I remember sitting up in bed and taking a deep breath the first time I read the writing of Bayo Akomolafe some years ago. He started with “The times are urgent, let us slow down” quoting an African proverb.
You can see the blog I was reading here. It’s a thought provoking delight alongside a warm drink and a comfy spot in the sun. “Slowing down is about meeting the sensuous” – I mean, you have me at hello with writing like that.
The blog speaks so beautifully to all the feelings that belong, all the parts of us.
Here’s a snippet.
Slowing down is thus about lingering in the places we are not used to.
Seeking out new questions.
Becoming accountable to more than what rests on the surface.
Seeking roots.
Slowing down is taking care of ghosts, hugging monsters, sharing silence, embracing the weird.
Many of you know I spent decades working in the humanitarian sector. This space holds many of our best saviours and adrenaline addicts, people running, responding, advocating, driving activism.
And as Bayo says, “an invitation to ‘slow down”,seems like the wrong thing to do when there’s fire on the mountain.”
Humanitarians are often exhausted, frazzled, stuck way up in the red zone of flight and flight, often crashing down into orange freeze energy.
Then picking themselves up to do it all again, no time, no sense of it being ok or allowed, to come back into the lovely green spacious energy of grounded, connected, calm. There’s too much at stake, so much need, wrongs to right!
I once was one of these people and love working with them still.
How does this show up for you? Perhaps it’s not in your vocational pace but maybe in your relationships, hypervigilence in establishing your value to others or being the perfect partner, parent or child.
The invitation is to slow down and see what rises to the surface. If that feels scary, that’s information too. Perhaps you can bring attention to your ghosts.
I also recognise this fervour from my many years in high-demand religion. We carry patterns with us through life until we can change them. I must resist these patterns still. Allow myself slowness to think and feel and create and rest.
If you’d like to make a counselling appointment in-person in Marrickville or online (Telehealth), you can book in here.
