Perhaps you're wondering, How can we slow down when everything in our world is about progress and speed? And why would we even want to slow down when it might be much more fun in the fast lane?
Here's what I can tell you: so much is lost when we move at hyper speed. We cannot make vital connections. We cannot see what's holding us back. We cannot hear what our heart wants to tell us.
If we can't see it, and feel it, and hear it, we can't clear and heal it.
Welcome to the Overwhelm Solution, Part 1 of a free 6-part series on reducing overwhelm. If you're getting this from a friend and would like to sign up for the full series
CLICK HERE.
Enjoy!
What is Slowing Down?
While it may seem obvious what it means to slow down, from the "spacious" perspective it might not be what you think it is. Let me explain.
For most of us living in the West where productivity and speed are king, slowing down can feel like a sign of weakness and even failure. Not so here.
The Spacious Way of slowing down means moving at a pace that is more measured and mindful, deliberate and gentle, like gliding without friction or resistance. Anything we do at this pace – no matter what the task – becomes more soothing and calming as a result, and, dare I say, highly functional and productive.
Take this email for example, you may have already scrolled down a bit to see how long it is and your mind is already racing and blurting This is too long... I don't have time for this...
Slowing down the Spacious Way would invite you to stop, take a deep breath, enter into "beginner's mind" (the curiosity of an absolute beginner), and read this email more slowly and deliberately, at the pace that allows you to absorb its message. It would give you the opportunity to notice, allow, and feel any squirmy resistance that arises as you do so.
Let me just say up front that if you're new to my counter-intuitive methods of clearing, feeling "stuck in the spin cycle," slowing down is not going to feel very comfortable. Old habits die*hard. That's why I created this series. It's the perfect starting point.
And if you're familiar with my methods, I invite you to use this series as a refresher, as a way to practice beginner's mind – even if you've "heard it all before." Take these words in again, more slowly. Let them sink in more deeply. There's mastery in repetition.
And just a quick PS: today's email will be longer than the others because there is a lot to say about overwhelm and the five steps we need to release it.
Cycle of Overwhelm
That little example I just gave of your racing mind is called overwhelm. It shows up in all kinds of ways, especially when we're not paying attention.
So I'm no scientist, but here's what I've learned about overwhelm: Overwhelm happens when an ancient part of our brain, called the amygdala, has been activated and triggers a cascade of stress hormones through the system.
You've probably heard of it. It's called fight-or-flight.
It's like our built-in secret service agent that springs into action the moment it senses danger. It's a great thing to have when you're being attacked by a wild beast, or your toddler is reaching for the kitchen knife. It's not so useful, however, when you're confronted by the insane piles or having to deal with difficult boss or family
member.
The rub is that once the stress response has been triggered, there really is no automatic "off" switch. The mechanism is more like a motion sensor – you know like those lights that go on when someone walks by.
When fight-flight-or-freeze switches on, it stays on, as long as it continues to be activated through attachments, painful memories, fearful thoughts, or some other strong emotional charge that we've been carrying.
Moving the Needle
The cycle of overwhelm that is wrecking havoc on the nervous system, making us procrastinate, or want to bury ourselves in more stuff, or food, or TV, isn't going to stop until we stop – stop the recycling of fear or pain or emotional charge – most of which is unconscious.
I know, bummer, right?
Moving the needle out of the red zone of overwhelm takes work. The good news is that with consistency and awareness we can rewire the stress response, and break the cycle of overwhelm for good! For that to happen we need to do three things:
- We need to slow down
- We need to focus on tasks that do not set off alarm bells in the brain
- We need to be consistent with our efforts, which in this case means daily, not just on weekends or when we feel like it or can squeeze it in
Awareness and consistency are your superpowers here. The sooner you can make friends with them, the sooner you will be free of anything that holds you back.
So how do we become masters at cultivating awareness and consistency? This series will show you... beginning today... with practices in slowing down that you'll find at the bottom of this page.
The Spacious Way
It has taken me over twenty years of teaching and self-discovery to break the code: to distill down to the nub the steps we need to cultivate a clear home and a spacious life. The result is the Spacious Way: five practice steps that build one upon another to release physical, mental, emotional, and energetic clutter – from the inside out.
These practice steps are what I call the "Five S's": slowing down, simplifying, sensing, surrendering, and self-care. Together they work synergistically to release the underlying causes of stress and stuff – the patterns, resistances, attachments – of anything that holds us back.
One minute of "slow drip" clearing magically morphs into more minutes, less effort, and less baggage. It promotes a calmer nervous system, a quieter mind, more ease, more space, more light, more joy.
Sounds pretty darn good. And it is!
"Weather" Advisory
There's one caveat to this method, however: the Spacious Way might rattle your cage.
Don't be fooled by the simplicity of these five steps. The part of mind that is wired to effort and struggle and bleed for every scrap of success is going to be unhinged by this process.
Slowing down might feel counterproductive. Simplifying might feel too light and lame. Sensing might feel disorienting. Surrendering might feel like you're throwing in the towel and giving up. Self-care might feel indulgent and selfish.
That is your buddy Overwhelm piping in again. Don't worry, it happens a lot at the beginning. It's not the real you. This is when you invite the noisy, overactive "monkey mind" to take the back seat. The real you is in charge now.
Be open. If you can adopt a beginner's mind to your practices of the Five S's, and lead with your heart instead of your head, you might discover the magic that lies on the other side of overwhelm.
Practice 1 – Slowing Down
Here's my invitation:
- Read this lesson again, even more slowly. Notice what you missed the first time you read it and what new insights you've gained as a result.
- Slow down. Whenever you think of it today, whether at home or at work, consciously slow down. Take two or three breaths before diving into a project. Pause for a few seconds before answering a text or picking up a ringing phone. Savor a meal: chew longer. Sip instead of slug. Be creative. Everything you do in your life has a slower setting. Use it.
- Notice and allow. Notice the resistances that arise when you slow down and allow any squirmy discomfort to simply be what it is: patterns of (stuck) energy. When you fold laundry or put your dishes away (more slowly than usual), for example, be aware of negative self-talk, annoyance, or impulses to speed up or space out. What happens when you simply allow these impulses to simply be, without doing anything to manage them?
Repeat steps 2 and 3 every day for the next five days and notice what happens.
Photo and text by Stephanie Bennett Vogt
Portions of this material are excerpted from A Year for You, Hierophant Publishing 2019
Copyright © All Rights Reserved
