Slow Time – Slowing Down as Self Care
As I awakened from a deep restful sleep to start writing, everything outside my window appears very different this morning. We experienced the ‘spring forward’ time change overnight, which always requires an adjustment for me, and the wet fields of grey and brown after the mild spring rains this week have given way to a blanket of cold fresh white snow. The birds, who have been absent from the birdfeeder this week, are suddenly filling the trees waiting their turn for breakfast, as the weather rollercoaster continues. The red of a male cardinal catches my eye and makes me smile. Spring in Michigan, the scene is always changing!!
Today as I think about the focus of my writing, I keep coming back to the concept of Time. So, I thought I’d explore that during the blog today. To begin with time, in the way we think of it, is a human construct. It’s something that attempts to capture the movement and flow of the world and the Universe around us. Historically humans were once thought to track time in a crude way, separating day from night and summer from winter. And yet, the more archeologists explore today, the more they find that simply isn’t true. I’ve seen several articles recently that talk about newly discovered stone circles that are as old, or older than the famous standing stones at Stonehenge. There’s even a hunting structure that’s been found at the bottom of Lake Huron, that seems to tell a new story (Learn More 1). Many of the circles are aligned to mark the solstices, and the structure in Lake Huron appears to be for hunting caribou as they crossed a land bridge at a certain time each year. To me, these ancient structures speak to a more widespread, detailed, and yet different, awareness of time. The ancients simply marked the natural movement of time by watching the movement of animals and the position of the sun, the moon and the stars as the seasons changed, rather than by wearing a tiny computer strapped to their wrist. Their timekeeping structures were simply larger than what we see in our day to day life.
Understanding Time
Also, right now time is more changeable than what it would appear, since the Earth’s rotational rate has changed several times in recent years, with it having slowed down and then sped up again since 2020 (Learn More 2). (Not something I ever remember hearing about until recently.) This has all led to discussions of whether or not to change the atomic clock that keeps the official time for the entire planet. If we follow all these details too closely, we can end up focusing on something humans created to keep us on time for meetings and appointments, or we can re-align ourselves with the more original timekeepers in the natural world around us. We’ve become a dopamine-driven society that seeks to increase the pace of everything…the caffeine and other substances that speed us up, the road speed limits that define our driving, the fast food drive-through, the instant meals to reheat in the microwave, the option for fast overnight package shipment, and an overall impatience with slow things captured within the obsession with instant gratification. All of this speaks to society’s rapid pace today. There are ways to counter this headlong rush through time, and through life. Read on for a few thoughts on how to better align yourself with how time moves in the natural world.
So, as I share some food for thought with you today, take some quiet time in your usual way to think about how you mark time in your life. There are many ways to get quiet and centered. It might be through meditation, taking a walk in nature, Earthing (Learn More 3), or sitting in your sacred spot in your living space. Just make sure you have some uninterrupted time to focus on the thoughts and questions I share below. To support that be sure to turn off your electronics and alarms, etc. for a few minutes so you’re not interrupted.
Healing Through Time
Once you get quiet, take your focus to how you mark time in your life. Are you able to sense the movement of time in your day, or is it simply a change in the digital numbers on a clock, phone or watch? Are you glued to a clock that requires you to ‘be on time’ as you run from activity to activity? What are your beliefs about time? For example, the media would have us believe there’s never enough time, especially if we move too slowly in our day. What is your internal sense of time and how it moves? Is the movement of time slow or fast for you? Does it move at a good pace for you? Is time your friend, or does the pace of the movement of time create stress for you? Does it vary from moment to moment or day to day? Remember, there’s no right or wrong to your answers, this is all about self-enquiry so you can gain clarity about the movement of time in your life. It can be helpful to journal your answers to all of this.
Next take some time to think about a few more questions, based on the answers you found to the questions in the paragraph above. Are you happy with your current relationship with time? Does the pace of your life bring you to a peaceful, grounded and centered place, or not? Would you like to realign your relationship with time? If so, in what way? Again, journaling can help you find clarity.
