to completely consume you.

So this week I invite you to check in on your diet.

Yes, that includes food. But also your media diet. Your tech diet. The spaces you inhabit. The people you interact with.

Find one area in your life that feels a bit stuck, sluggish or difficult.

Have your eating habits gone out the window in lockdown? Then pick food?

Been feeling overwhelmed with the news recently? Pick media.

Feel stuck in your house? Maybe it's time to redecorate a bit, make it feel fresh again.

You get it.

Now to the interactive bit. Just pause the podcast and get a pen and paper, I'll wait.

Welcome back, I have two questions for you.

OK, question one: What do you want to consume less of? Those are the things that make you feel sluggish, anxious or sad. Less random snacking, or maybe less twitter rants?

Again, have a quick pause, think, write, scribble. And hit play when you're ready.

Welcome back, question two: What do you want to consume more of? What makes you feel energized, happy or inspired? More green juice, or maybe more quiet time for your self?

Go on, hit pause, have a little brainstorm. I'll wait.

Great, so now you have your two list, pick one item each. The one that stands out, or maybe the one you're most excited about.

And as with any diet, slow and steady wins the race.

Just go with those two things you wrote down. Try and see if you can reduce the one you want less of, and add a bit more of the one you want more of. If it feels good, maybe add another one in a day or two.

Make it easy for yourself. If you want to drink more water, put a pretty jug of water on your desk, or if you want less scrolling on your phone, set a screentime limit, or just switch the phone off for a bit.

And remember, you can have too much of a good thing. Even too much broccoli can give you cancer, and too many inspiring podcasts might make you go crazy because there's no more space in your brain for your own thoughts.


That's it. If you want to dive deeper, go back and ask yourself those two questions for more areas of your life.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Now, go on, consume a bit more mindfully.

Until next week,

I'm Jonas Haefele and this was a Quick Pause.


Words and Sounds by Jonas Haefele

A Quick Pause is a production by slow.works

Music used: Monday Meditation by Wayne Kinos