Slow and Low

Slow and Low...

We humans used to move through our natural cycles at nature's pace.

Time was marked by the passing of seasons, and cycles of the moon and stars.

Not any more!

We live under unnatural time pressures

that are causing a myriad of psychological, social and physical ailments.

We are disconnected from nature and nature's pace

and it shows up in therapists' and doctors' offices every day.

We are rushing from one activity to the next,

one instagram photo to the next,

one purchase to the next,

and are losing the ability to calm and truly, genuinely slow down.

Are you anxious or worried?

Are you in conflict with someone?

Are you trying to deescalate an upset child?

Are you attempting to restore some balance to your present, harried state-of-being?

Try this tip I learned from a speaker, Juli Alvarado, a few years ago and see if it helps out:

---"SLOW and LOW"---

SLOWWWWWWW......

1. breathing (another blog entry: 'Breathe. Just breathe....' is helpful to refer to)

Slow down the speed with which you are inhaling and exhaling.

Consciously slow it down.

Deliberately breathe in to a slow mental count of '3' and exhale to a slow count of '3.'

2. speech rate

Slow down the speed

at which you are speaking.

Whether you are a fast-talker or not,

slow down the rate at which

those words are tumbling out

of your mouth.

Take the time to pause and think

before speaking the next sentence,

or phrase,

or word.

3. body movement

(another helpful blog entry: 'Proven Relaxation Technique')

Are your arms

flapping in exasperation?

Is your leg

bouncing with anxiety?

Are you pacing the floor?

Slow your body movements down.

Relaxing your muscles actually

increases your focus,

heightens problem-solving abilities

and boosts productivity.

LOWWWWWWW......

1. breathing

Breathe from your diaphragm;

this stimulates the parasympathetic

nervous system and it will help

slow your breathing.

*When the parasympathetic nervous system is aroused, it produces a feeling of relaxation and calm in the mind and the body*

Take deep breaths, trying to completely fill up your lungs like filling up a balloon.

2. volume of voice

Lower your voice to almost a whisper.

When you lower your voice volume, your listener will intuitively stop moving so they can hear you.

A quieter voice is proven to be more comforting to distressed individuals.

3. register of voice

Lower the register or pitch of your voice.

When we get distressed or angry, not only the volume of our voice increases

but often the pitch gets higher, too.

Purposefully lower the sound of your speech to a lower register.

4. body position

Sit down.

Kneel.

Rather than making yourself bigger, attempt to be smaller as you communicate and/or calm.

This is particularly effective when working with a child...

help deescalate them by getting to a physical level where their eyes must lower to look at yours.

"Slow and Low."

What an easy, helpful phrase to remember when we are attempting to calm ourselves and/or others.