180. You Don't Need More Time

From The Modern Creative Woman · 25:57

Show by Dr. Amy Backos

Ask me a question or let me know what you think!Time is passing. It always has been, and it always will be. But how much of the time we have are we actually experiencing?In this episode of The Modern Creative Woman Podcast, I’m thinking about what happens when we spend our lives thinking about time: worrying that we don't have enough of it, rushing through our days, looking ahead to the next thing, or romanticizing the past.I was thinking about this after a planetarium show and lecture about exoplanets, where I learned about the transit methodof detecting planets by observing a dimming of light. It made me think about how we sometimes recognize what matters by noticing its absence—and how gratitude can grow from that awareness.We also talk about nostalgia, changing relationships, children growing up, work changing, and the complicated experience of being able to feel both sadness about what is ending and happiness about what is beginning.Then we get practical.I share ways to return yourself to the present moment, including breathing, state-dependent learning, creative flow, and using art to observe the passage of time. We can photograph the same place every day, make a five-minute drawing each day, knit something complicated enough to create flow, or simply pay closer attention to what we're already doing.For women who are carrying work, family responsibilities, emotional labor, planning, and endless to-do lists, being present can feel surprisingly difficult. Sometimes we're decorating for the holidays while mentally running through everything else we have to accomplish. We're technically there, but we're somewhere else entirely.The present moment is the only place where we can take action. It's also where creativity happens, where relationships happen, and where we actually experience our lives.In this episode, we explore:Why thinking about time can pull us away from our actual livesThe connection between gratitude and noticing what is absentWhy nostalgia isn't an exact replay of the pastHow women can become trapped in future-oriented thinkingExperiential avoidance and what it does to our livesUsing breath to return to the present momentState-dependent learning and why the state you're practicing in mattersWhy creativity and flow are powerful ways to become fully presentUsing art to observe and document the passage of timeWhy the present moment is the only place where we can take committed actionHow to stop postponing your creative life until some imaginary future dateAnd, as always, this episode is an invitation to consider: What would you create if you stopped waiting for more time?Support the showExplore the Modern Creative Woman Communityhttps://moderncreativewoman.comFree Goodies and Subscribe to the Monthly Newsletterhttps://moderncreativewoman.com/subscribe-to-the-creative-woman/Connect with Dr. Amy on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/dramybackos/

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