As we dive into this summer’s theme of “Reflecting on our Roots”, it might be hard to imagine when and where we will be able to carve out space to actually slow down in the first place. We’re all busy with different things; whether it’s a full day of classes and work, catching up on emails/texts, hanging out with friends, tending to our mental health or even trying to fully enjoy all that Dartmouth and the Upper Valley has to offer during the summer – life gets pretty full.
But part of living life so robustly and completely means taking time for reflections, allowing ourselves the time and space to process our past experiences, think about the ways we want to move forward, and give ourselves time to recharge and refocus.
When we prioritize time for reflection in our lives, we are more able to identify what we truly value and care about, direct our focus to what’s most important and increase our capacity for motivated leadership. In a nutshell, honing the capacity for self-reflection is a foundational skill for our continued growth and evolution.
But as stated previously, we are B-U-S-Y! When will we find the time for this? The good news: slowing down for reflection doesn’t have to take a ton of time. In fact it can be done in a few simple steps, especially when done regularly. Here is a simple 5-step process to get you started:
- 1st things 1st, SLOW DOWN – find some time between all the doing to just be. It might be during a time you normally scroll through social media, taking a few minutes right when you wake up or before you go to bed, or anytime that you find yourself waiting for something like class to start, your computer to reload, or friends to show up, etc.
- OBSERVE – Identify and think about a specific area or time in your life you want to focus on.
- INVESTIGATE and ACCEPT – consider what has been working and what has not in this area. Let go of any judgment that arises and instead bring kind curiosity to this part of the process.
- LEARN – Pinpoint actions that have been helpful that you want to build upon. Identify behaviors that you could let go of or change that may help reap better outcomes. And take time to discover new and different ways of doing things.
- NURTURE AND ACT – Put what you learn into practice and let this be a step towards greater self-care and growth.
The key is to give yourself the space and time to see, feel and accept where you have been and notice where you are now, so that you can make better sense of your experiences and begin to see how you want to move forward to bring greater meaning into your life.
Stay with us in the coming weeks as we use this reflective process to take a deep dive into our “Roots of Wellness”.
Until then…