Combining relaxation with activity
It’s the idea that the more we try to do something, the worse we become at it.
Suppose, for instance, that you are learning how to ride a bike for the first time. You are told to hold the handlebars a certain way, to push off with this foot, to pedal at that speed, to sit in a specific position, to hold your balance here, and so on. There is a small book’s worth of micro-instructions when learning to ride a bike. When we ride a bike, we know all these things, but we do not try to do them. They just happen.
In Huxley’s words, it’s “combining relaxation with activity.”
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Being stuck in overthinking and feeling bad about it makes it a vicious cycle. Sitting back and relaxing makes it easy.
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