How To Keep From Becoming A Zombie – Episode 461

It’s close to Halloween, and people are already talking about what costume they’re going to wear. For a couple of days there will be a lot of ghosts, skeletons, goblins, witches and vampires walking around.

But regardless of what time of year it is, you can always count on there being Zombies.

You’ve seen them out there. In line at the supermarket. In the car beside you on the freeway. Behind the counter at the store. Looking back at you from the mirror. Zombies are everywhere: The walking dead!

One day last year I left my house running late for an appointment. I had several things on my mind. I was driving along and the next thing I knew, I had rear-ended a very nice Lexus. I had slipped into a Zombie state! It took the appearance of a police officer to snap me back from a downward Zombie spiral and bring me back from the brink of disaster.

It doesn’t take much these days to become Zombified. Not enough sleep, skipping meals, traffic, noise, too much to do and long days on the job can mush your mind until you find yourself aimlessly wandering around chanting “Brains! Brains I need brains!”

What is a Zombie? One definition is “An automaton: someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way.” It can be easy to respond to life these days like an automaton, mindlessly going from activity to activity, lost somewhere in the maze of your own thoughts, not present to any wonder or miracles that might be happening right in front of you along with all the other stuff you need to pay attention to,

When you’re a Zombie you’re walking around but you’re essentially walking in your sleep. You’re dead to anything other than your incessant mind chatter. Life becomes boring and routine. At the end of the day, you can’t

remember anything you actually did, so you Zombie-out in front of the tube to watch, I don’t know…, Zombie Housewives.

Another definition of zombie is a human being who is being controlled by someone else by use of black magic. I can think of a long list of things that might fall under that category of black magic: the news media, social media, politicians, advertising, consumerism, and the hypnosis of the culture. But that kind of black magic can come from inside as well: guilt, obligation, obsession, compulsion, resentment, anger or depression.

We fall prey to this kind of control when we are overwhelmed. Overwhelm means that there’s too much stuff going in your head, too many conversations at the same time, too much to think about. Your brain, that God-given instrument of creation, instead becomes focused on obsessing and worrying about bad things that happened in the past or bad things you think might happen in the future.

When we become overwhelmed, we go into a trance state. We become suggestible to all the negativity going on around us or inside of us. So, we end up going around in circles, not creating our own life, but letting it be controlled by the environment. We can become dulled to life and its magnificence. We might wake up one day and say “Where did it all go? Where have I been?” Have you ever asked yourself “Well, how did I get here?”

One of his students asked the Buddha, “Are you the messiah?” “No”, answered the Buddha. “Then are you a healer?” “No”, the Buddha replied. “Then are you a teacher?” the student persisted. “No, I am not a teacher.” “Then what are you?” asked the student, exasperated. “I am awake”, the Buddha replied.

There is only one thing to do when you find yourself walking around in the Zombie Zone. Wake up! Reclaim your brain. Get present to your life.

Here are some guidelines to finding your way out of Zombieland.

· Mornings are really important as they set the tone for the rest of the day. For some folks, every morning is Dawn of the Dead, but here are two things you can do to change that up.

1. First, throw away that alarm clock with the same old buzzer or beeper. Why do you want to alarm yourself first thing in the morning? And for God’s sake, don’t start the day with ZNN. (Zombie News Network) Wake yourself up gently with some music or at least something inspirational.

2. Second, give yourself some time in the morning to just be. If you are prone to Zombification, you need to wake up not just physically but mentally and spiritually as well. Spend a few minutes just sitting, drinking your whatever, feeling your life, and creating your day before you move on to the next thing, which might be some stretching, walking or reading something inspiring.

· Extreme Self Care. Eat right, sleep well, get some exercise, you must be strong!

· Count yourself out. If you find yourself spacing out, you can break the spell by saying: “12345 Eyes open wide awake!” This will pull you out of the Zombie trance. This is something I teach my clients when they come in feeling like they are wandering around doing the Zombie Walk.

· Change your physical position. If you’re sitting and you find yourself going into the Zen of Zombie, stand up and walk around. If you’re standing, sit down and take a load off. If you’re not moving, walk. Get out of your head and into your body.

· Protect yourself with Mindfulness Moments. Have your cell phone or computer give you a reminder every hour to take a short break, a deep breath, or just a few moments to focus on something other than what you’re doing.

And of course, your phone is a useful tool, but your phone can become the Zombie disease itself. Why do you think they call it doom scrolling?

· Ask yourself “What’s happening here? Think, but think about what’s right in front of you: Oh, I’m listening to a podcast, cool! What’s always in front of you is your precious life.

With the coming of the holidays, especially Halloween, you can be sure there will be plenty of opportunities for the Zombie Zoo. Protect yourself and your brain! Be awake, be aware and pay attention!

Here’s the quote for today by Max Brooks who writes a lot about zombies including the Zombie Survival Guide

“That’s the thing about zombies. They don’t adapt and they don’t think. Literally, you could have a zombie on one side of a chain link fence and you could be on the other side and they could be trying to get to you and six feet down could be an open door and they will not go through that door in the fence. That’s why they’re so scary.”

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Do you feel like you are spending too much time in Zombieland, wandering aimlessly and not getting anything done? Reach out to Ted for a complimentary half hour consultation by going to https://TedMoreno.com/contact

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