Do you think slowing down is lazy? The answer is NO, it’s more productive! – Amy Jordan

Do you think slowing down is lazy? The answer is NO, it’s more productive!

Have you ever felt like you just can’t keep the frenzied pace going?  Have you been tired of being overwhelmed?

In our information-saturated society, it seems more and more common to feel like we never get a break.  It’s because we don’t. Notifications keep coming in, text messages never stop flowing. The distraction is unprecedented and seemingly limitless. 

We are constantly getting the message to do more, answer every communication, and simply not stop and take a breath. How productive is this?

Lately, I find myself letting go of the fear of quiet and slowing down the pace.  While we talk a lot about living with healthy boundaries and saying no, this goes a step further.

I started listening to that gut instinct. It was saying stop, rest, focus on what needs to be done but most importantly trust the process.

For us trauma survivors this is not always an easy task.  The fight or flight response is ingrained in our brain and our nervous system. Redirecting this response takes, as the first step, awareness. Once we realize what is happening, we can then redirect our attention.

When I became just too physically tired to keep up the pace it opened a whole new world of peace and calm.  Our bodies tell us everything we need to know but are we listening?

Yes, people were upset, I turned down invitations and didn’t respond immediately.  The beauty of true self-care is that what they think is not my business.  In a past life, I said yes, much to my own physical and emotional detriment.

The cliché idea of letting go holds truth.  If we are holding on to the old, we literally can’t create space for the new.  It’s uncomfortable but is it any more uncomfortable than repeating the same cycle of being “busy” just to feel important or productive?

Instead of beating myself up for scaling back any unnecessary engagements and creating space to breathe things began to manifest on their own.  As my energy and time were not so tapped, I could be intentionally productive.

As we enter another holiday season and continue in a world filled with insanity, I pose a challenge in the coming months. Sit back and breathe.  Find some trees, or a park bench or take a drive to be near the water, this can be done in any season.  New behaviors often feel uneasy simply because we aren’t used to them, not because they are wrong.

Practice saying no, sit with the discomfort.  Not only will it pass, but it will also become normal and healthy. 

Turn off the annoying and unnecessary notifications.  Take a few minutes to sit still, breathe and regain focus on what’s important, YOU! 

It may take a little time to adjust to listening and trusting more and that’s O.K. New habits happen over time.  Ask yourself, “what do I want?”  What do I need to do to achieve my goal.”  This can apply to anything, health, work, relations, etc.

We instinctively know the answers.  Let’s stop seeking outside our own lives and trust ourselves. Try it for a week and let me know how it goes.

Never underestimate the power of your life.

YOU ARE WINNING!

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