By Melisa De Seguirant, LPC, LMFT ~ Dec 2024
Slowing Down
& Recharging Your Battery
Winter is coming. Time to slow down.
The holidays lure us into engaging in activities and speeding up the pace of life, but often what is needed this time of year is space to rest & recharge.
What about all of our responsibilities? What about what everyone expects of us?
Let’s talk about it…
Check out the slideshow, then continue the post below!
Slowing vs Stopping
Although sometimes we truly do need to just push “pause” and embrace a period of rest & stillness, other times simply slowing our pace is effective. The demands of the holiday season and modern life in general will ask us to move at 110% at all times, but this is not sustainable for any of us. It’s easy to get into a cycle of stopping and starting, with pronounced difficulty navigating the transition back into motion.
Consider whether slowing down might be an easier goal for you than stopping, and brainstorm what that would look like in your life.
IDEAS ~
- Walk at a slower pace between your car and whatever errands or appointments you are headed to. Walk so slowly that it almost feels silly. Notice all of your senses as you do so, along with the things in your surrounding area you may have missed if you were rushing
- Eat more mindfully. Fully savor and swallow one bite before taking another… see how the flavor experience changes when you do this
- Slow your breathing. Make your exhale twice as long as your inhale, or breathe on on an “s” sound to slow your system down. Notice the pause between your inhale and your exhale, and the pause before the next breath in
- Stretch, meditate, go for a leisurely stroll
- Take a long bath
…what are your ideas?
A lesson from musical theater…
Quick changes, when a performer has to change costumes rapidly between scenes (often in under a minute) are a regular occurrence in theater. They sound straightforward enough to navigate… change as fast as you possibly can, right? In actuality, there’s a real art to it.
Typically members of the stage and costume crew and perhaps even other cast members are assigned different roles to support the quick change. One person might be in charge of changing the wig, another is on makeup touchups, another responsible for shoes, another is tasked with holding hair out of the way so that it doesn’t get snagged in a zipper. It’s a flurry of orchestrated chaos that needs to be rehearsed several times in order to get it right.
In the middle of the cyclone of costume pieces and bodies, the performer going through the quick change is charged with the task of staying as physically loose and calm as possible. Although the impulse might be to join the frenzy and attempt to help out, quick changes typically only work if the actor is as relaxed, composed and as unobtrusive to the process as possible.
How can you apply this strategy to life, and work to find stillness in the midst of chaos?
Matching the energy of the chaos that surrounds us rarely helps.
Instead try to pause, breathe, and relax your body a little before proceeding.
It may be worth reflecting upon what motivates your hurried pace. Is it time scarcity, overcommitment, or the impression that you are behind in some way?
Rushing in these scenarios doesn’t always lead to good results.
Other people may find their pace motivated by excitement, elation or inspiration. Although perhaps a less emotionally taxing reason for picking up one’s pace, the energy expended is still unsustainable and if not monitored may result in burnout.
IMPORTANT~ Efficiency requires some level of strength in executive functioning– mapping & prioritizing your efforts and the steps that need to be accomplished
Shout-out to my fellow ADHDers… many people with ADHD or executive functioning difficulties do require external pressure to motivate action! Waiting until the last minute to start a project may actually be a necessary strategy in this scenario.
The wisdom we can draw from the quote above, even if we require some level of pressure to get moving, is that once we are moving we need to effectively harness our energy, smoothly riding the flow of productivity. Streamlined energy will serve us better than hurried, chaotic hustling. Move swiftly without embodying chaos.
And when the task is done, pause, take a breath, and slow your pace.
Strategies for slowing down:
- Plant something & watch it grow
- Mindful breathing
- Slow eating
- Practice slow movement (walking, tai chi, yoga…)
- Spend time sitting in nature
- Read a book
- Take a break from screens, crowds & cars
- Try a sensory deprivation float
- Pause between tasks, and between thoughts during a conversation
- Journal, meditate, practice gratitude
- Plant something & watch it grow
…what are your ideas?
#slowingdown #selfcare #rest #mentalhealth
Melisa is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in the states of Oregon and California, and specializing in working with individuals within the queer, polyamorous/ ethically non-monogamous and neurodivergent communities.