In times of anxiety or stress, or when caught in the grip of depression, we often find ourselves staring blankly at the wall.

Sometimes it’s as though we’re playing out happier times, projecting old memories before us: recreating the moment.

Mostly, though, we’re simply staring at nothing, and we don’t even know we’re doing so until someone, or something, makes us jump back into our bodies.

It’s not that this white space staring is bad for us; we’re probably still trying to process events, and we could feel extremely overloaded with angst and problems as we face the new era, post COVID-19.

The changes in my work-life balance are huge, as I’m sure they are for most of us.

But that is the point – our subconscious minds have so much to think about that we’re not living in the moment in our conscious thoughts. Pre COVID-19, we had to be more alert: putting a suit on, or commuting to work or university. Some of your old lifestyle you will want to change, and you need to be present in order to make those modifications.

So we owe it to ourselves to get back into our bodies so that we can steer our “good ships” forward. We must jump back into our personal driving seats, because we own our own thoughts and aspirations. Life is too short, and you deserve to live yours to its full potential.

If you are enduring a wandering mind, a good tip is to set a ten minute alarm on your phone to “wake” you up again.

There’s nothing wrong in relaxing, but white space staring isn’t relaxing – it’s more akin to a piece of machinery or a cog being stuck in your brain, and realising this, you can oil it free again.