Why Is Slowing Ourselves Down So Important?

2011-08-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Life is fast paced, life is hectic, so much to do, so little time, can't get everything done, need more hours in the day............makes your head reel just reading that!

Seriously, these days it seems we are constantly on overdrive, demanding more and more from ourselves and expecting that so long as we can keep going everything will be OK. We push ourselves and push ourselves, prop ourselves up with caffeine and sugar and get to the end of the day absolutely knackered with nothing left in the tank. The cruel irony is that after a while of this madness we find we can't sleep. We fall into bed exhausted but lay there with a mind that is chattering away incessantly and a body that feels like it has been plugged into an electrical socket with 2000W coarsing through our veins.

Make no mistake people when you get to this point, and your body is starting to give you signs that it is not happy Jan, you had better take notice or suffer the consequences. Our bodies know better than we do what is working for us and what isn't. If your body tries to tell you that things are going seriously wrong and you ignore it, well more fool you because you may think you have gotten away with it for a period of time but eventually your body will win and believe me, when that time comes you better be on a desert island with no responsibilities because your life will be ripped out from under you.

I know that sounds dramatic but in my experience it was, so I guess I get up on my soap box about it now when I see people playing out their lives exactly as I was as I know the consequences of living that way. If only I had known then what I know now things would have been drastically different, but every cloud has a silver lining and I guess my silver lining is that now I get to save others from making the mistakes that I did.

So first and foremost if you want to start to regain control of your spiralling, seemingly chaotic life you have to find ways to SLOW DOWN. Slowing down is not just sitting at a computer reading emails, it is the act of removing yourself from the chaos, quieting your mind and experiencing relaxation. Don't get me wrong I know how hard this is, most of us have forgotten what it feels like to really relax, to not have our mind chattering at us, not be thinking about what we need to do, feeling guilty when we do stop because there are things we should be doing. But the simple fact of the matter is if we don't stop and give our body the rest it needs we have buckleys chance of ever feeling normal again.

"I don't know how to slow down" I hear you screaming! It is not as hard as you think but it does take work and persistence in the beginning. As with any new venture it takes a while to get used to it and be comfortable with it. But I tell you if you commit to it your life will change in amazing ways. If you can't be bothered, well that is your choice and when the consequences arrive know that it was your decision that manifest them.

The best way I know how to slow down is meditation. There is no greater, free resource that we can lay our hands on than the ability to calm our own bodies. We can all do it, it's not hard, but you may need some assistance in the beginning. It is a skill and requires practice and persistence but the payoff for your health is immeasurable.

To start with I recommend you get yourself a guided meditation CD. You can get them in all CD shops, healing centres or I have my own that I have developed for my clients which are excellent at helping you to slow down, relax and quiet the mind.

If you need a little more assistance you may look at attending a course that teaches you how to meditate and shows you the different styles of meditation that you can try. You will be surprised at the different ways you can introduce meditation into your life. I conduct workshops for people looking to start a meditation practice as sometimes you just need a bit of support and a gentle nudge to get you on your way. Visit my website www.meora.com.au to see when my next course will be scheduled if you feel you need help getting a handle on this meditation thing.

Slow down, give your body the gift of restoration and it will be your faithful companion for many years to come!

The Infuriating Mind

2011-07-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

The mind can be a powerful but infuriating part of us. How often do you find yourself spending hours mulling over what someone said or did? You find yourself looking at their words or the scenario from every angle trying to make sense of what they meant or playing out a future scenario involving you and them with a myriad of endings and sequences.

What is with that? It is ludicrous because how can we possibly know what someone else will say or do or why they have done so? We spend so much of our precious energy residing in the past or the future with would haves, could haves, should haves, what ifs, how's and why's. Our own lives get put on the backburner as our brains go into overdrive surmising all sorts of suppositions that just aren't ours to be pondering in the first place!

So what do we do when we find ourselves stuck in this endless cycle of brain overload? Well number one....we can actually go up to the other person and ask them what they meant or why they did something! What??? No.....you can't do that...I hear you saying! Well that is the quickest way to short circuit all the thinking and questioning. Get the facts straight from the horses mouth, what better source. Let's face it we cannot control anyone else. A lot of people try but what someone thinks or feels is their business and completely up to them. And here is a newsflash people.....what they think or feel about us is completely up to them as well!! They will think or feel that way regardless of how many hours we spend dissecting their actions in our mind. It is a fruitless task so why do we do it?

If questioning the subject of our obsession, and yes it is an obsession folks....if you can't stop thinking about it and playing thousands of scenarios around in your head and you are losing sleep over thinking about it...then your overactive mind is obsessed and you have to treat it as such....if questioning them is not on the cards then you need to manage what is happening within you. The ONLY thing you can control is the way you act or react. Getting a good grasp on the reality that you have no control over anyone but you gives you the permission to relax and bring the focus back to you. Because that is what this is really about. By obsessing over others actions and words we give our power away and are really saying to ourselves that our happiness is dependent on what another says or does. Now when you look at it like that it sounds silly doesn't it? But our minds are very powerful things and like to keep us doubting ourselves, doubting our worth, that's what this is all about. Keeping us under control lest we actually figure out that our mind is only a part of who we are and is not actually the sum total of who we are.

So today I want you to look at where you may be giving your power away to others in your life. Remember that you are in control of you and you are in control of how you act and react in this life and you cannot know the future. All we have is the now so let's reside there and enjoy every moment and give up the worry and stress over things that we cannot change!

From Knackered To Splendid!

Why Is Slowing Ourselves Down So Important?

The Infuriating Mind