Author: manabunnow4zph

Deeper Meaning Behind Slowing It Down

Where did my mindfulness challenge of the week to “slow it down” actually originate?  On the Parkinsons Recovery cruise to Alaska in 2010 there was a most delightful woman.  She was in her 80s and showed little evidence of her symptoms whatsoever.  It was clear by her own report that she had experienced Parkinson’s symptoms for 20 or more years.  It was also clear that she had been able to manage her life quite beautifully.

During a time when the entire group was together we were all sharing stories about what therapies and approaches made a difference.  She said that the one thing she learned was most helpful was to plan ahead and give herself plenty of time to do each and every activity.  She said,

“For example, if my husband and I have decided that we’re going to have a dinner party, I don’t wait until the last minute to begin preparing for the party.  I begin preparing the day before.  The day of the party I start quite early in the morning preparing everything that needs to be ready by the time of the party with regard to the food and cleaning up the house. By starting early I mindfully attend to each and every task that needs to be completed before our guests arrive. 

“Twenty years ago”, she reported, “I would have waited until just a few hours before the party started and rushed to get everything ready.  Now, because that creates so much stress and it aggravates my symptoms so desperately, I have learned a different way of living. I mindfully attend to each and every task.  I’m centered. I’m clear. I’m able to focus on the task of the moment rather than worrying about whether everything will actually be done, finished and ready when my guests arrive.”

That is how she approached all tasks in her life; slowly and mindfully, not just tasks involving preparations for parties. Most important of all, she gave herself plenty of time to finish each and every task.

If our day is packed with too many commitments, the difficulty (as it turns out) is that with each activity, we are always watching the clock. We are always thinking,

“I must complete the task at hand quickly, because the next task has to start in 15 minutes.” 

Or we think,

“I promised my friend that I would be at the coffee shop at ten o’clock.  I must complete this baking task before I actually see her because I promised her that I would bring her my special brownies for her birthday.”

Et cetera. Et cetera.  In other words, we are always focused on the future.  We are always anticipating that we must complete what we are doing now in order to be on time or have enough time to do what we have decided we must complete by the end of the day. We are forever rushing from one task to the next without being mindfully attentive to the task at hand.

Slow it down. Plan. Reduce the number of tasks that you expect to complete in any given day. Marvel at the reduction in stress that your body will experience.

I can assure you that your body will thank you profusely.  I also predict that your symptoms will dissolve like a dirty snowball in the summertime.  May you have a delightful time as you slowly execute each and every task that you undertake this week.

Robert

© Parkinsons Recovery

Slow It Down

The mindfulness challenge this week is to slow everything down.  Yes, this will take more time. I admit this is a consequence of the mindfulness challenge this week.  While this week’s challenge will take more time than is the custom, slowing every task down will have a profound impact on your stress level. Try it. You will like it.

What do I mean when I say, “Slow it down?”  If you are chopping up red peppers for a dinner, when I say slow it down I mean chop up those red peppers slowly and mindfully.  If you are walking from the kitchen to the living room, when I say slow it down I mean to take each step one by one with mindful consciousness, planting one foot after the other using willful intention.

Slow down each and every task that you initiate this week – whatever the task entails – from opening up a car door and getting in, to simply going to the telephone and picking it up to answer a call.

Many individuals who confront neurological challenges have a tendency to push up against any and all tasks. This persistent forcing and pushing fertilizes stress in the body. Because the nature of neurological challenges means that you must some how slow down activities, a war is declared against the enemy of getting tasks done efficiently and effortlessly. If we can’t get it done in a timely fashion, just push through it by God.  This activates stress levels and incites symptoms.

Reverse that tendency.  End that battle now. It is only making the symptoms worse because it feeds your stress level.

Slow down each and every activity.  Enjoy and relish what it means to open up the door to your car, what it means to walk from the kitchen to the living room, what it means to actually cut a red pepper.

To succeed with the challenge to slow tasks down you must plan ahead.  Give yourself at least twice if not three times as much time to accomplish each task. If you are a person who tends to plan out each day, if you are a person who makes a list of activities that must be accomplished, reduce the length of that list in half.  Give yourself plenty of time to accomplish each and every task that you have chosen to engage in.

Notice the profound impact slowing down has on your stress level and be sure to notice what happens to your symptoms. Celebrate the miracle of what it means to be mindful with what you do and how you do it, moment to moment.

Robert

© Parkinsons Recovery