Time to ban the word busy
Slow the heck down. It’s okay, you don’t have to work so hard. It’s okay. You can slow down. Take breaks. Breathe things out. No matter what’s whirling around you.
Get on a ball and let go of what you’ve been holding. Stretch your legs and feel the aliveness. Be curious. Ask your body questions. Ask the sky, the ocean, a tree, and listen. By listening you can learn. As you learn you wake up and begin to feel alive again.
I know you have commitments and you don’t want to stop. Well, don’t stop, slow down. Be patient. Do the best you can. When you are super busy you miss so much. Just as I did.
Oh my gosh!! I had the busiest week ever!
It happened quite unexpectedly when the water main to our house began to crumble. It went like this — water gushing everywhere, calling around for a plumber, turning off our water for hours, and fixing the leak. Water gushing everywhere, calling to find a plumber, turning off our water for half a day, and fixing the leak. Water gushing everywhere, calling to find a plumber, turning off our water for days, and fixing the broken pipe.
In that whirlwind, we had to find a place to stay so we could cook, wash dishes, have drinking water, brush our teeth, go to the bathroom and shower. All of this came on top of an already full schedule of work and visitors.
As the full speed ahead continued into days and a week, I began to have sleepless nights, mouth sores, and my body began to ache. I was doing my daily practice in a hurry every morning because I was too busy to really focus on me.
Busyness lesson
Toward the end of this crazy week, it dawned on me that I was getting a lesson on busyness. I felt as if I was running in circles getting nowhere and my life began to lose its juicy richness. I was feeling overwhelmed. And a thought came in, slow down. As life hands you unexpected experiences — slow down. So I did.
And I got my life back. I got on my mat for me again without rushing in to catch up on my missed work. I began to sleep better, my mouth sores healed, and my body felt great. Life was juicy and rich again. Wow, I’d lost my focus on my life and all I had to do was grab back on to what was important to me and slow down.
Socrates says, Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Thanks, man! You always come through with a good contemplative quote. I guarantee Socrates didn’t multitask!
How can you slow down and feel alive again?
Take these steps to Slow it Down
Focus on you first — Get up in the morning before anyone else rises, get on your mat and consciously move your body. Here’s an Ageless Movement Practice on Slowing Down. As you move, be curious about places of pain and tension. Ask your body what it wants you to pay attention to and listen.
Drink lots of water — Flush out your mental need to stay busy by drinking lots of water.
Get out in nature — Go for a walk and take a moment to smell the roses.
Breathe — Notice you are breathing and be aware of the pause at the top of your inhalation and the bottom of your exhalation. Hold the bottom of your exhalation when you really need to slow down.
Fuel your body with healthy, alive food — Eat healthy food that supports your body and gives you energy and vitality. When your system is healthy it will tell you when to slow down.
Create a mission statement for your life — When you have a mission you can stay on track with it. Saying “no” to anything that doesn’t align with your mission and “yes” to all that aligns.
Create a life of love, laughter, and beauty — Put on music that opens your heart, place beautiful art on your walls, bring flowers into your home, go on adventures and play games with friends. These things will get you to slow down and enjoy the richness of your life.
Here’s a simple slow flow move to get you to slow down!
Slow down and take the words “I’m busy” out of your life. Let me know how it feels to slow down in the comments below.
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