Out of Your Monologue, Into Your Body

Saks Snacks 41: Equanimity | 3-2-1 Technique | Internal Scorecards

Welcome back to Saks Snacks 👋.

If you’re a curious human interested in mindful tech and chasing the best version of yourself, you're in the right place. Here’s this week’s snacks:

1. 🧠 Nervous System Nugget: 3-2-1 Technique - [1 min read]

2. 💭 Reflections of the week: Leveraging Emotions - [3 min read]

3. 🎙️ Podcast of the Week: [30 sec read]

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🧠 Nervous System Nugget: 3-2-1 Technique

We spend too much time in our internal monologue, and not enough time in our bodies.

Technology has stripped us from the somatic experience of life and from moments of clarity.

As I wrote last March:

We’ve never been more disconnected from our bodies in our lives. We’re a distracted society that’s lost our connection to our physical bodies, and we need to be saved. 

Here’s a simple protocol you can access anytime when your mind is running in circles or there’s too much happening in your brain. (learned this from Jonny Miller’s Nervous System Mastery program)

3-2-1 Protocol:

Orient — Acknowledge 3 things that you can see or hear.

Sense — Feel 2 things with either your hands or feet

Breathe — Take 1 deep breath in and let out a sigh.

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💭 Reflection of the week: Leveraging Emotions

By understanding our emotions, we can leverage them to guide our personal growth.

I feel responsible to show other men in my circles that emotional awareness is a pathway to greater understanding of the self and can lead to a more fulfilling life.

With emerging data spotlighting men’s mental health struggles, it’s clear that there’s a need for discourse, language, and platforms that enable these conversations.

As I build my personal guideposts for an intentionally emotional life, here’s a few topics I’ve been reflecting on:

#1: Equanimity

Lately, I’ve been trying to “embrace the tides” instead of fighting them.

Last week my body was fighting a viral infection and general cold symptoms. I’m in the toughest, highest volume 3-week marathon training block, and a busier period at work.

Life is filled with ups and downs, and how we respond to them defines us. Following this logic, how “equanimous” we are defines who we are.

The essence of equanimity - accepting circumstances without overwhelm seems like such a worthwhile state to be chasing… and practicing equanimity in my active practices (lifting/running/yoga) has been powerful.

Rather than fleeing the downstream emotions from the sickness + responsibilities (feeling weak, overwhelmed, inadequate), I’ve been challenging myself with feeling those feelings and embracing the temporary moments of pain on long runs. I think of it as ‘sitting calmly in the pain cave’, welcoming those moments of pain with open arms.

Applying this perennial concept to our modern times, I’m convinced that we CAN find peace and resilience amidst digital chaos, but only if you practice mindfulness (daily) in a way that’s integrated into your life.

This doesn’t have to happen while sitting on a pillow meditating for an hour straight…

What’s 1 simple way you can practice equanimity this upcoming week?

#2: Emotional honesty

I’ve been slowly accepting that it isn’t a sign of weakness to express, analyze, or embrace my emotions. It hit me recently… the masculine environments (locker-room culture/D1 athletics/baseball) shaped my perception of emotional processing.

The Stoic alter ego and ‘Stone Face’ that I crafted for the baseball field might not be the best alter-ego for ALL things life. These environments taught me to suppress these emotions.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s value to being able to suppress these emotions. But now when it’s productive, I’ll carve time and space in my daily writing (for myself) to check in on my energy in motion (emotions). It’s been incredibly productive and insightful.

Through this, I’ve realized that my empathy and thoughtfulness are 2 superpowers I’ll rely on the rest of my career and life. It’s shown up when developing brand partnerships and creator relationships for RunWithMe and at my day job at Google as a few of my VIP clients navigate complex technical hurdles.

#3: Excellence in Output

I constantly contemplate the right ‘bar of excellence’ for these posts.

While I strive for every piece to resonate, I realize that every writing won’t spark a strong emotion with you… and that’s okay.

Excellence must not be confused with perfection. There’s a time and place for perfection, and there’s a time and place for good enough.

Have you ever confused perfection with excellence?

What does your personal "bar of excellence" look like in different areas of your life?

🎙️ Podcast of the week: Timeless Wisdom

Here’s a few takeaways from listening two humans much smarter than myself...

1. All the real scorecards in life are internal.

2. We spend too much time in our internal monologue, and not our bodies.

3. Happiness is the absence of desire. A great reminder in our world driven by mimetic desire. I’m focusing on loving what I have while seeking for ‘more’.

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✨ Endnote

If you enjoyed this edition, would you mind giving the heart below a click and share it with a friend?

Wishing you a creative week ahead,

Adam

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P.S. If you’re into building healthier digital habits, I also wanted to plug The Digital Wellness newsletter. Clo shares neuroscience insights & practical advice to help you reclaim your time, attention, and mental health from your tech devices. Less mindless scrolling, more learning to use your tech in a way that supports your productivity & well-being…