Our conscious brain is limited to processing 20-30 bits a second.
I learned this startling fact 30 years ago when I was reading The User Illusion, by Tor Norretranders. And yet we perceive about 12 million bits/second from our senses (10 million from our vision alone). How could we possibly be conscious of what’s going on around us? The answer is that our nervous system filters through the deluge of sensory input based on previous experience to look for what is “relevant” to our current conscious thinking, then condenses what remains into abstractions that are simple enough that our conscious brain can process them despite its pitifully limited capacity.
I have spent most of my life living in my head, living in the realm of the conscious brain and simplified abstractions. But I am starting to see the limitations of this approach even though it has worked so well for me. Consciousness denies the full reality of what the body experiences on a moment to moment basis. By accepting the abstractions as reality, I cut myself off from the vitality of life, because each layer of filtering and simplification creates more separation from the original experience.
And yet, my body knew what it needed: I also spent my time in activities that involved human connection and body-based experiences that got me out of my head, from team sports like volleyball and ultimate frisbee, to singing in choruses for 20 years, to joining a ski house. My abstractions brought me conventional success, my hobbies brought me joy.
What I have come to realize is that the experience of joy is always available if I allow myself to have it. Every moment is a miracle if I fully experience it. But it requires me to turn off my conscious brain, and sink into the connected awareness of the unconscious nervous system.
So try something to turn off your conscious brain for a few minutes. Go for a walk in nature. Take a few deep breaths and actually notice the breath flowing into and out of your body. Connect with a friend in real life. Play a sport with others. Notice the joy and calm that arises when you let go of the need for efficiency and productivity, and let yourself just be.