Day 66 - A Year to Clear - Answer The Phone - Calming Meditation

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Lesson 66: Answer The Phone - Calming Meditation

“When the telephone rings, the bell creates in us a kind of vibration, maybe some anxiety: “Who is calling? Is it good news or bad news?” . . . The next time you hear the phone ring I recommend that you stay exactly where you are, and become aware of your breathing: “Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.””
— Thich Nhat Hanh

Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, writer of Present Moment, Wonderful Moment, brings in a mindful verse. This is a powerful calming meditation exercise that doesn’t necessarily need to be used for answering phone calls but I think in general. I tend to do a similar meditation at work. Just to take a step back, do some breathing and continue on with the work.

Really you have to close your eyes, breathe out any tension or anxiety you have. I’ve mentioned before that I imagine this as like a black energy or smoke escaping me. Then it’s about inhaling in some goodness, which I usually imagine as white light/energy. Stephanie Bennett Vogt mentions this as “pure awareness and possibility”. It’s just about recognising how you feel at that moment but not let it overwhelm you. I find it’s about breathing out as much as you can, or fully if you’re able to. Stephanie mentions to repeat the mantra from the quote "Breathing in, I calm my body. . . Breathing out, I smile."

Once you feel like you’ve really got what you needed from this meditation, open your eyes and notice how you feel after. It’s definitely a relief and a feeling of being lighter. I love it! And though this lesson was in reference to your phone, I think you should really apply it anywhere. Sure, some people get anxious towards their phone calls and this exercise was really about doing this meditation every time you get a call/email, but I really don’t receive calls that much to practise this exercise. I think for me, I’ll apply it for any time I feel overwhelmed and need a pick me up.

Day 65 - A Year to Clear - Ringing Phones

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Lesson 65: Ringing Phones

Today’s lesson is about how we react to our phones – the dings, the pings, the vibrations, the calls. How does it make you feel when you any one of those actions occurs? What happens to your breathing and state of mind as soon as you hear the ding of a message, or email? What’s your reaction when your phone starts ringing? The aim is to take a moment of awareness the next time, take in a deep breath and slow down.

I must admit when my phone rings, I immediately get anxious – like who is calling me? I dislike speaking on the phone very much. I do it because I have to and not because I want to. I feel like you have to put on a voice in order to speak to certain people (for example, work people) which does seem a bit fake. I loathe my phone ringing. The next time it rings, I’ll take a deep breath.

Another thing I do, besides spending too much time on my phone, is just looking through apps because I have nothing better to do. I am trying to get away from my phone but it really consumes a lot of my time. I should be concentrating on more in life and I somehow get sucked in. I should just lock it away for the day/night and see what happens.

When I do hear the ding of an email or message, my immediate reaction usually is to read and reply straight away. I feel we live in a society, which makes it seem like answering a message or email, should have a sense of urgency – maybe that’s a construct we need to be away with. I think I rush myself to answer, when I just need to chill. Just be aware it’s there but don’t let it get to me.

This is a good exercise to adopt for all future interactions with people via the phone. Maybe it will eventually allow me to not be so addicted to it at the same time.