Stillness
I think of stillness as more of a practice in this modern world, than a state of being. In our go go go culture, slowing down can feel incredibly foreign, even down right dangerous sometimes. However, our nervous systems were not designed to always be in stress or go mode. I’m going to use a car analogy. If you always have your foot on the gas and never stop to fill up, eventually you run out of gas. And just like driving your car on a low or empty tank, running your body on fumes can cause downstream negative effects. Constantly being on the go is a form of psychological stress and our bodies do not discriminate between physical stress and psychological stress, creating the same stress response in the body. Chronic stress can lead to metabolic issues, muscle tension/pain, increased blood pressure, headaches, digestive issues, fatigue, attention challenges, mood swings, emotional reactivity, anxiety, and more.
Stillness is the place where safety is built. It is the place true rest is achieved. Stillness allows us to listen to our internal world so we can access our intuition. All that sounds pretty great, right? Remember, it is a practice. Slowing down takes intentional effort. It is a hard lesson to learn (believe me I resisted this one a long time). Slowing down, embracing stillness is how your nervous system “fills up.” This can look many different ways, from journaling and meditation, to coloring, to simply sitting outside and observing. There is no one way to practice. Inviting stillness into your life can help you energize your mind, body, and spirit, as well as, help you make decisions, and even changing your physiology. Allowing your nervous system to recharge will ultimately give you a refresh in energy to continue to move towards what is important to you.
Questions to ponder:
What prevents me from slowing down? Fear? Anxiety? Perfectionism?
How can I work through these barriers to help me embrace more stillness?
What are some of the ways I enjoy slowing down or embracing stillness?