Next, take a few minutes to evaluate the following in your life: How much, if any ‘down time’ do you have in your day? Regardless of how you see time moving in your life, do you have unscheduled time in your day that allows you to disconnect from the clock to slow down and just be?
If your answer to these question is ‘no’, the first step in realigning your relationship with time is to find some quiet time each day. This can be as simple as sitting and looking out the window at the natural world outside for a few minutes, or siting in meditation, listening to calm relaxing music, or cuddling with your favorite pet. The goal here is to slow down, if even for a few minutes, and stop watching the clock. To unplug from electronics and a hectic pace, and just be quietly present in the moment.
If you answered yes, that you already have some quiet time in your day, do you feel that’s enough time to allow you to unplug, quiet and slow down to find your center? If not, then can you find simple ways to add a few minutes to the quiet, slow activities you already have in your schedule? For example, in your work day, as the weather improves, can you take a few minutes of your lunch break to take a short walk out of doors, or take a few minutes of quiet time in your yard at the end of your work day so you can Earth and release the days’ tension before you enter the busyness of your home? Can you simply slow the pace that you walk from place to place throughout your day? If you have a calendar that helps you track the time in your day, be sure to intentionally schedule the slow time you intend, and stick to it. Put it into your electronic calendar if you use one, so that others who can view your calendar see that time as ‘busy’ and don’t attempt to schedule over your intended slow time. On busy days, your schedule might change, but make sure you honor that commitment to yourself to slow down and take quiet time for self-care at some point.
Then, in whatever way you do so, ask the Universe to support you and help you to honor your slow time. Ask that all obstacles to your intention be cleared, leaving you the time you have set aside to slow down, ground and center. Then know that it is so!!
After that, be mindful of how you move forward with whatever you define as your slow time. Periodically take a few moments to re-evaluate what’s happening with your commitment to slow time. How often are you able to follow through on your intention? What prevents you from fulfilling your intention? If distractions seem to arise, what are the dynamics at work in all of that? For example, do you need to train household members, work colleagues or others that this is your sacred time and that you ask them to support you in honoring your intention? Do you need to move it to a different time of day because there are too many unforeseen interruptions in the fast pace going on around you at the time you initially scheduled slow time? Can you make larger spaces of time periodically, so you are more centered and in balance, which can support you as you seek slow time on busier days? Again, do all of this without judgement. This is simply an evaluation of how your intention is flowing out into your day. Journal on this if it’s helpful. Make adjustments based on your self-enquiry, and intend that the Universe conspires with you to give you the space you need for slow time. Remember, what you focus on is what you bring in to your experience.
So, why does this all come to mind this morning? It’s a topic I’ve been thinking of a lot lately as I look at how to bring people together at the Woodsedge Center. I sense that it’s time to reconnect with each other in a simple, yet meaningful way. I am planning a series gatherings that will focus on bringing us back together on that land, and allowing our connection with Mother Nature help us balance, slow down and heal. Rustic camping will even be available for the hardy souls who would like to sleep on that land to come back into better balance. So, keep any eye out for the emails that will flow as I finalize the initial gathering dates. Also, look for the announcement of a new blog that will house my newsletter topics so you can access them online any time! All of this moves slower than I’d like, but I honor the right timing in all new things!
It’s a busy time here At Woodsedge, so I am right there alongside you working to find balance and quiet time as the world moves ahead quickly!
As I write, I take short periodic breaks to slow down my thoughts and center my mind. The snow has stopped, but the clouds are still thick and grey overhead. No sunshine this morning. The birds on the feeder serve as my slow time focus in the now! The bright blue jays crowd in and take over the yard as they battle over which one can access breakfast next. The woodpeckers take turns on the feeder in between as time moves every forward! After scheduling this email, I’ll take another bit of slow time before I launch into my to do list for the rest of the day.
Sending an intention for slow time and balance in your week!
- Laurie