Pockets of Stillness

When you're rushing out the door every morning, dropping your kids off 30 seconds before the bell rings, speeding to work with just enough time to slide into your chair to join your first of many calls, you know what it means to be rushed and overwhelmed.

 

Spending some time alone for self-care sounds ahhhh-mazing. And impossible.

 

In coaching, I teach that when something feels impossible, you make it smaller. If feeling calm and at peace feels impossible to you, try this small but effective trick that I call a "pocket of stillness". Your goal is to purposefully create a quiet moment in your life. You only need 1-2 minutes. Here's what to do:

 

Here's what you do:

  1. Get quiet. For example, turn off the music if you're driving. 

  2. Just be. Notice what you hear, what you see, what you smell. Be fully present. Do this for a minute or two.

  3. Notice how you feel after. Remind yourself that you can create stillness on demand.

 

Here are some times that you could try it:

  •  As soon as you wake up, before you check your phone.

  • Walking out to get your mail

  • While brushing your teeth

  • Waiting for your coffee or tea to brew

  • Instead of checking social media or email between meetings 

  • Waiting in line at a store

  • In traffic

  • Walking or running in silence

  • Eating lunch at your desk

 

When you do this, you remind your brain that you are in charge. You can create your own calm on demand, any time you want. 

P.S.  A couple weeks back, I had a lovely weekend away with Handsome Man Friend. I missed my connection to get home. It was the kind where the plane is still there, but they have closed the boarding door. The kind where you want to yell "BUT THE PLANE IS STILL THERE JUST LET ME ON!" but you can't. The kind where you want to throw a 2 year old toddler-level fit. A pocket of stillness saved me and helped me pull it together to book another flight and get home just a few hours later than planned.

 

P.P.S. I swear when you practice a moment of stillness in public, the energy of the people around you changes too. Try it!

 

P.P.P.S. I help women take their overwhelming problems and turn them into smaller, more manageable problems that we can tackle together. If you're feeling overwhelmed, I'd love to talk to you. Set up a free discovery call with me to learn more about coaching.


Michelle Gauthier