Slowing Down
I had the honor of facilitating the Thursday support group for Pamela this week. The theme was slowing down. When you slow down, you have the opportunity to interrupt your habit patterns and be intentional about where you put your attention. The benefits of slowing down are many. Some say that you will actually get more done when you slow down.
Making space
As a Raregiver™, you are busy. You might think, "how am I going to create time for myself when I'm working full-time, driving my rare child to doctor's appointments, spending time commuting, shopping, preparing food, and on top of that, I am the main person who is taking care of my aging parents."
Where can you make time for yourself?
This may seem like an impossible question, and there is an answer.
Being mindful
You can make space for yourself by being mindful during your commute. What if you notice the beautiful view that you are driving by? You see the trees and the flowers in the clouds in the sky.
You might also be mindful of how it feels to rest your hands on the steering wheel. Can you feel its texture? Is it warm or cold? When you focus your attention on your direct experience in your body, it brings you into the moment. And in this moment, there is space for you.
A morning routine
One of our participants mentioned how she planted her garden from seed this year. How awesome is that!? She spends time each morning, tending to the plants, weeding, and watering. It's like a meditation. It's a meditation that helps to feed her family beautiful tomatoes, and other fresh produce.
She noticed how having a morning routine really makes a difference for her. She said, "It changes my whole day."
Racing thoughts
You may find it hard to keep your thoughts from racing, worrying about what might happen to your rare child or if a certain medication will arrive. It can be helpful to break your state. This means that if you are someone who sits all day at a desk, you might want to do a standing meditation. Your body is used to sitting, and standing invites a new orientation.
On the hamster wheel
If you feel like you’re on a hamster wheel and you are constantly stuck in a state of multitasking, you may be exhausted and unsatisfied. Multitasking is inefficient and generally leaves you with many partially complete tasks.
What if you were to get off the hamster wheel? After all, you are not a hamster. :)
Are you an octopus?
Well, you don't have eight tentacles so it is best to do one thing at a time. One person shared that she has often found herself putting lotion on her face with one hand and laundry into the dryer with the other before driving her kids to school.
This is a great time to pause. Slow down and take the time to be present and receive the touch of your hand on your face. It’s healing to focus on the small moments of pleasure which are attainable if you slow down and do one thing at a time.
Join Us
You may not realize how much you need the ANGEL AID community until you find it. Cari, one of our amazing Raregivers™ said it this way, “I love the saying find your tribe and love them hard. There are so many aspects of my life that this pertains to, however, my son's rare disease ‘family’ was the tribe I didn't know I had or needed.”
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We look forward to being with you on Thursday. Have a peaceful weekend.
