Detachment

I attended a retreat this past weekend and the speaker shared on the topic of "Detachment."  Why would we even want to consider learning anything about detachment?  And, why would I choose detachment as a topic for a health coach blog?  It's because the ability to regularly detach helps the body and the mind to stay healthy.  Detachment helps you to slow down the pace of life a bit, it gives you the ability to get grounded, it puts you in a peaceful place, and it helps you to clear your mind.

Wikipedia defines detachment as non-attachment, or a state in which a person overcomes his or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened perspective.  You might be thinking, I don't want any part of that!  But, wait! Detachment doesn't necessarily mean you have to give away all of your possessions or live like a hermit.  Let me give you my take on detachment and share with you some of what was discussed at the retreat.

Detachment is really about making room.  Making room in your schedule, room in your mind, room for creativity, room for love, room for important people, room for your most cherished goals, and room for YOU.  If you are a person of faith, detachment also helps you to make room for God.  Without room, life gets very crowded, confusing, and stressful. 

What takes up so much room anyway?  It isn't any one thing and it's different for each person. The retreat discussion revealed a number of things from which we may want to detach either physically or mentally:

Physically
- An overly busy schedule
- Television
- Computer games
- BlackBerry or iPod
- Possessions of any kind

Mentally
- Worry about the future
- The need for approval from others
- Perfectionism
- Constant busyness
- Others' opinions about us

These are very common attachment culprits and ones most of us can relate to, but I'm sure we can all come up with others that are specific to our own lives.  Are possessions, technology devices, and wanting to be and do our best bad?  Of course not, unless they're crowding out your joy, your peace, and your real self.

What is at the root of attachment?  Habit; fear that we're not good enough; fear of being alone; fear of losing control; belief that what we have determines our value; or thinking that we have to "stay ahead" in order to be somebody.

So, how do you practice detachment?  You can start by just going for a walk or sitting quietly and reflecting on the things that are crowding out your authentic self, your peace, and the people you hold most dearly.  Then, you try to begin trusting that who you are at your core is safe, valuable, and loved.