…or your body will slow down for you!
Do you ever have days where you feel like you’ve been running at full speed all day long? You get to the end of the day and wonder where it’s gone! You haven’t even had time to think about how you might slow down…
Lately, I find myself living like this too often. Not only am I running around trying to do too many things, but my mind seems to race ahead to what I MUST get done. Or sometimes I’m thinking about what might happen to me today or even reliving what happened last week!
Basically, I’m not present in the moment at all. I’m worrying about the future or reflecting on the past – and it’s exhausting! In this frame of mind by the time I get to the end of the day, I’m ready to collapse on the nearest couch, curl up and go to sleep! Sometimes, that isn’t simple either with a racing mind…
The scary part of all this is when I look back on my day, I can’t even remember some parts of it – like sections of the drive to work! Does this happen to you?
So, how do we live in the present? How do we leave the worries of the past behind and not race ahead to “what might happen” in the future and live in the here and now?
There are some tell-tale signs that show me I’m going too fast – especially in my head! Sometimes, I feel a bit out of breath and my stomach is churning because I’m trying to get on top of everything mentally and physically. The tell-tale sign for me is that my shoulders become tense and end up a lot closer to my ears than they should be!
But this sign is extremely helpful! When I feel that tension, I know I need to stop, physically drop my shoulders and relax. I need to make the choice to relax and focus on the here and now. Physically dropping my shoulders and taking a couple of deep breathes is a good start to bringing me back to the present.
I know others say to stop, take five deep breathes in and out slowly while focusing on one thing – whether it’s the rise and fall of your chest or your shoulders, just concentrate on that one thing.
I find Psychologist, Abraham Maslow’s quote a bit scary:
“The ability to be in the present moment, is a major component of mental wellness”.
If this is true, and I think it is, I might need a few mental health days – or weeks!!
What about you? How’s your mental health? It’s not really something we’re usually asked, is it? But it’s vitally important to our overall health – mentally, spiritually and physically.
It doesn’t take long for the body to intervene when we keep on going at a frenetic rate without time for rest. It will force us to slow down through sickness if we don’t care for ourselves.
Below are a few useful resources that I’ve found helpful when I need to help myself to slow down. (I only ever recommend sites/resources that I have used and loved!)
- The Elf Help series of books are a wonderful reminder of what’s important. Each book has a series of illustrations and sayings/advice to help. (There’s even one called “One Day at A Time Therapy”). They are delightful and always bring a smile to my face and bring me back to the present. Here’s a link to the home page: http://www.elf-help.com/index.htm
- There are several great internet sites that help you with meditation – another great way to bring you back to the here and now. Headspace is one that I’ve used and can recommend. Check it out at: https://www.headspace.com/
- As I mentioned in the blog, doing some breathing exercises are helpful.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose,
- hold your breath for a couple of seconds and
- then exhale slowly through your mouth.
- Repeat a couple of times.
- Go for a walk and look around at nature. Head out for a walk and make yourself take notice at everything around you – the sounds; trees; flowers; etc. Connect again with the world around you and allow yourself to walk gently – not racing around.
- Have reminders on your phone wallpaper that will help you to stop whatever you’re doing and connect with the present moment. (I’m often changing mine to relate to whatever I need to remember to keep me present!)
- Get the Loving Your Life reminder sheet to help you “Slow Down & Love Your Life Reminders” delivered straight to your email. It includes a list of things you can do to slow you down. Just fill in the details below.
What do you do to help you slow down? Please share in the comments section. I’d love to add your ideas to our resources.