This video popped up on my phone the other day, and it made me snort out loud! You’ll quickly detect that I tapped into my New York roots for this one! 🤣 I made the video with my kids during early covid shutdown in the spring of 2020. Remember those days?!

(Click the image to watch the video)

Would you believe I’ve actually CRAVED a return of those covid shutdown days numerous times since then?! Why? Because it gave me permission to slow down. This craving usually shows up when life starts feeling too fast and pressured and busy. And in those moments, I feel convinced the only way to find relief is to get life to stop, even momentarily.

But you know what else I repeatedly discover in those times? That I’m not home inside myself. My focus has once again shifted to getting through my day and accomplishing all the tasks, but in this process, I stop noticing what I need, let alone feel.

Yup, I kick into disregarding myself again. Eating, using the loo, hydrating, resting, playing, etc. – these all stop mattering in the name of getting things done. I’ll bet many of you know what I’m talking about.

But you know what I eventually remember…for the fourteen-hundredth time? It isn’t necessary to stop the world to find relief. When I remember to take a few micro-moments to pause and come back home inside myself, something begins to shift. I notice what it feels like in my body when I feel so pressured and stressed. My blood often feels like it’s racing too fast through me. My heart usually pounds harder. My breathing is shallow.

And do you know what I do with this information? I simply acknowledge it. I say hi to those symptoms. I sit with them for a few micro-moments. I make space for the frenetic sensations inside me. I make room for the anxiety and stress. I stop trying to make them wrong, and I allow them to be present, even momentarily.

Guess what happens when I do this? Those symptoms soften a bit. It’s as if those symptoms breathe a sigh of relief as they stop needing to scream so loudly to get my attention.

I know it may sound hokey. Or it may seem crazy to think that micro-moment pauses in the middle of frenetic stress and anxiety can possibly make a difference. Or you may believe it’s a tool that will work for me, but never you.

For a lot of my life, I wouldn’t have believed something as simple as a micro-moment pause could bring real-life relief. But it turns out our anxiety, stress, fatigue, hunger, anger, pain and so many other unwanted feelings and symptoms are actually yelling loudly because they’re trying to call us back home. They’re messengers. And when we pause, turn towards them and acknowledge their presence, even for micro-moments, we can experience a quieting of the overwhelming inner cacophony of sensations, feelings and symptoms. We can feel relief, even as the world spins frantically around us.

So if your life is moving at the speed of light, you feel like you’re drowning in all the pressures, and you find yourself craving some momentary covid shutdown again, give these micro-moment pauses a try and see what you find! You might just find the relief you weren’t expecting! Let me know what you find…I’d love to hear.❤️

P.S. Know a loved one or friend who is looking for relief in THIS moment? Share my free MICRO-MOMENT RESET with them so they can move into relief, feel more ease, and find more clarity without having to work so hard to make it all happen.

P.P.S. If you’ve been enjoying my weekly blogs and are itching for more daily inspiration, follow me on Facebook (Emily Colwell), Instagram (dr.emily_colwell), and Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh1EqJz3wcFJfICkN60krnQ) . I post frequently and humor leaks into most of my posts!

Warmly,

Emily Colwell, MSSW, ND

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