Mental Health Monday: Slow-Moving

I did things this winter. Actually, I was wildly productive. I saw friends too, and I think one could even say that, relatively, I had a life. But it was winter. And I was busy. And an authoritarian became President.

Taking all of this together, jokingly—but probably not so jokingly?—I recently told a good friend that I think my most present companion this winter was my Mental Load. Every day, I found myself checking off so many mental boxes. The beginning of the year is often my busiest work season (great things underway!) I was working on home repairs, too. And I found that one of my best ways to cope with Trumpism, at least initially, was to have solid, unchanging structure.

So every day, Mental Load and I were hanging out and doing everything together. Now, I’m ready for something different.

Recently, I arrived at one of our local parks to join a group of strangers for a Wonder Walk. Yes, that title sounds immensely cheesy, but in actuality, it was lovely. I turned on Strava because it’s been so long since I’ve been able to record a walk outside, but we didn’t even walk that far in terms of mileage. We walked slowly, and our outdoor docent stopped often to invite us to listen to birds, notice a beaver dam, and become aware of various “harbingers of spring.”

We were slow-moving. It was wonderful.

It was the opposite of “I must check off every mental box to keep it all moving forward.” We just allowed ourselves to be present in the moment. There was a blue sky and a lot of birdsong. I loved it.

So if you and Mental Load need to split off and each do your own thing for a few days, a weekend, or even a half hour, I recommend making sure you get your own time.

— Renee Roederer