The Cost of ‘not’ Slowing Down

COVID has abruptly required many of us to slow down, even if we didn’t want to.

For some, the slow down has come because of a loss of a job, or because clients have postponed or cancelled our collaborations. For others, a slow down at work has been brought about by increased home life demands.

And for others, the reason for the pause is simply that the stress and grief of this time has made it — for now — too hard to concentrate.

As a recovering doing addict, I have definitely struggled giving myself permission to truly slow down. To rest. To shift my priorities. There is an all too familiar voice that keeps saying “You aren’t doing enough. You need to make the most of this time. You don’t deserve to rest.”

We’ve been taught to FEAR that slowing down is bad. That slowing down means we can’t hack it or aren’t good enough. We might even be attributing our need to slow down as a character flaw — such as being weak or lazy — and we want to avoid those labels at all costs!

What also makes this crazy dilemma between doing and not doing — resting or not resting — more difficult to overcome, is that this idea of taking action — being in the world as “doers” — is not only accepted — it is honored, encouraged, and expected. It’s an identity, rooted in our culture.

But WHAT IF we could in this time of ‘required slow down’, discover some other way to do life? One that aligns with our most authentic contributions? One that inherently honors hard work but not at the expense of our well being? WHO COULD WE BE THEN?

I can’t help but WONDER…will there ever be a more natural, somehow easier time in our lives, to shift our belief structure around what it means to contribute — what it means and looks like to authentically and wholeheartedly show up in our lives?

If you have found yourself in a downtime you didn’t design or desire, we can still choose whether to fill it with false busyness — to be run by an inner taskmaster who fears slowing down — or to lean into what is calling us more DEEPLY.

Being willing to step into this quieter, more intentional space — even if it is SCARY — is the first step to undoing the doing in our own do crazy worlds.

For more about how to ‘Undo the Doing in a Do Crazy World, check out my Tedx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2jwItISbNsgNMF02XT-gfEqrgyzZKgMZowshSQWW0durGwC9Fh4HN4vhg&v=aBzZ6rYDm2g