Being and Doing Modes
if you read books or participate in training courses on meditation or mindfulness you may well find a distinction is made between 'Being' and 'Doing' modes. This webpage explains some of the differences between the two modes and their potential usefulness:
The Difference between Being and Doing
Being mode is when you:
- Acknowledge what you are feeling and thinking and how you are acting
- Accept your current thoughts and feelings and let go of the temptation to do something about them or to change them. In Zen terms, you 'live in the present moment'. Paradoxically, unpleasant feelings or sensations are often more likely to diminish or have less negative impact on you if you accept them rather than strive endlessly to change them.
- Your focus is on self awareness rather than on pursuing or achieving goals.
By contrast, Doing mode is when you:
- Take actions to achieve a specific goal
- Adopt a problem solving approach
- See difficulties or painful experiences as things that you must do something to change rather than simply as experiences to acknowledge
- Move on to the next challenge rather than stop and appreciate where you are, good or bad.
The Benefits of Doing
Doing mode can be very useful when:
- You are dealing with a problem for which there is a solution that you can achieve if you take appropriate actions
- Where you are stagnating and getting off your backside and pursuing goals step by step will help you out of your state of stagnation
The Benefits of Being
Being mode can be useful when:
- You are faced with a problem that has no easy or immediate solution and worrying about it or trying to solve it is just exacerbating your worry
- Your life is so goal orientated that you have never have a chance to relax, sit still or appreciate yourself or others
- You want to get in touch with the aspects of you and your experience that are not solely rational, such as your senses, your spirituality and your sensitivities.
Applying 'Being' and 'Doing' to yourself
Looking at the above distinctions, reflect on whether you are more of a 'Being' person or a 'Doing' person. Are you happy with the balance? If not, then commit yourself to doing something to redress the balance. If you would like to do more in 'Being' mode, then this may involve doing a short regular daily meditation or breathing exercise (go to Meditation Practice for an example) or setting aside a day or half a day for doing something relaxing and enjoyable at a slow pace. If you would like to do more in 'Doing' mode, then this may involve setting yourself a specific target or achievable goal and committing to taking the first step towards it at a particular time.
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