Setting Our Pace

By: Alexandra Murtaugh

I have 4 kids between the ages of 6 months to 8 years old to get ready in the mornings. Between 6:30 and 8:00, I have to make sure they are all dressed and fed, their bags are packed, and they are dropped off at their schools and daycares. Because of their different ages, each kid needs a different level of support in the morning, but we typically have a nice routine. However, the routine involves me moving at a certain pace to make sure that everything gets done. 

One morning last week, I woke up after a poor night of sleep feeling anxious for no particular reason at all-- sometimes things can trigger us without our conscious awareness. I was getting all of the kids' stuff ready and I realized how fast I was moving and I decided to put a focus on intentionally slowing my pace. Everything would get done if I focused on one task at a time and moved without rushing through things. I was surprised to realize how much impact that small change made on how I felt. I began to feel calmer, more regulated, and started to breathe a bit easier.

Our brains are part of our bodies and how we move and pace our bodies throughout our day sends signals to our brain about where we are on the stress-calm continuum. If we are rushing through everything, moving at full speed, and multi-tasking, our brain is going to stay on high alert. Sometimes we need to pause, but a lot of times, we just need to slow down. We can still move forward and get things done while being mindful about what we're doing and how we're doing it. 

When we focus on one task at a time, and take our time completing tasks, we not only enable ourselves to embody a sense of calm, but we also give ourselves the space to be calm and regulated with our children, while modeling for them what it means to be mindful. So if you're a busy parent, without the ability to truly stop, consider slowing your pace so that you're able to be in a calmer mental and physical space.