Want To Take Your Own Sweet Time?

Can't get caught up? With deadline pressures, instant messaging, and unrelenting change, you may think you have to press on, working madly to become ever more efficient in order to keep up.

What’s the fun in that?

Exactly! Oh sure, there is the adrenaline rush of getting ahead in the race. And the kudos and cash rewards can be substantial. Yet, aren’t there days when you wonder if you’re crazy going at this pace all the time? Your body may especially be giving you signals that it can’t take much more. Headaches. Digestion problems. Rapid heart rate. Sleeplessness. Maybe just plain exhaustion. Be honest now – what’s your body saying about your rapid-paced lifestyle? If you’re relying on large amounts of alcohol or medication or even “calming” spa time to slow yourself down, how nuts is that!

Maybe it’s time you listened to your body for some clues about the pacing that’s best for you. Try this simple activity:

1) Find a fairly large space to walk in – a long hallway, a big family room, or an outdoor area.
2) Walk for a couple minutes however you want to walk.
3) Then walk for a minute or two at the pace your life is going.
4) Walk at the opposite pace.
5) Experiment with different ways and speeds of walking for a few minutes.
6) Walk at the pace you’d like your life to be going.

As you do this exercise, explore each kind of walking with childlike curiosity. Have fun with it. Spend a little time noticing how your body feels at each pace. Where does your body feel most comfortable? What seems most like “home” for you?

After doing this exercise, write in your journal a few paragraphs beginning with, "When I take my own sweet time...."Pay attention to what you discover about what your own timing is and the ease you feel at that pace. Make yourself a promise to honor your internal clock every day.

Let your curiosity and new awareness stay with you throughout the next few days. What is the pacing that leaves you most in the flow and having the most fun during your day? What health benefits do you start to notice? Maybe you'll even feel a little less "crazy"!

Enjoy the freedom that comes when you take your own sweet time.