Contributing Writer: Misako Lauritzen
Sometimes you are not just having a busy day but instead you become just that "busy." It is no longer just the temporary state that you are in; however it is your way of being. You no longer have a choice in the matter: to be or not to be busy. Hurried. Bombarded. Swamped. No longer you are living your life, but life is happening to you. You are "done to."
In movies an alien or an evil spirit takes over a person. That actually happens to us in real life all the time. You do life on autopilot. Then you finally come to your senses, you have no idea where the heck you are or how you have gotten there.
What I suggest is that we all take control of our own life. There are ways to stop/slow down time. You can invent your own rituals to do that every day, every time you catch yourself that you are "hurried" without even knowing why.
Breathing is a great way to slow down time. You can do it anytime and anywhere. You do not need any tools, and it won't cost you a dime. Some people set a timer on their pc or smartphone to alert you with a chime or vibration at the start of every hour. Let's take time breathing for a full minute.
Imagine that you are a balloon. When you breathe in, your belly and chest expand horizontally. When you breathe out, pull your belly in so the belly button almost touches your spine. Breathe out completely, so you do not have any stale air in your lungs and there would be a plenty of room in your lungs to take in fresh oxygen.
Close your eyes, if that makes it easier for you to avoid distraction. Mentally count to five to breathe in and count five to breathe out. You can work to stretch it to 10, 15, 20 counts.
Punctuate your day with these rituals to stop/slow down life. With practice you can train yourself to be relaxed, calm and focused. Just like you become hurried and tense, you can make that your way of life. Relaxed. Calm. Focused. Joyful and confident in the face of any challenges and unwelcome surprises.
Choose it now. You have the power to do it.
