What's Hurrying You?
Exploring the benefits of pausing, and a gift proven to aid relaxation...
“Stillness Reveals What Hurry Hides”
Pico Iyer
So, it’s early Saturday morning, and I’m racing around trying to clean the house while I have it to myself (well, partially); Steve is out walking the dog, and the boys are still in bed.
Using this unexpected hour to myself to do the housework, when a notification comes up on my phone, and as I go to lock it, I notice the daily quote on my homescreen, “Stillness Reveals What Hurry Hides”, and it made me stop!
It was as though it was a message sent directly and only to ME for this very moment (I do not suffer with self-importance, I promise).
And the reason it stopped me is because (as I’ve spoken about many times before), I’ve let my healthy habits slip again, particularly daily meditation.
I know it helps me.
I know it gets me out of my head and settle back into my body.
I know it’s good for me mentally, emotionally and even physically!
Yet why does it still slip?
Perhaps for the exact reason the quote is alluding to… I’m avoiding.
I’m racing through current experiences in an attempt to get beyond them, like a game of solo tag.
If I keep moving fast enough, things won’t catch me up!
Yet, if I stop, or even just slow down too much, then it’s got me.
But I know this is NOT TRUE!
Running from things does not stop them or prevent a catastrophic collision; if anything, it’s the opposite… the more we run from something, the bigger it becomes, until one day we run out of pace and it catches up with us anyway.
One thing life has taught me is that often the scary things we fear and avoid are not that scary when we come face to face with them.
Our imagination does an Oscar-worthy job of convincing us what is true.
So, listening to this message sent directly from the universe to little old me, I listened…
Instead of whizzing round with the hoover and mopping the floors, I interrupted my current mission of collecting random items off the floor; dog toy body parts and stuffed animal innards (thank you Luna 🐶) and I sat down, turned on my ‘Refresh & Focus’ essential oil diffuser (which instantly ran out of battery and abandon me!), and spent eight minutes meditating (aka sitting in stillness).
And instead of my usual guided meditations, I returned to a collection of music I used to love to meditate to, ‘Weightless’ by Marconi Union.
Dubbed “the most relaxing song in the world”, there is scientific evidence that this music is an effective tool in decreasing stress, aiding relaxation and reducing anxiety.
It was developed with sound therapists and uses specific tempos to mirror the resting heart rate and then encourage it to slow down.
Fancy giving it a try and see what you think? You can find it here:
Let’s be real
Did I spend the next eight minutes in blissful silence, ommmming like a seasoned yogic monk? I wish!
Was my mind crystal clear like a glass of mineral water? Heck NO!
I probably spent 90% of that time running away with thoughts, and the other 10% finally realising and trying to reign it back!Does it mean it didn’t ‘work’? Absolutely not!
Sometimes, it’s these times when we deliberately try to settle into stillness but find it ‘hard’ and struggle to quieten our busy minds, that we get the most from it!
Meditation is called a ‘practice’ because it’s never something we ‘accomplish’, it’s a routine, a habit, an intention.
Days like this, when our minds are especially busy, are probably the days we need it most.
And even if you don’t feel the immediate effects, trust that it will be having long-term, postive effects on your nervous system when done regularly.
So, what’s hurrying me?
I’d say it’s healing. Healing from a current personal situation we’re navigating as a family. Causing the accompanying emotional load that is both normal and necessary.
Yet my head is trying to race through it like a marathon, bargaining that if I can get past this, then everything will be OK.
But my body is signalling that I need to slow down and pause and allow it… hitting me with a tsunami-strength force of tiredness! Honestly, I need a granny nap every day, shuffle off to bed around 9 pm, and yesterday felt so tired I was dizzy.
So, when we receive messages like this from the body, it’s always wise to listen to what it’s communicating
(Note to self - Julie, take your own advise and listen to your body telling you that you need to pause, and if not, then definitely listen to the universe telling you through your phone!)
So, I hope that you are managing to find some stillness in your life, and if you’re navigating something emotionally difficult, remember you’re not alone, please reach out for help and support.
Take care and much love,
Julie x