Zombies! How to Keep from Being One of the Walking Dead.

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 lots of ghosts and skeletons, goblins and witches, vampires and Antoine Dodsons 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 month I left my house running late for an appointment. I had a number of things on my mind. I was driving along and the next thing I knew, I had rear-ended a very nice Lexus. My God! I had slipped into a Zombie state! It took the appearance of a police officer to 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! Where are my 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 like an automaton, mindlessly going from activity to activity, lost somewhere in the maze your own thoughts,  not present to any wonder or miracles that might be happening right in front of you.

When you’re a Zombie you’re walking around but you’re asleep. You’re dead to anything other than your incessant mind chatter.  Life becomes boring and routine. (Same as it ever was…) 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 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: the media, politicians, advertising, consumerism, the hypnosis of the culture. But that ole’ black magic can come from inside as well: guilt, obligation, obsession, compulsion, resentment, anger.

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 any and all 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 environment. We can become dulled to life and it’s magnificence. We might wake up one day and say “Where did it all go? Where have I been?”  You may ask 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, ya gotta 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.
• 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.
• Protect yourself with  Mindfullness 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.
• Ask yourself “What’s happening here? Think, but think about what’s right in front of you: 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!

The best cure for Zombie-ism is a deep hypnotic trance in a controlled environment. As a CZB, (Certified Zombie Buster), the TMan can help. Book an appointment before 10/31 and get $25 off.

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Dedicated to helping you move to your next level of greatness,

TMan