Photo by Kumoma Lab on Unsplash
(NOTE: In the interest of full disclosure, because I work at a charter school that draws from a large population in Maine, we end up with a lot of snow days. In the spirit of posting each day, some days will be more reflective than real time. Here is one of those snow day reflections)
Whenever I’ve been away for awhile, I often find myself disoriented upon my return. I get out of my rhythm. I chat too long with colleagues in the hallway, and suddenly the kids are rushing in, I’ve got only half my papers photocopied, the date on the board is at least a week old, and I am furiously scrawling directions in illegible white board ink.
It can be hard to get my mind back in the game. This has been the point, in the past, at which I start panicking.
Unless I pause. I intentionally slow down my movements, even just a hair. When we are busy, we often start to move more quickly. We rush, and this rushing can exacerbate an already tense nervous system, leading us to feel more frazzled. Half the time when we end up in this state, we lose time by dropping our papers everywhere, spilling our coffee down the front, or forgetting some quintessential item that we have to head back for.
See what happens when you intentionally slow down your walking, even the slightest bit. Bring your attention to the feeling of the body moving, the feet hitting the floor. Notice how it cues your body that you’re okay. It’s going to be okay.