The Art of Moving Faster by Slowing Down

The heaviness was suffocating. All around a fog swirled with wisps of fear, panic, uncertainty that were slowly becoming heavier and thicker. One of my unspoken fears was being trapped in a small space; although the visualization of this terror had always centered around being stuck in a car after an accident, or inside a broken elevator, or being buried alive under an avalanche.

I hadn’t realized that when this horrifying claustrophobia finally came it would hit right here in my own house; with no warning squeal of brakes, whine of broken cables, or roar of approaching snow.

It was March 2020. The news of the pandemic had come slowly at first.

A few news reports about a virus in China. Nothing to worry about here. We had done this dance before with the Avian Flu and H1N1. As part of their pandemic preparedness, the ‘powers-that-be’ at my full-time job decided that they were going to begin implementing contingency measures by rolling out a work-from-home strategy; slowly, in waves.

I was so excited to be in that first wave of employees asked to work from home. How wonderful to not have to worry about driving in the Central New York winter. And think of the extra twenty minutes of sleep that I could get with no commute! I was almost gleeful heading into Day One.

But, something happened.

During that first day, the employees in the other ‘waves’ were told to plan on working from home immediately, from the next day forward. Day Two came and the world had turned upside down. The pandemic had arrived; not on our ‘doorstep’ but right in the middle of our living rooms.

On Day Three I got out of bed and signed on to my computer, as I had the previous two days, and suddenly I could barely breathe. I looked from my desk over to the open door of my bedroom. I had rolled out of bed and gone all of thirty feet to my work laptop. The world as we knew it had stopped, and I was trapped in the small space that spanned from my bedroom to my home office.

As I tried to breathe, I realized that I was either going to need a bigger house or a psychiatrist on speed-dial….I hadn’t yet decided which was going to be the most beneficial.

Then…

Around three weeks in, my perspective began to slowly shift, and I started to appreciate the freedom that this quarantine was bringing me.

And now I look back on that moment of panic and claustrophobia and smile a little.

My world truly had gotten smaller.

A virus was able to travel from Asia to America at what seemed like the speed of light. The people on the other side of this planet were no longer strangers a world away. They were right next door. They were my neighbors, my friends, my loved ones. The whole planet was going through this experience together.

At the same time that my world got smaller, my universe expanded.

During the ‘Year of the Great Pause’ I stepped into new roles in my life and dove into experiences that I may never have considered in the pre-covid blur of

Get up

Get out

Hurry here

Hurry there

Do this

Do that

Don’t stop

March 2020 was the catalyst to many internal changes. Prior to the pandemic I had already been on a journey of self-discovery and awakening that involved studying, meditating, exploring intuition, empowerment, internal growth. But, the advent of Covid forced me to disintegrate my tiny little world of self-discovery and assemble a bigger universe of understanding.

I was learning new things about history and culture that I hadn’t been taught in history books. I was able to take the time to review and disassemble biases built on precarious foundations of false beliefs. Through my metaphysical work I began to share what I was learning on this journey, with people as close by as the next town and as far away as France and India. The new on-line formats for lectures, classes, and development circles scared me, but I jumped in any way!

Looking back now, I don’t think that any of us realized that January 1,2020 wasn’t officially New Year’s Day.

From my perspective, 2020 and 2021 became one big extended year. ‘The Year of the Great Pause’ kicked off in March of 2020 and continued through the end of 2021.

Now we are stepping headlong into 2022 and it is time for me to put into action some of the lessons that I have been learning since March of 2020.

And the most important lesson is really a paradox.

I have learned that slowing down and truly experiencing life gets you to where you want to be much more quickly than just ‘barreling’ through it.

So here is my personal forecast for this year, based on making the most of the lessons that I have learned through 'The Year of the Great Pause'

2022 is the Year of the Snooze Button

I know, I know. There are articles all over the internet that talk about how bad the snooze button is. They say that it disrupts your REM sleep and makes you more tired and groggy. They say that it fosters laziness and that using it is a sign of poor sleep hygiene.

Another lesson that came out of the ‘Year of the Great Pause’ for me, is to be careful about believing what ‘They’ tell you to believe. We are in an age of information overload and there are as many different ‘scientific’ perspectives as there are people to believe them. So, I have learned that just because someone else says that something is bad for me, doesn’t mean that it has to be. It is all about your own internal perspective.

This year, I am not going to worry about what ‘They’ say, and I am going to make my snooze button my new best friend.

My new pal gives me the chance to ‘luxuriate’ in the morning, before I start my day. She allows me to take a little extra time without the fear that I will oversleep or log on late to work.

Instead of just popping out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off, I press the magic button and allow myself to take a moment for a long, full stretch. One that begins in my toes and rolls all the way up to my head. I lay in the stillness, just taking a couple of slow deep breaths, enjoying the feeling of my mattress supporting me and my pillow cradling my head. I feel my body begin to awaken and I drink in the joy of just being me…awake, alive, and refreshed. And, meanwhile, my new BFF is there on alert, in case all of this luxuriating leads to me dozing off again!!

2022 is the year to make moving slowly a routine

Before 2020 life was a mad rush. And my getting up and out of the house in the morning fit that theme. Mornings were a numbing progression of the same activities rushed through every day.

