The ‘Press Pause’ Gremlin:
TAKE TIME TO CHOOSE
"Handle your thoughts carefully, and resist the urge to rush through them." This advice resonated with me as if it were a prescribed remedy on a damp and blustery Thursday afternoon during a Zoom call. I had just begun my first check-in session with a mentor, sharing the various projects I was juggling. Instead of delving into the details, my mentor wanted to understand the underlying WHY behind it all: to inspire and heal the Gremlins.
He grasped the essence of it all and steered the conversation back to the fundamental question: how do I express myself? Through writing or speaking? Speaking felt like the more authentic path. Then, he broached the topic of visibility, something that both unsettled me and intrigued me. The word "visibility" felt jarring, and when I mentioned this to my mentor, he advised me to sit with it to explore my thoughts without rushing to conclusions.
“Allow yourself time. Take the necessary moments to address your thoughts, and when you do, resist the urge to rush through them. Approach them with a philosophical mindset, but avoid indulging in pontification; instead, focus on evolving.”
I found comfort in this reframing. Often, we're in such a hurry to address and fix our perceived flaws that we overlook the importance of allowing ourselves the time to evolve naturally. We spot something we want to work on or heal, and it's as if we expect immediate adjustments. Yet, healing is a process, not an instant fix. It's a journey of becoming, with its twists and turns, its scars and wounds. My mentor's advice to not rush through my thoughts but instead to gently massage them and allow them the space to unfold in their own time felt like a permission slip to embrace the journey of self-discovery and growth.
This lesson stayed with me throughout the week, as it seemed to crop up repeatedly in various contexts. A friend reminded me that the music I'm creating will come together gradually, that I'm in the process of "collecting the pieces," and that's perfectly okay. The recurring theme of allowing things to take their time, of letting time stretch when necessary, was a soothing balm for my frazzled nerves.
