Slow Down to Speed Up

21 May 2023

By Linda Ferguson

Late spring woods

In Canada, the Victoria Day long weekend is the real beginning of summer (it ends on Labour Day). It’s often a great opportunity to get outside, enjoy the sunshine and the plants, and feel yourself unwind.

What’s got you wound up? It could be that restless feeling that you have lots of ground to cover before you take a real break. Or that chaos of the end of the school year. Or maybe you’re doing the things you used to do but they just don’t feel the same as they used to.

You’re curious about what could be better and scared of making things worse. Your instinct might be to work harder or to play harder. But it’s possible you need something different.

It’s possible you need to be the kind of person who steps back, takes a few deep breaths, and opens up to whatever catches their attention. This kind of person trusts their bigger self to find what they need. They just have to step out of the chaos and let their thoughts settle.

This is extraordinarily hard to do, partly because other people rely on you to keep moving, and partly because there’s a voice in your head insisting you keep grinding through the work. Those motivations get the upper hand through most of the year.

But this is early summer. Nice weather still catches your attention. Warmth hits you between the shoulder blades and says, “Hey there. I’ve got you.”

Let your mind wander. Let yourself dream. You’re not taking a break. You’re growing.

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