Ahhh! Run! You’re being chased by a lion! Faster! Go, go, go! Your life depends on this!
Wait… What? You’re not being chased by a lion and about to be torn into pieces? What the Hades? Why are you rushing around like a mad man? Calm down. The world isn’t going to end right now, because of this one thing that you think you have to do immediately. Have you ever heard of smelling roses and such?
I get it, there are things in this world that do need immediate attention, but it’s not an all-the-time occurrence. Not even an hourly occurrence. Usually it’s just an occasional occurrence that can be taken care of, then we can move back to a more calm pace. Unfortunately, once that feeling of being rushed overtakes us, we often stay in that state and can’t calm down. It also seems to happen so often that we think it’s just the way life is. Only the dead or lazy can ever truly rest and I am not lazy! (Or dead, yet)
But do you know what all that rushing is doing to you? Stressing out the whole system that is your body and mind. This is causing your digestive system to stop functioning properly, meaning you don’t absorb nutrients you need (hello constipation). Blood moves away from the less important organs (like your brain) and into your muscles, caused by the fight or flight your body senses. Not to mention the poor decision-making skills and a generally crappy feeling. All of this rushing and stressing is taking years off your life and making you look, and feel, older than you are. I’d rather age as slowly as possible.
So what do we do when we find ourselves feeling pushed to move faster? STOP! Think and breathe. Ask some really important questions of yourself to determine if you can, or should slow down.
Is this necessary? Do I have to go fast or is this something I really can or should take my time on?
Who is rushing me? Am I rushing myself? Am I allowing others to rush me?
My life is so busy. Is there a way that I can be calm and still throughout the day that doesn’t cause any issues? That will help me feel better and less stressed?
Am I doing too many things at one time? Single-tasking is the new multitasking!
We can’t always be calm and take our time, but we can’t always be in a hurry, either. Doing things too fast causes problems, accidents, illness, and the dreaded stress. We fail our selves when we fail to care for our time. Imagine all the time you could save if you didn’t have to go back and fix the mistakes made when you were too rushed to do it right. Imagine how happy you and your family would be if you weren’t stressed over the timelines you have forced upon yourself. Imagine yourself with less new gray hairs and able to poop easily (yes, I went there). If you can’t calm down your days, you can add calm to your days.
Here are some tips and tricks to add calm to your day.
You can’t force traffic to go faster, or have the light turn green, so use this time to breathe and be thankful for what you do have.
Pay attention to your sleep. Spend the time before bed off electronics and in a good book. Or stretching, meditating, and good vibe music. Maybe some nookie will help you sleep better.
If you can get up before everyone in the house, you could use that time to be quiet and still and connect with yourself in someway.
Learning to stop yourself when you start to feel rushed, or stressed over time, will really go a long way to changing how you see the day. Every time you stop to pay attention to what is actually happening, not just what you think is happening, you help break the cycle of crazy that is occurring. The more awareness you have over how you are living your life, the more you find you can change it. It will also help you find and change the things that trigger some of the rushed emotions you have.
Stopping to “smell the roses” will go a long way toward changing your mental well-being, which helps change the emotional, and then the physical. Your whole self is connected in health. If any part is functioning poorly the whole system starts to fail. Figure out what is important and what can wait. Your body is trusting you to care for it.
I hope you found this helpful and I am always available for questions and comments.
Katie
Health Coach Katie 