• Tumble out of bed
• Throw a pod of coffee in the Keurig
• Guzzle down the returned hot beverage without really tasting it
• Get in the shower
• Hair, makeup, clothes
• Get in the car and dash to the office

This year is about moving slowly and deliberately while savoring each moment.

My Keurig has been replaced by a coffee maker that grinds and brews whole beans. It is amazing how much better my coffee tastes when I replaced the need for speed and instant gratification, with a little slower, more deliberate grinding and brewing.

Once I have gotten out of bed; it is off to the kitchen, allowing myself to enjoy the feeling and security of the cool floor underneath my bare feet. The pot of coffee is on, and while the beans grind and brew I take the dog outside for a walk and enjoy a gulp of the fresh morning air. Then I pour the first cup of the day and just relax for a moment appreciating the flavor, the warmth, the goodness.

Next up is my meditation time, which begins with journaling. In my notebook I write about how I am feeling, what lessons yesterday brought me, or what things are already crowding into my mind today. And then I take some time for quiet introspection.

I no longer allow myself to stress about my meditation practice. After all, it is difficult to cultivate inner peace if you keep thinking that you are doing something wrong! Sometimes I go deeply into mindfulness, feeling my body and my breath. Sometimes I am off on a spiritual journey where I am receiving intuitive messages and metaphoric symbols. And still other times my mind just keeps going. Rather than fighting against myself, I allow the ideas and thoughts to flow and stay alert enough to keep jotting things down in my journal. Whatever my meditation ends up looking like, that is okay with me. It is, after all, time that is about me and therefore I will allow it to flow as it will.

2022 is the year of the nap

On my work calendar, I have blocked out my half hour lunch and it shows as a ‘meeting’.

When I was working from the office, I would usually eat my lunch at my desk in between actual meetings. That habit continued after quarantine began. I often would work my way through my lunch and then proceed to other on-line activities when my workday was done. I had no realization of the exhaustion caused by sitting in the same space for 12 or 15 hours a day.

Now in 2022, I have realized that working through my lunch is not required or necessary…heck, it is not even appreciated by my employer. No one really notices or is grateful for the extra time put in.

There is absolutely no reason why I cannot get the rest that my body is asking for. I get up relatively early every day, so by late morning or early afternoon I am ready for a nap.

Back across the hall we go with BFF #2…my phone alarm.

I set the alarm on my phone for twenty-five minutes, climb into bed with a throw-blanket tossed over me, and with a couple of slow gentle breaths I am off on a much-needed power nap.

I giggle a little remembering the childhood fights with my parents when it came to nap time. As an adult, there was a part of me that craved naps, but I never seemed to be able to shut down, unless I was sick. And the few times that I did manage to take a nap during the day, I would usually awaken more tired and groggy than I had started out.

But apparently, I just was not napping in a way that worked for me. Today, I find that a daily short burst of rest brings me refreshment. I often emerge with clarity on things that have been bothering me, and I am able to continue my day with renewed energy and focus.

2022 is the year of unwinding with gratitude

The end of my day should be just as special as the beginning of my day, so this year I will find a way to unwind the day as carefully and mindfully as I began it.

Although, I am afraid that it may involve going against what ‘They’ say again! Articles on the internet say that your bed should only be for sleeping and sex. But I see my bed as a place of peace and refuge, so my end of the day ritual will begin with some quiet time in my place of retreat.

Entering my haven will be stepping away from the television and the internet and using the time leading up to sleep to unwind and relax. I will begin with a little time spent reading a book or jotting down any pressing thoughts from the day.

Ohh, and a cup of tea sounds like it would fit well here!

Then a few gentle, slow, controlled breaths as I melt into the support of my mattress and pillow. A whisper of gratitude places me in the frame of mind where my dreams will be sweet and fruitful and my sleep restful.

Now, honestly, I am no saint. Some days it is easier to step into that gratitude than others. If the gentle unwind has not brought me to that place of gratitude, then I will ‘fake it’ and step myself to that place by being thankful for the pillow under my head, the mattress supporting me, and the blanket that covers me.

2022 is the year of reconnecting with me

What I have learned, through the two-year span of the ‘Year of the Great Pause’, is that slowing down, experiencing, feeling, and just being, is helping me learn to enjoy life.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was contemplating my desires for the coming year, the word ‘equanimity’ popped into my head. I consider myself relatively good with the English language, but this wasn’t one of those words that I normally use.

I actually had to look it up to ensure that I was spelling it right AND to make sure that it made sense for the context that I was receiving it in.

The definition of equanimity? ‘Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.’

Not long after receiving this word, I joined a virtual seminar where the hosts touted a different approach to New Year’s resolutions. Instead of giving something up or starting something new; the idea was to come up with a word to summarize what we personally wished to strive for in the coming year.

I realized that I had already received my word.

In this quickly shrinking world that is struggling to find its footing in an exponentially expanding universe, it is important for each of us to remember to slow down and appreciate our individual journey.

Equanimity is the word that I will try to embody in 2022. Finding the mental calmness and composure to step with joy into this year, regardless of what chaos happens around me. And I will find that mental calmness and composure by ensuring that I take time for me.

My morning will begin, and my day will end, with gratitude and appreciation. I will take a moment to feel, to appreciate, to awaken, to unwind. I will take the time to move slowly and savor each moment. Rest, relaxation, reconnection will be the seeds I plant so that I may cultivate equanimity in 2022.