Details that Bring Peace

In my busy life as a filmmaker and videographer, I seldom get the chance to slow down. Yet, as life gets more complex, I am realizing that some slow time is essential to remaining sharp and focused on the often intense jobs I do. Sometimes, it’s as simple as stopping, closing my eyes and breathing deeply for a minute or two. Other times, I’ve found that focusing on a small or simple detail of the environment around me serves that same purpose.

As an example, almost every city I go to has a prominent water feature somewhere in town. It might be a fountain, a waterfall, or even a scenic overlook on a river or stream. I’ve found that these water features provide the mind a welcome break, a clearing of the mind, and a slowing of the pulse. Here’s what I do when I come upon one of these:

First, I find an interesting part of the water feature and focus me eyes on it.
Next, I move my eyes around the detail attempting to take every last bit of the detail in. I focus on the colors, textures, and shapes that compose the detail.
Finally, I attempt to block out all other sound and focus on the rich sound that the water makes.

This is what works for me—next time you pass that fountain in the mall or that waterfall in your office park, give it a try. I think you’ll find that as short a time as 5 minutes will do a lot for your mental state!

Can’t find a suitable water feature nearby? Here are some examples I’ve assembled for the upcoming Relaxation Media product, “Water”. Enjoy!