Are You a Photojournalist or Participant?
I recently wrote about restorative vacations and why they’re so important.
One of the things to keep in mind in creating a restorative vacation is that it’s all about attitude and attention, not location, not activities, not duration.
When I’m on a great vacation, I always want to take photos to remember the sights and activities. I’ve loved taking pictures since I was little. There has never been a time I can remember that I didn’t own a camera. Back in the day, my photo taking was limited by how much film I could afford to buy and develop. That all changed with digital photography.
No longer must I carefully consider how to set up the shot, how many to take and at what angle. Back then, I’d take photos sparingly, always trying to ensure that they were close to perfect before clicking the shutter. Usually, that meant one photo of each scene I was trying to capture.
With digital photography, I can take as many shots as I want from as many angles, using different framing and then select the best shot, often when the vacation is over and I’m back at home, with a big computer screen and I can edit down to the perfect shot, angle, framing (and frequently leveling. Maybe it’s my astigmatism, but I often seem to tilt the horizon one way.) I am no longer so careful about taking shots at the time, I’m just trying to capture it all.
The problem with this approach is that the capturing of the shot can become mindless, with an element of consuming rather than experiencing.
At least for me. I get caught up in getting the shot and can lose track of the present moment. I’m so focused on the camera but not really perceiving the moment myself, letting the camera do it in my place. When this happens, I’ve become the photojournalist of my life, not the participant.
The activity I’m engaged in is taking photos, not living.
The moment passes and I’m not in it, although I’ve captured it. I’m not aware of being in it, of feeling, sensing, noticing. Maybe I’m holding my breath, tensing my muscles. I don’t know because my brain is engaged in “the shot”, the acquisition, the consumption of moments but not appreciating them.
It’s easy to extrapolate this to life in general. Not so much about taking photos all the time, but the consumption. Much like mindlessly eating, binging TV shows or movies, online shopping or social medical scrolling.
However, I have noticed recently that each time I go back to places I’ve been before, I take fewer and fewer photos. It’s not that there aren't photo-worthy scenic views or moments, it’s just that I am getting more practiced at living in them, rather than consuming them.
Sometimes I even “miss shots”. But I don’t miss the moment.
So ask yourself, “How are you consuming instead of living? Why are you consuming instead of living? How do you feel (do you even know?) when you are doing that as opposed to being deeply engrossed in an enjoyable activity?”
Challenge yourself to feel the inside of your toes, the space between your eyes, where your body connects with the earth. These are all techniques to bring you back into the present moment.
Take a few deep breaths. Feel your body relax. Notice where and how you are.
Coaching can help you learn to become more present.
