Walking around the shopping centre, with a wee toddler’s little hand in tow, I rushed him across the car park. Suddenly I realised, his poor little feet were pounding the pavement super quick cause I was walking too fast.
Sad mama face.
I slowed down. I went with his pace and even if I wanted to race up to get all the things done, I stopped and slowed it down again.
Your anxiety has you racing fast doesn’t it? (Like when you’re being chased by birds – oh wait, that’s me…anyone else relate?)
//Talking fast.
//Walking fast.
//Trying to come up with an answer to a question fast. (And sometimes lying so you don’t have to put up with their judgy judgy eyes).
//Flitting from one thing to another fast, like one moment you’ll be washing up and then you’ll get a text so you race over to the text instead of finishing the task at hand because what if it is IMPORTANT? Or I simply just can’t wait to find out what it is all about.
Or perhaps when the T.V is on and the ads start up you swipe your electronic device to pass the time.
You must be doing stuff all the time.
And here’s the thing.
You’re doing it to cover up the anxiety.
What is it that you’re trying to dull down?
If you stop for a moment, what are you going to miss out on? A few extra seconds of the kettle boiling?
If you’re feeling stuck on what to do when you catch yourself going fast here’s a few things you can do:
Boil the Kettle.
That’s right. The simply act of boiling the kettle and waiting for it to finish can actually be a meditative process. I’m going to confess. My busyness has been so bad at times I’ll flip the button on the kettle about 2.5 seconds before it officially finishes. How bad is that? Seriously. Take the time for it to whistle and end. While it is doing that take the time to just stand still, ponder and wonder in your mind even. Address the thoughts that pop up and then let them go. Or take mental note to follow them up later. Take a few minutes out to just simply be.
Get up earlier or go to bed earlier
In all honesty, last night I was completely shattered. I was so tired, my hayfever symptoms kicked in and I was like ‘Heck no am I getting sick again.’ I sat with the symptoms, realised I was doing too much again, too much avoiding, so I did a 25 min meditation (asked my husband to do the bedtime routine with our son) and then made a smelly onion poultice(I cut up an onion and put it in a scarf and wrapped it around my neck. Lol. My husband said the whole room smelled like onions when he came to bed and as I write this the next day I have essential oils burning to try and get rid of the smell).
As I went to bed earlier it meant I was up earlier. 5 am to be precise so I used the quietness of the day to get up. I asked myself if I was ready to do yoga but in my stuffiness I decided that simply just being was a better option. So I did a meditation, followed by a Bible devotion (I use the S.O.A.P method – write down scripture, observations, application and your prayer) and started to write this blog post but my little boy woke up and that was it for the morning (I resumed typing this during his lunch nap).
That hour and a half of the day was so peaceful. It was quiet and I felt so much better to face the day starting like that. I’m going to prioritise sleep at night so I can try to do either this or an exercise option in the morning. It also meant by going to bed ridiculously early, it gave me the best chance to heal my body (thanks onion poultice lol).
Walk and Talk Slower
As I watch my 2 year old walk I learn so much from him. He touches everything! He stops to pick up something glittery. He explores. Seriously, how often do we actually take in what we see around us? I’m going to guess not often.
When I slow my pace to match my toddler I see so much beauty in the world. So much so it brings a smile to my face.
As far as talking slower here’s a tip I find helpful. Stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth, right behind your teeth if you are tempted to either interrupt someone or find yourself about to over explain to someone.
You actually give your power away when you use too many words.
You don’t need to over explain things to anyone.
I get your anxiety has you rattling off your words but start having conscious conversations by sticking your tongue to the roof of your mouth when you feel tempted to talk heaps.
Your body and mind will thank you for it.
What are some ways you are going to ‘go slow’ this week? I’d love to know. Tell me below.
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Also I’d love to announce the winners of the ‘First we Make the Beast Beautiful’ book by Sarah Wilson competition. Since there were 2 entrants I am going to give a book to both of you:
SARAH BARRON
ALICIA JAYNE
Please get in contact with me and let me know your mailing address so I can send you a copy. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your comments.