The Art of Slowing Down

I never realized just how fast my life goes and how turbo charged my brain is constantly until I tried painting …

 On March 24^th, a group of special needs moms enjoyed the CCC Paint and Charcuterie event.  Preparing for any event keeps my body and brain running in high gear and I thought I would be able to try painting for the first time in probably 25 years …

Our artist, Laura Arquelia, demonstrated the steps we were to follow.  Sitting down on a Sunday afternoon, not at a computer, definitely felt peculiar to me.    I copied (the best I could) what Laura was drawing and then when I felt confident to put down my pencil and eraser, I took a paintbrush, dipped it into the paint, and put some happy colour on the canvas.

Wow, it felt amazing to be trying something new that would hopefully result in a painting I would be proud to hang on one of my walls.   I’ve been an art lover most of my life but my crazy busy life and probably some disappointing attempts in high school has never left me feeling excited about holding a paint brush again.  But when an artist walks you step-by-step through what you need to do to create a masterpiece, I was eager to try.

It was hard to control the brush.  My arm and hand had no muscle memory to rely on to be able to proceed while my mind raced ensuring that all present were experiencing what we had advertised; then my mind would switch to my clients, my elderly father, the previous day with my other daughter …

I couldn’t control the paint brush … this was going to be a disaster!  What was I going to do for the next 3 hours if I didn’t figure this out – I really wanted to be able to take home a painting I was proud of …

I took some deep breaths and tried to focus on just the present moment and what I was trying to do.  I watched and copied what the artist told us to do.  I had to relax my arm and hand and focus on what I wanted to do with the brush.  And ever so slowly I got lost in what I was doing! 

I’m sure if I had been wearing an aura ring or blood pressure monitor I would have some physical proof to show you just what those 3 hours gifted me – likely a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, a drop in my cortisol level.  I wasn’t expecting to experience this!

All of us there settled into creating, lost in thought and in art, gifting ourselves something I didn’t expect (but some others did).  Conversation was quiet and relaxed.  I learned that the way to control the paint brush was to allow yourself to slow down and enjoy each stroke. 

You may not think that slowing down is an “art,” but in this fast-paced world of ours, learning how to slow down is vital to our health and wellness, so it takes a bit of finesse. When we’re so used to going a hundred miles per hour in every direction while taking care of everything and everyone else, it becomes hard to be attuned to our own bodies and minds and slow down enough to listen to what it’s telling us. There are so many benefits to taking it slow and lots of fun, relaxing ways to do so.

It had been a long time since I had the opportunity to slow down like this and give my body that rest it desperately needed. I felt relaxed and happy – and pleased with my painting!  Some of the other moms present had been to a similar event and expressed that they needed this time for themselves that day.

As special needs parents we don’t always give ourselves the opportunities to do something new – often the routine we have established is basically all we think we are able to handle.    I thought so too until that day.   It didn’t matter what the final product looked like – some followed the artist completely while others added their own flair.  What was important was that we all took the time for ourselves. 

When can you gift yourself some time to slow down and try something different?

Want a break from your routine?  Join us for our Mini Speaker Event this Sunday April 14^th. 

- Lisa xo