Holiday for the mind

It’s holiday time and everyone must be looking for a good holiday package. A good package does not just mean one that is financially viable; it also means something that can give you total rejuvenation — physically and mentally. You might have noticed that you go on a holiday with great enthusiasm and come back home more exhausted than before. Most people feel a kind of depression after returning from the holiday. This happens because the excitement is over and you are back to your drudgery. But this can be avoided if the mind also gets a holiday. The mind needs some rest, too.
The mind is a bio-computer. The current education teaches you how to use the mind; it does not teach you how to stop it so that it can relax. So the mind goes on working even when you are asleep. We have forgotten that the mind is a machine, and like any other machine it needs a break, servicing and recycling. Most of our problems spring from an overworked mind, and nobody knows what is the solution.
The mind is at rest only in meditation, so make it a point to include meditation in your holiday package.
Osho gives a simple method which can relax the overused mind and make you feel rejuvenated. He says, “It is possible to put a switch on the mind and turn it off when it is not needed. It is helpful in two ways: it will give you peace, a silence you have never known before, and an acquaintance with yourself which has not been possible, because the chattering mind has always kept you engaged. Use the mind when it is needed, after the use put it aside, just as you take off your shoes or formal clothes.”
The method is: Find time to be silent. Let the mind be unoccupied for a while, which means no TV, no reading, no cellphone or talking of any kind. If you make this a habit, the mind will be restful and relaxed; and, later, fresh, young, full of energy and juice. What is known as charisma is simply a mind which knows how to relax and let the energy collect.
While travelling, go on sightseeing but remember to sit with closed eyes afterwords and get in touch with your inner world, the serene sky inside which is always tranquil.
Detach yourself from your thoughts, emotions, memories. Watch them like waves on the sea. Watching creates a gap between you and your mental activities. This gap is very healthy and restful for the mind. The mind will certainly enjoy this holiday.