Hurrying Up and Slowing Down

There is an interesting aspect to living with accumulated stress that I am aware of these days and it is the development of "hurrying". When I miss my morning quiet time before my feet touch the ground, I am quickly propelled into the activities of the day without an anchor. I notice then how, without the solidity of my morning meditation, I begin to go fast in both my mind and my movements. Before I know it, moving from task to task, I accumulate lists of what else needs to be done and then my perception is that time begins to compress. It is at this moment that thankfully I can catch and remind myself that there is no emergency, that in fact, when I slow down, there is actually more time to get what needs doing done. Stress is a trickster - it has us believe the opposite of what is true - by hurrying up you can be more productive and efficient. The fact is hurrying up robs us of creativity and actual living. Hurrying up increases our heart rates, impatience, distorts perspective and lowers thoughtfulness. Slowing down, bring better health, more patience, productivity, good communication with others and a sense of well being.
I know of no better way to programme the mind to slow down than by beginning each day with a meditation that focuses us right into the present moment, filling mind and body with a connection with the self.
Present Moment, Only Moment.