Take a break from technology and spend time in an environment that inspires you. It is important to take some time away from the computer. Time away enables you to return to work with a fresh perspective.
As a part of my series about “How to Slow Down To Do More” I had the pleasure to interview Liz Dobbins.
LIZ DOBBINS, MCC CEO & FOUNDER, PROPELOGY A Master Certified Coach (MCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF), holding accreditations in Sensory Intelligence and Cultural Intelligence*, with a foundation in neuroscience. As a facilitator, speaker, and author with specialized knowledge in sensory systems, her work has received recognition in major publications. She has co-authored “Embody Kind: A Guide for Authentic Living and Movement is Fun” and has written five other books.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to this specific career path?
My career has been unconventional, weaving together diverse experiences that initially seem unrelated but collectively create unique professional value. From a young age, I found joy in teaching through dance in Girl Scouts, which sparked a lifelong passion for education. Feeling good and seeing someone happy made me happy. Sports became a cornerstone; I excelled in golf and gymnastics during high school, later becoming a multisport athlete at the University of Kansas.
After college, I delved into sensory systems research, fascinated by how they influence human behavior and self-regulation. In essence, sensory integration is a neurological process of information processing that organizes sensations (experience of senses from the environment: taste, touch, proprioception, gravity, sight, hearing, etc.), allowing for effective body use. This led to a teaching career where I focused on sensory processing and integration, creating educational resources like “Movement Is Fun” with an Occupational Therapist.
My journey reached clarity when I realized my lifelong affinity for sports and movement was rooted in sensory systems. At that moment, I realized that I benefited from all of the lifetime sports since I was drawn to them to support my physical and mental well-being. This insight spurred me into developing a youth triathlon curriculum titled “Splash Spin and Sprint.”
Continuing my education, I taught health sciences at the same university I attended while researching neuroscience and sensory systems. Coaching also became integral, prompting me to pursue somatic coaching training and earn ICF MCC credentials. Today, I integrate sensory and somatic awareness into workshops and coaching sessions, emphasizing self-awareness as essential for personal growth and success. To me, self-awareness has been my best teacher, and I have never been afraid to venture onto my island, as I have always been fascinated by the human body’s intelligence.
According to a 2006 Pew Research Report report, 26% of women and 21% of men feel that they are “always rushed”. Has it always been this way? Can you give a few reasons regarding what you think causes this prevalent feeling of being rushed?
Occasionally, this is due to a genuine shortage of time. From my experience in the coaching profession, we have a choice from moment to moment. How can we remain connected and feel that we are in the present moment and not disconnected? There is an average ability to focus for eight seconds. We live in a time where technology and our lifestyle promote speed. It is also important to remember that we live in a society in which the cost of living is high, and pressures are placed upon us, promoting this feeling of being rushed.
Based on your experience or research can you explain why being rushed can harm our productivity, health, and happiness?
You may feel overwhelmed or anxious if you are rushed or if there is a sense of chaotic structure. It also may require more energy and a loss of clarity to trigger a reaction and not a response.
On the flip side, can you give examples of how we can do more, and how our lives would improve if we could slow down?
The power of a pause — take a breath and notice what is moving through you. Self-regulation tools will support focus as you face what is important. Being present and present in the moment is important when managing multitasking. I also believe in a way of being and in influencing what is being done to create the desired results.
We all live in a world with many deadlines and incessant demands for our time and attention. That inevitably makes us feel rushed. Can you share with our readers five strategies that you use to “slow down to do more”? Can you please give a story or example for each?
1. Take a break from technology and spend time in an environment that inspires you. It is important to take some time away from the computer. Time away enables you to return to work with a fresh perspective.
2. Engage in regular physical activity. A simple 30-minute walk each day, as well as movement breaks during the day, can boost your mood and improve your health.
3. The best way to find happiness is to do something you love, just for the sake of it. Choose something you love and have fun doing it.
4. Make your day more enjoyable by allowing humor to enter. In addition to increasing heart and respiratory rates, laughter also increases oxygen consumption within a short period. After these initial changes, a person moves into a state of relaxation.
5. Keep a gratitude journal. Numerous studies are demonstrating how gratitude journaling can increase one’s happiness. Others show that inflammation in one’s body can decrease. Each study offers insights into how a person can improve their overall health and well-being by gratitude journaling.
How do you define “mindfulness”? Can you give an example or story?
Mindfulness is the act of being aware of one’s internal states and surroundings. Through mindfulness, people can learn to observe their thoughts, emotions, and other current experiences without judging or reacting to them but responding to them instead. Tune into your interceptive system and speak things into your existence, which for me, is mind-setting.
Can you give examples of how people can integrate mindfulness into their everyday lives?
Engage all your senses, paying close attention to what you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste. Focus your attention as fully as possible on what you are doing while single-tasking. Feel free to allow any thoughts or emotions to come and go, like clouds passing through the sky. Mindfulness should be changed to mind-setting with an action statement.
Do you have any mindfulness tools that you find most helpful at work?
Mindfulness techniques can be beneficial to clients experiencing stress and anxiety, such as guiding them through a body scan, a mindful walk, or a gratitude journal. I always recommend taking a movement break to promote mindfulness at work.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to use mindfulness tools or practices?
The Daily Meditation Podcast and Mary Meckley’s daily dose of guided meditation give you a good reason to set aside 30 minutes each morning. For books, I suggest Follow the Breath by Jenna Meade and Emma Power, Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, and The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. I don’t think it’s possible to answer the question ‘Which is the best book on meditation’ because we are all at different stages of our journey.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Step out onto the skinny branches. For me, this means taking a risk. Another one of my favorite life lessons, which I have found through my experience, is to move to move emotion, as this will allow you to self-regulate.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to start a movement encouraging kindness and acceptance of all people without judgment. If I could preach that to as many people as possible, regardless of weight, height, age, or race, I would do so. The importance of loving everyone, being nice to everyone, and treating everyone as you want cannot be overstated.
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
Liz Dobbins of zant On How To Slow Down To Do More was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.