During a recent workshop, I was teaching a group of therapists how to invite people into an awareness of focusing on the foreground or background of experience, and it reminded me how important it is to be able to have a sense of choice about where we put our awareness from moment to moment.  (I’ve written before about “foreground/background” in another context - see Week 220.)  For example, when I find myself impatient or nervous, I have an immediate choice.  Do I focus on the feelings that cause me discomfort, adding to them with my thinking or actions, or do I focus on the stillness that exists all the time, in every moment, *behind* the feelings or thoughts I’m having?  Both are there and both are real – something really is disturbing me and there really is a field of stillness in the background of every moment of experience.

Knowing how to move from the foreground of experience into the background of stillness has been transformative for me, as it allows me to recognize, experientially, that I don’t have to get lost in what moves into and through my awareness.  And, paradoxically, when I’m able to rest in the stillness, I’m actually able to engage distress with greater resilience.  It’s the same paradox as having an open heart.  A heart that is open and willing to be touched by life experiences, whatever they may be, is actually a stronger and more resourceful state of being than one that’s closed tight against the world.

As you read this experiment, take a moment right now to imagine that there’s the field of stillness behind or in the background of each of your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and actions.  Next, notice what it’s like to imagine that you can take a moment to lean into the stillness, if you’d like, and get a breather from doing anything at all right now, even reading.  That’s all – just notice what it’s like to shift from the foreground of awareness, i.e., reading this experiment, into the background of awareness, which is a field of stillness.

Then, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to play with the process of moving your awareness from foreground to background throughout the day, shifting into either the foreground or background depending on what will most serve to help you feel grounded, present and resilient.  There may be times when you’ll want to rest in the stillness, and there may be times when the stillness isn’t what’s needed and you’ll want to move into the foreground of your experience and more actively engage what life is bringing your way in the present moment.

Doing this process doesn’t mean that what’s bothering you will go away.  Instead, leaning into the stillness offers an opportunity to rest for a moment and, perhaps, lessen the experience of distress a bit, get a new perspective on what’s happening, or just have some ease in the midst of a stressful situation. This stillness doesn’t mean emptiness, where you have no awareness at all.  It just means a place where you can breathe and rest, without being caught up in what’s happening in the foreground of your experience.

As with all the experiments, there’s no right answer to this one.  There’s just another opportunity to become more aware and to have the option to make some choices about how you move through your daily life.