Maria Connolly, LPC
This may surprise you: There’s a vast difference between having centering practices and being a centered person. A centering practice can regulate your nervous system for a few minutes. An embodied center changes who you are under pressure. A centering practice is something you do. An embodied center is how you live.
What happened to my client, Laura (not her real name), illustrates this well.
You already know this… life is fast-moving, and often, not in the direction you choose. Your days are filled with problem-solving, managing demands, and meeting deadlines. Granted, you accomplish a lot. However, there’s a downside: it keeps you living in your head. And when that happens, you can stay stuck in reactive mode, responding on autopilot, leaving little time to check in with yourself. As a result, and I’ve seen this in my clients so many times, the quiet wisdom in your body is unheard. So this is an invitation to come home to yourself, to find your way back to the subtle signals your body has been offering.
“Do less? I’m behind as it is, and I can’t afford to slow down for… so many reasons.” I get it. Slowing down can feel incredibly uncomfortable.
I’ve had clients tell me they’ve tried sitting outside for five minutes, but they spend the whole time mentally writing emails, replaying yesterday's conversation, or organizing tomorrow's schedule. Their bodies are on the patio, but their attention is somewhere else entirely. It's what capable minds have learned to do. There’s no room for the art of noticing.
Fall has a way of pulling us into its whirlwind. The long, lingering days of summer give Life has a way of pulling us into its whirlwind. Deadlines, schedules, events, and the unspoken pressure to keep up seem relentless. Sometimes it feels like we have to force ourselves to relax and unwind, which can cause even more stress, rather than relieving it.
Slowing down may feel like a luxury you can’t afford, but here’s a new way of looking at it: rest isn’t the reward for finishing everything; it’s the foundation that makes everything in your life sustainable. It’s what fuels your energy, creativity, and clarity. Without it, you’re running on fumes.
The American spirit is founded on independence and courage. Pioneers had a vision for a better life, so they left what they knew in the East and blazed trails into an uncomfortable, sometimes hostile, West. They didn’t know what they would encounter. But they were willing to do anything and everything to reach their goal, even when that meant battling their own fears and doubts.
Trying to create your own path in today’s quickly shifting technological world can feel just as terrifying. It takes courage to step away from the familiar, especially when there are no guarantees about what comes next.