Seed #4: Slow Down

“The crackling of the open fire brings my mind to ease. Brings stillness to my being. And stillness to everything around me. I watch as blades of fire dance to the shifting of air and light. As I sit, I remember quietness, as things tend to be noisy in the world. I remember to be still, so movement may happen. The movement of emotions, mind, and my spirit.”

- RV Ambassador Ryan Kyikavichik

Welcome to our fourth seed, and my personal favorite: Slow Down.

It’s kind of ironic that I am writing this in July and it’s being shared in August, the time when we are the busiest here in the Yukon.

But also, this is the perfect time to be sharing this message - our summer was late (who else thought winter was never going to end??) and we are just finally getting nice weather so we are all racing to hang out with friends, go out on the land, gather medicines, get our gardens together, prepare for potlatches and celebrations of life, and so much more. 

“We are allowed to slow down, and we are allowed to stop. Give yourself grace to be present and to simply be. Enjoy small moments. Your intuition is valid and right. Trust your body.”

- one of the teachings from the Slow Down Seed. 

Throughout my time with the Reconnection Vision and the Assembly of First Nations, I rarely said no - I was always agreeing to join workshops, conferences, planning and attending gatherings…everything thrown my way. I have always been so passionate about our work and what it could do for our communities so I thought I needed to be there for everything.

Nobody was forcing me to do this, I just wanted to prove myself. 

In January 2025 I had traveled to Norway for a conference, but the whole time I felt incredibly depressed and I was missing home so much. It was an odd feeling because I have been homesick before, but not like this. I was trying to ignore the feeling so I could enjoy my time in such a cool place, but I couldn’t ignore it.

When I finally got home, my cat's health immediately declined a lot. We took a few trips to the vet, and she even had to stay the night at the vet's office. I was so stressed out that I caught a really bad cold. I lost about 15 pounds because I was so stressed out, I couldn’t eat and neither could my cat. 

Saber was an Elder cat who lived a great life. She was with me during my twenties, and she was my baby. It was the hardest decision of my life and it took me a long time to forgive myself, but she was struggling and in pain. It was her time to pass, and it was my time to slow down.

I was still trying to attend meetings with the RV, but ultimately decided this was my time to take a step back. Normally I would have been beading the whole time, but because I was in mourning I decided I wasn’t going to bead.

I took a whole month off and I did absolutely nothing.

I recognize how privileged I was to be able to do that, having so much support from my parents and I didn’t have to worry about rent. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to do so. I had this time to say “no,” I was learning how to set my boundaries and stick to them - even if I didn’t realize at the time. 

Once I was ready to get back to work, I was welcomed back with open arms and loving support, and most importantly understanding.

All the guilt I felt for taking a break was unnecessary. I could take my time to take care of myself and my amazing team with the RV is right there, ready to take on some extra work. I truly believe that because I was given this time to take care of myself, I was able to step into my next chapter in a good way.

My life today is completely different from one year ago, and I am finally taking care of myself and it’s things like going to the dentist, finally getting my eyes checked and getting glasses, getting my eyelashes done, lounging around and watching a show I have been wanting to watch for a while, and bead what I want to bead!

Being with the RV over the past 5 years has taught me a lot about myself, and how I should be living. I still feel burnout every once in a while, I still say yes a lot, but I am also saying no to certain things. I can slow down and stop, and the world will still go on. I don’t need to be burnt out, I am allowed to take the time to take care of myself so I can be healthy enough to do my work and be the best aunty. 

Slowing down isn’t giving up, it’s giving space for healing. 

Reflection Question:

What would change if you gave yourself permission to mourn, rest, and heal in your own time?

Check out our teachings here and explore more of our seeds! Please also take the time to read the blog written by Sarina Sydney, this seed’s guest writer!