Slowing Down to Feel What We're Avoiding

Mindfulness reveals what we try to power through.

Here are some takeaways from yesterday's attentional fitness workshop I led in an art museum.

As usual, my primary aim was to demystify mindfulness practice and inspire personal growth by encouraging people to experience mindful awareness beyond sitting still with their eyes closed to notice the breath.

The workshop included exercises for walking and looking slowly. I almost decided to skip the slow walking part because I assumed people were there to see the art. It is a good thing I didn’t because, based on what they shared, people got more from the walking this time.

We explored the line between walking on and off autopilot — to stress that autopilot mode is extremely useful, but relying on it less can be fascinating and valuable.

Several people noticed a walking speed at which it became more challenging to maintain their balance. They became aware of feeling unsteady. They noticed aches and pains masked by regular walking. Slowing down seemed to trigger rumination about things they could be doing besides walking like a zombie in front of abstract art.

This led to an eye-opening discussion about our tendency to power through our concerns and the potential benefits of slowing down to acknowledge and observe them sometimes.

One man said this felt important as he’s noticing a decline in his balance as he ages. Maybe slowing down could help him identify ways to strengthen his balance and reduce his risk of falling.

One woman noticed that going back and forth between the two modes made her realize that slowing down sharpened her awareness, making walking on autopilot seem more sensorially rich and alive.

Yes! It’s easy to assume that slowing down is required to be more present, but when we practice slowing down sometimes, we can be more present regardless of our pace.

Several people mentioned an awareness of unpleasant emotions during this exercise. Being mindful of pleasant feelings can be comforting. Awareness of unpleasant feelings sets the stage for emotional regulation, supporting improved psychological well-being.

We can only reduce the habitual escalation of distressing feelings if we’re willing to observe them closely and briefly. Not all of the time, but habitually.

The slow looking was trickier this time. Even though I tried to stress that the exercises weren’t about understanding or appreciating the art, people got tangled up and confused by its meaning and intended message. This is understandable.

Emphasizing closed-eyed mindfulness practice reduces these challenging, subjective reactions. At the same time, it reinforces the misperception that we can’t bring mindful awareness to the times in our lives when our eyes open.

Whether our eyes are open or closed, there’s an enormous opportunity to improve our ability to observe our emotional reactions and the many invisible ways we push and pull against them without realizing it.