Slow down to speed up

Spring is traditionally the time of renewal, regeneration, re-birth and never more so than in 2021.

This Spring signals more than just the flourish of green shoots, blossoms and perfect woolly lambs, it’s the chance we’ve all been waiting for since life changed in so many ways in the last year.

Perversely many of us have come into Spring, a time when the body is naturally waking up with energy levels increasing, from a place of fatigue as business owners in particular have struggled with real time out.

Lockdown 1.0 brought a definite pause and many of us were able to truly slow down, reflect and become aware of the sense of quality time.

Chronos, the linear measurement of time which we literally set our watch by, is held in importance to us in the modern western world – we allocate specific amounts of time to a task, some of us charge by it, we arrange our lives by it and we set deadlines against it for the goals we are looking to achieve.

However, when we do this, we create barriers and false stops that can prevent us getting where we really want to be and more so simply enjoying the moment when we get there.

Conversely, the free and endless time we experience when we are in the moment is known as Kairos – a time that we simply don’t access enough. Kairos is important in life and business, not least because it’s a time that carries a quality with it. Kairos derives from an ancient Greek term meaning “a fleeting opportunity that needs to be grasped before it passes”. How many of us feel that, in the daily blur of business, at times we are chasing after our tails and letting slip those opportunities that feel most relevant?

Children, yet to be conditioned to Chronos, are the masters of Kairos. They don’t understand why they have to hurry up and get ready for school, they are fully engaged and are living in the moment (or muddy puddles) they are in!

So how do we recreate that “child state” and a feeling of time that is a bit more endless, with the quality to recognise the real opportunities? We can use these new beginnings of Spring and the world opening up to plan, explore, learn and begin to take action towards developing more Kairos in our lives.

In the past year the benefits of walking, not just for health, have been recognised by many. Walking cultivates mindfulness and the benefits of being in nature have never been more evident than during the pandemic, with 45% reporting that being in green spaces has been vital for mental health. As you relax into taking in the views and details of nature, your mind takes a break from the constant scenarios it’s trying to resolve (often against a deadline), meaning that thoughts become clearer, more logical, decisive and even more creative. Punctuate this with a simple breathing exercise and your stress levels are reduced, as excess levels of cortisol and adrenaline to subside.

#CONNECTWITHNATURE

Mental Health Awareness Week (May 10th-16th) focusses on #connectwithnature, so why not take a take a seasonal walk…

- Set some time aside to take an uninterrupted wander in nature.

- Connect fully with all your senses - what you can see, hear, smell, taste and feel.

- What do you notice?

- Take a moment to breathe and ask ‘what is it that I really need’?

- You can find an example of a breathing space exercise to use here: (https://mailchi.mp/2f0512435931/breathing-space)

Later in the day, perhaps the evening, reflect on your time outdoors - you may also like to consider the following:

- What are my goals for this year?

- What seeds shall I sow?

- What has begun to grow that needs attention?

- What possibilities are there?

In Spring you may smell the subtle sweetness of fresh blossom, notice the lambs gambolling in the field, hear birds calling their special songs amongst the greening branches whilst the weak sunshine warms your face.

Immerse yourself in it and allow yourself to be fully present in the moment and listen with every inch of your body.

When you find that time is slipping away, I encourage you to get outside - of your office and your mind - to reap the benefits of “slowing down to speed up” in life and business.

Clare is a personal development Coach, passionate about enabling ambitious business owners, organisational managers and leaders to understand their wellbeing and the benefits of being outdoors, in life and business.

Find out more, including #connectwithnature content here:

Insta: @auburnconsultancy | @theauburnoutdoors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/auburn/