Being versus doing

A dichotomy that is frequently explored in the counseling room. The first allows us to be more present, while the second helps us get things done. Ideally we are shifting from one to the other, depending on other people and our surroundings. The more we practice self, other and environmental awareness, the better we can be at shifting gears.

A favored article, among many others on this concept, can be found here: https://www.mindful.org/difference-between-being-and-doing. Below we will summarize some of the main concepts.

“In BEING MODE, the mind has ‘nothing to do, nowhere to go’ and can focus fully on moment-by-moment experience, allowing us to be fully present and aware of whatever is here, right now…“

“In DOING MODE, by contrast, this wonderful multidimensional complexity of experience is boiled down to a narrow, one-dimensional focus: What does this have to say about my progress in reaching my goals?”

“Doing mode involves thinking about the present, the future, and the past, relating to each through a veil of concepts. Being mode, on the other hand, is characterized by direct, immediate, intimate experience of the present.“

As we embark a new year, this concept in particular may resonate with you. How can we incorporate BEING & DOING modes at home, work, and society at large? What are some ways to shift throughout the day depending on who I’m with, what I’m doing, and where I am? Sometimes the answer is no more complex than remembering to ask the question: what mode would be best right now?

#anchoredmind #counseling #therapy #mindfulness #beherenow #bepresent #beingvsdoing #beingversusdoing