the secret to making time slow down

For the past couple of weeks I have been focusing on being something in my life, but I can't quite place the word that feels right.

Deliberate?

Intentional?

Calculated?

I have been focusing on being slow and precise, aware and conscious about everything I do.

For example, when I eat my food. While I am eating I take my bites unhurriedly and deliberately, savoring the taste in my mouth. By doing this I am consuming less junk and more of what I need to fuel my body. Instead of mindlessly grabbing a handful of chips out of the bag, I stop and think, do I really want to eat these? I listen to my body and recognize that no, I don't want to eat those chips. I am merely doing something out of habit or boredom. So I put them back and I take a swig of water or grab a banana out of the fruit bowl, recognizing now that I really just need something to settle my stomach. While eating my meals slowly and consciously this way, I am also able to discern and stop eating when my body is full and content, rather than eating quickly and routinely until I am overly stuffed.

I have taken this very mindset of being aware and deliberate and I have put it into all aspects of my life.

When I am cleaning. When I am working. When I am listening to someone while they talk. When I am interacting with my kids. When I am washing my face at night. When I am at the store buying groceries. When I am putting my clothes away. When I am walking or running or practicing yoga.

When I really listen to my mind I ultimately change my ways. Instead of scrolling through my phone when I crawl into bed at night, I grab the paperback book from my nightstand and I read. Instead of getting frustrated with my kids, I relax, I breathe deeply and let things roll off my shoulders. Instead of hurrying through my night time routine, I remember to put soft and loving effort into cleansing and moisturizing my neglected skin. Instead of nodding along and tuning them out while someone talks to me, I focus on what they are saying and really take it all in, I try to understand them and love them, no matter who they are. Instead of throwing my clothes on the floor, I am respectfully setting them in the hamper or hanging them carefully in the closet. Instead of eating greasy chips, I eat that banana. You see?

It may sound ridiculous in some regards but the truth is, this concept has been life changing. Everything I do is methodical and careful and in that outlook, everything I do is more lovely. The awareness I am bringing to each moment results in time slowing down instead of speeding by mechanically. I am feeling more of everything because of it. I am feeling more self love, more intelligence, more respect and higher esteem.

I feel that, not just our bodies, but so many factors inside and outside of us are reaching out and trying to bring us to awareness many times throughout every single day. But habit is hard to overcome. Noise is hard to tune out. It's hard to remember to slow down, to focus, and to listen.

When I do, though, the things that I find are rather astonishing.