Reflections

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  1. l
    lexie flint

    Sometimes I find myself adding more issues then needed so I think I think I need to slow down on…
    1. I need to slow down and give myself a break. If I’m overwhelmed, taking more tasks on will just make it worse. Just slow down! You don’t need all the pressure.
    2. I need to stop seeking reassurance from others. If you don’t love yourself then how will others love you? You need to know they love you babe. It’s all going to be alright and if they’re not fake. They will stay with you.
    3. Don’t overthink the small things. Sometimes when I’m alone and I hear someone whispering, I’ll be thinking it’s about me. I need to stop thinking about the negatives and start thinking positives! <3

    6 months ago
  2. null

    I find myself with a number of responsibilities this week, with that in mind I can find time to slow down…
    – Before I begin a task, to be intentional about my goals.
    – After I finish a task, to reflect on how it went.
    – If I feel overwhelmed, I’ll take a break and clear my mind.
    – During conversations with others, to ensure they’re understood.
    – When my day is done and it’s time to rest, I’ll rest as deeply and fully as possible.

    6 months ago
  3. Don Jones

    It’s first day back at school today after the spring holidays, so the school zones on the roads are going to be busy. Slowing for eager/anxious/excited young minds makes sure there is space for everyone.

    6 months ago
  4. Barb C

    Picking up on Dolores’s comment below, “truly slowing down” may or may not be a desirable goal. I can read this question multiple ways.

    Slow down: Don’t be so hard on yourself for not getting 5,247 things done every day.
    I’ve gotten much better at that with age. Even if I had an empty in-box when I stop working tonight, more would show up tomorrow. There is no “done”, there is doing and being.

    Slow down: Don’t try to multitask.
    My brain works well when I have many plates spinning and I enjoy that feeling of being able to shift from one topic to the next to the next (which is what’s really happening when people say they’re multitasking). Each serves to cross-fertilize with the others.

    Slow down: Don’t work all the time.
    I’m very good at having real weekends. I read, I go for a long walk with my husband to downtown, we might decide to go out for lunch, I might do a big cooking extravaganza, which is one of my favorite activities. Ditto for real evenings; when I sign off at the end of the workday I’m off and I ask my staff to do the same.

    Slow down: Don’t over-commit or sign up for things you don’t really want to do.
    OK, yes, I could work on this a bit and say “enough” when my plate is as full as I want it to be. I just did that last week and felt both guilt and relief. I remind myself the answer isn’t just “no” to this, it’s “yes” to something else.

    Slow down: Pay attention.
    I’ve had mindfulness practices in one form or another for years now. All of them embed some form of “pay attention”. I can take a brisk walk for the health benefits of active movement and pay attention to the shapes and colors of fall leaves, the flash of white on a dove’s back as it takes flight to join the whole flock of them that likes to roost in a tall pine tree I can see out my kitchen window, the sound of the frog that croaks somewhere in a neighbor’s yard, the colors of the flowers my neighbor at the corner carefully selected so we’ve had beauty all season long, the two-tone whistle of a bird I have yet to identify.

    6 months ago
    1. null

      “There is no ‘done’ there is doing and being.”

      I needed this reminder today.

      6 months ago
    2. Dolores Kazanjian

      Well said, Barb.

      6 months ago
  5. Dolores Kazanjian

    This question made me smile (ironically). As I’ve said before, I am old with health issues and am working on speeding up, not slowing down more than I have already. Thank Heaven at last the rain has stopped and we have had two beautiful sunny days here in NY.
    When I was younger, I was always going at 200% and regret none of it. I got all the he juice out of life and have few if any regrets. I don’t really agree with “slowing down.” I do, and always have, found it important to set aside time to renew and replenish, but to me that’s different from “slowing down.” I am interested to read your thoughts on this.

    6 months ago
    1. Barb C

      Thank you for this, Dolores. I have some of the same feelings. In my younger years i sometimes burned the candle at both ends and from the middle and loved the intensity even if it wore me out at times. As a result of that investment (and recognizing that I have privilege that contributed as well) I’ve been able to build a career that means I don’t have to run at quite the same pace but I still feel the intensity and commitment.

      6 months ago
  6. Nannette

    I am very Blessed that I can take time for myself whenever I need it. Being retired is a good thing! I just came back home from a busy week in NYC visiting family. I had a wonderful time…but now I am home and my time is my own.

    6 months ago
  7. Ngoc Nguyen

    When I go for a walk and enjoy the sunset, that is the time that creating a space for terribly slowing down. I usually wake up early, but that time is for studying. Because of that, evening is an ideal time for a rest.

    6 months ago
  8. Charlie T

    My sleep habits can be erratic and my
    work hours are irregular.
    I usually get up early, or very early.
    What I once considered a problem,
    is now a very nice time for routine.
    Time for contemplation, meditation,
    some writing, reading, and stretching/yoga.
    I look forward to this time and I’m
    grateful when I have it.

    6 months ago
  9. Yram

    For me it is just to do it. I have the space and time but I need to be aware and conscious to do it.

    6 months ago
  10. Carla

    I’m intentionally having more times of quiet and slowing down during the weekends. I’ve made progress listening for the need to rest my psyche during these past few months since my nephew’s death. Deciding to say some “no’s” and “yes’s” to only nurturing activities makes a difference.

    6 months ago
    1. Yram

      Carla, that reflects good self care and self compassion. I hope it continues to nourish.

      6 months ago
  11. sunnypatti

    For me, it’s right now, here on this website. My husband and I also just promised each other that we would have a relaxing evening as well. We have a big week ahead of us, but we are realizing more and more how important it is to take time to chill.

    6 months ago
  12. Josie

    Thankfully my pace has slowed considerably over
    this past year. Autumn’s arrival here in eastern Pennsylvania signals slow savoring of the beauties of this season, both internally & externally. I hope to be consciously grateful for this rhythm today.

    6 months ago
  13. Joseph McCann

    The tilting of the earth and the aging process are working together to create the necessary space for me to slow down. I have all of the hay in stacks from the past growing season. I need to dig the bulk of the carrots and potatoes from the garden. I will continue to dig what we eat until the temps get a bit colder so I can store the potatoes and carrots in the crawl space below the house. The wood piles are done. The pig goes to the butcher at the end of the month and the steers will soon be purchased and put on pasture. Feeding them will not be for a while, weather dependent. This seasonal slowdown is just the yang to the ying of spring and for now it is as slow as I want to be.

    6 months ago
    1. Barb C

      True for me as well, on a much smaller home-garden scale. I’ve been pickling, making fruit leather (free pears from my neighbor, plums free for the picking from a Buy Nothing member), freezing berries. This morning I cut the many, many green tomatoes on the vine because the cold and rain have set in and I’ve already lost some to swelling and bursting before they ripen. Some will go into the garage on the vine to continue to ripen, others are destined to become green tomato chutney or piccallilli or chowchow in the next few days (still deciding–something zingy). Tomatilloes are in the freezer and I keep adding to them until it’s time to make another batch of salsa verde. My yellow summer squash doesn’t seem to care about the season and is continuing to set fruit; we’ll see how long that lasts. This is with only half the garden beds I’ll have when my husband finishes putting in 3 more early next spring. No vacation during harvest for me! But working with the garden, cooking and preserving are all a form of meditative practice for me.

      6 months ago
    2. Yram

      Your connection to the rhythms of the earth feed my soul. Thank you for your sharing.

      6 months ago
  14. Laura

    Any time I pause to take a deep, conscious breath.

    6 months ago
  15. EJP

    Early morning silence and meditation creates a time to be still and grateful for all that I am and for all that I have.

    6 months ago
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