I'm typically a fast-paced person. I talk fast, I walk fast, I do my work fast, and I am quick to make decisions (for better or for worse!). This huge life change, however, has given me pause to consider life in the slow lane.
Some of this consideration is mandatory: I can no longer keep up with the other swimmers on my team. The extra weight means I can't walk as fast or as long. Bouncing up out of a chair, well, let's just say that is long-gone.
The other part is being mindful of the changes that the slower pace brings to my life. I appreciate the time in the water and how my body feels, even if I'm not racing alongside my teammate. The days when I'm not winded after walking up a San Francisco hill are treasured. And the pause after standing up but before taking a first step away from the chair gives me a second to sense my body and what it will need as I begin moving. I know what my body can and cannot handle at each point of my pregnancy, and I don't push myself to do more than I can. Why wouldn't I allow myself the luxury of limits when I'm not growing a baby? I tend to push myself, and then pay the price of that ambition, whether it be through catching a cold or feeling burnt out from work. Being mindful during this time of mandatory and self-imposed boundaries gives me a sense of how to work within my physical and mental constraints after my body becomes mine again (if it ever really does...).
What boundaries do you set for yourself, either mandatory or chosen? How do they help you to be the best you can be? I'd love to hear about them: amanda@wellfulcoaching.com.
Have a wellful day!
Coach Amanda
Some of this consideration is mandatory: I can no longer keep up with the other swimmers on my team. The extra weight means I can't walk as fast or as long. Bouncing up out of a chair, well, let's just say that is long-gone.
The other part is being mindful of the changes that the slower pace brings to my life. I appreciate the time in the water and how my body feels, even if I'm not racing alongside my teammate. The days when I'm not winded after walking up a San Francisco hill are treasured. And the pause after standing up but before taking a first step away from the chair gives me a second to sense my body and what it will need as I begin moving. I know what my body can and cannot handle at each point of my pregnancy, and I don't push myself to do more than I can. Why wouldn't I allow myself the luxury of limits when I'm not growing a baby? I tend to push myself, and then pay the price of that ambition, whether it be through catching a cold or feeling burnt out from work. Being mindful during this time of mandatory and self-imposed boundaries gives me a sense of how to work within my physical and mental constraints after my body becomes mine again (if it ever really does...).
What boundaries do you set for yourself, either mandatory or chosen? How do they help you to be the best you can be? I'd love to hear about them: amanda@wellfulcoaching.com.
Have a wellful day!
Coach Amanda
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