Living in Eco Mode
I’m a sucker for a good illustration. They just seem to make life’s lessons more memorable. If you are the same way, hang with me through this one. I pray it will encourage you during these uncertain times.
So we have all had that moment. You know the one where you glance in your rearview mirror and see the bonehead guy cutting off cars behind you as he makes his way to your spot in traffic. You ponder for a moment if you should intentionally further tick off the angry dude by driving the same speed as the guy right next you but then you remember that you are in _______ and that could get you shot. So you tell yourself something like that his wife is in labor while you excuse his attempt to take off your bumper. A few seconds later you meet again at the red light and watch him pull into the drive-through line at McDonalds.
Holy Hubcaps you mean he behaved that way and put all of us in danger so he could get in line for a pack of McNuggets? Yep. Welcome to 2020.
Now picture the last few months and tell me that isn’t what many of your personal interactions have felt like. We are surrounded by people who are living life with their foot on the emotional gas pedal for tasks and life events that really just need to be experienced in Eco Mode.
Those of you who drive a vehicle that is less than 4 or 5 years old are likely familiar with Eco Mode. For the sake of putting words to this illustration gem, I found this explanation on the internet. Now humor me and when you read this description, think about your own body. My thoughts in italics.
· Selecting Eco Mode in your vehicle helps you reduce fuel consumption.
In most vehicles, selecting this setting makes the engine and accelerator
pedal less responsive to inputs (self-control).
· You might feel that the car is “slow” because it has become unresponsive.
So, when you depress the throttle pedal, the car accelerates slower than usual.
(This is good folks)
· It takes longer for the engine speed to rise (also good). You use less fuel this way (and have to apologize less).
· Doing so means the compressor has to work less, which in turn reduces the load on the engine (self-care).
· The benefit is improved fuel efficiency (self-care leading to productivity).
It feels like the most dangerous health threat for 2020 is not as much Covid but the fact that we have become addicted to hyperventilating about things that we either can’t control or that carry as much weight as a happy meal that we are over here trying to super-size. We are moving from one high to the next when we were designed to live (and survive) in eco mode where we only activate the gas for brief moments when necessary.
A few weeks ago, I had a rough week where several people close to me where upset about different scenarios. It was affecting my home and my work life as I found myself wrapped up in their fear, anger, and sadness. Add to that my over-consumption of my News app and Facebook and we had a recipe for over-drive disaster. Then something happened. In its quest for survival, my body powered down to eco mode. I recognized it immediately because I had experienced it before when I was on an international flight and again when Maggie was in the hospital. It is my body’s way of reducing load on the engine for the purpose of preserving fuel.
As I analyzed this gift of anatomical eco mode, I realized that this really is how God designed us to be. This is the place where we sit, at peace, trust His sovereignty, and move about our business while keeping things in perspective. It is a place of healthy living.
I don’t have a chant or meditation app to recommend that will help shift you into eco mode, but I do have a few ideas on how I get there.
1. Place things in perspective and speak to yourself what you know to be true.
There is nothing on the menu at McDonald’s that is worth getting your heart rate up. Also, both McDonalds and cortisol (from constant stress) will make you fat so avoid them altogether. I digress but you get my point- Choose not to get worked up over things that aren’t that big of a deal. Your body will thank you.
2. Don’t lose it over what you can’t control but instead commit it to prayer and faith.
When we were waiting on Ruthie, I was a certified nut job. I was spending way too much emotional energy worrying about dates that I had zero control over. My experience with waiting on Piper has been much different. I recognized that the kind of fretting I did with Ruthie did not serve my engine in any way so this time I chose instead to hope and trust.
3. Don’t let the other drivers control you.
Maybe this is recognizing that you have a dopamine addiction or that you are an empath. Either way, you have to get control of your own gas pedal and stop letting others press it for you. And in Houston, if you don't, it could get you shot.
4. Don’t get pulled off course by things that don’t concern you.
Like when all of traffic slows down because people want to see the accident. Y’all there are a lot of “accidents” on our roads right now, but God has called us to stay the course for where He is sending us and to get there without turning someone else’s fender bender into our own pile up.
5. Take care of your yourself.
Change your oil. Check the air in your tires and for the love, don’t put vodka or Diet Coke in your gas tank.
Again, there are times when we need to hit the gas. The problem comes when we don’t know when to let our foot off the pedal for the sake of our vehicle or those around us.
Eco mode is a gift and channeling it is the only way we will make it (in one recognizable piece) to our God-given destination.
