Slowing down can actually gain us time. It may sound counterintuitive, but if you shift your focus to slowing down, you can actually accomplish more of what you want to prioritize in your life. Despite living in an age where we pack each day to the max, we are starting to realize it isn’t sustainable. Many equate high productivity with success and happiness, but the opposite can be true. By learning to slow down, not only can you reframe the priorities in your life, you can also learn to be present in daily life.
How Do You Know If You Need To Slow Down?
Are you constantly on the go? Is your day packed with responsibilities? Do you lack time for yourself? Is the thought of boredom uncomfortable? Do you feel guilty if you say no to someone or something? Does time ever feel like you’re on fast forward? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider slowing down.
These questions can flag an overactive mind, a lack of time for self care, or an inability to create boundaries. Why is that important? Because it is not possible to keep going at this pace for extended periods of time. And even if you’ve been successful at doing so for years, the breaking point can come when you least expect it. By making a conscious decision to slow down your life, you are choosing to put you first. By increasing your own awareness of how you spend your time, as well as how you choose to do self care, you are taking the steps to improve your quality of life.
Slowing Down Is Hard At First
Slowing down is hard, which is also why many of us don’t do it. We have become accustomed to pushing ourselves and packing as much as we can into our days, but why? There is a push right now to no longer glorify hustle culture, and although many do it to make ends meet, you need to be aware of the cost it is having to your well-being.
By choosing to slow down, you are choosing to make better choices. And like any habit, it takes time to implement. The key though is to have a plan and to review it regularly. Set yourself up for success by slowing down in different areas of your life. Look at how you can do it in your personal life first. Then look at what changes you can do in your circle of friends and work.
Understand what slowing down is
Contrary to what some may think slowing down is, slowing down does not mean stopping activity. It means to look at what you do and how you do it. Much like when we declutter our homes, you need to declutter your life. What can change, what needs to be improved, and what needs to be eliminated? Are you sabotaging yourself by the choices you make? The good news is that with a little work, you can slow down your life.
Ways Of Slowing Down
Slowing down looks different for everyone, but it all starts by choosing to change your life. It is a hard exercise, but once you start to consistently slow down, you will notice the difference in your life. You create the space to calm your nervous system, and to allow the good to come through. Be aware of the language you use with yourself. Watch out for that inner critique, try to not pass any judgement. Remember that change is hard, but it is also a chance for something better. Below are six parameters to consider when slowing down, but each journey will look different.
Self care pillars
One of the core requirements in life to slow down, is to prioritize your self care pillars. By making these choices, you are improving the quality of your life. By prioritizing rest, you provide your mind and body the time to recover and regenerate. Without proper sleep, you are in a battle to survive, it affects both physical and cognitive abilities. So by slowing down, you can actually perform better.
By focusing on eating well and hydrating, you fuel your body with the nutrients it needs. Limit processed foods, and reduce your intake of sugary and highly caffeinated beverages. By taking the time to prepare your meals and not scarfing your food, you can ensure you are consuming the foods you need and digesting them properly.
Get active. Exercise does not need to be arduous to give you benefits. A walk through the park can keep your joints mobile, while also exposing you to some much needed fresh air. Before starting any new activity, make sure to consult with a health care professional.
And lastly, connect with others. By spending quality time with people you care about, you can ensure you feel supported and loved. Be conscientious of the types of activities you choose to do with others, prioritize the ones that energize you, not drain you.
Calm an overactive mind
Even when your bodies don’t move much, our minds can be going a million miles a minute. That is taxing on the nervous system. Learning how to slow down your mind can reap benefits beyond the expected, but often one of the hardest things to do.
Where to start? Breathe. Learning how to control your breathing calms your mind. There are different exercises you can do. Box breathing is simple enough to remember, take a breath in for 4 second, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4, and repeat. If you struggle to focus, you can close your eyes and focus on drawing a line with each step, and making a 90 degree turn after each, creating a square box by the end of the cycle. For others, if your nervous system is too ramped up, try to make your out breathe longer than your inhale. This signals your brain that you are safe, calming you down.
Meditation often implements breath work into visualization. Not everyone can jump right into meditation if they are just learning to slow down. There are many videos and apps that can help you with guided meditations. Key to meditation is being able to return your mind to the present moment after each time it wanders. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
Mindfulness is another great asset to calming an overactive mind. Mindfulness is about knowing what you are experiencing in the moment. A great way to shift your focus inwards is to use your senses as a grounding technique. There are countless ways to explore mindfulness, you can even try 1-minute hacks to start implementing moments throughout the day. The conscious decision to stop and be mindful is a way of slowing down.
Reduce stimulation
In a digital age, we are bombarded with notifications and non-stop information at all hours. By choosing to limit your exposure, you are finding a way to slow down. Digital detoxes help create a reset, and sometimes it’s just about time-blocking when you get information or what type of information you expose yourself to.
Beyond digital noise, we also have stimulants in the form of caffeine, refined sugars, nicotine, alcohol and drugs. These stimulants often give you an initial rush, but the consequences later can have detrimental effects on your mind and body. By understanding how each of these substances can affect you, you can choose to alter your consumption.
Look at your environment. Do you have a quiet place where you can go to unwind? Consider your connection with nature and how you bring some of those elements into your spaces. Blue and green spaces have shown to positively impact noise reduction, I personally love to forest bathe when the city gets too loud for me.
Time management
By utilizing time management techniques, you can restructure how your time is spent. By scheduling your life, you can find where you need to protect time. If you know when you are most productive, then you can work the rest of your day around that. By prioritizing what needs to be in your life and eliminating that which isn’t serving you, you can gift yourself pockets of time for you. That’s not selfish. If you are not 100%, you can’t be there for anyone else. And yes, saying no more often is also key to maintaining your slower pace and maintaining those boundaries.
Find joy in the little things
Finding ways to find joy in the everyday can greatly increase your quality of life. And often, simplicity is the key to finding it. Make a list of the things that make you smile or make you experience awe. From hugs with a loved one or cuddles with the family pet, a few seconds to slow down and focus on that relationship can release those feel-good hormones. Allow yourself time to play and have fun, it can do wonders for your overall mood. By slowing down and dedicating time to engage in activities that make you feel good, you are prioritizing yourself. This can include playing a game, reading a book, or listening to music. This can also include time for creativity. By focusing on self-expression, you are allocating time for that part of you to come out.
Spend less
Financial spending is a huge contributor to the stress we face in our daily lives. By making a conscious decision to spend less on frivolous things, we are making a change in how slow or fast we work through our finances. Investing in savings or future investments can change your approach with money. If you aren’t used to balancing a monthly budget, slowing down to create one can help streamline your spending. If you eat out for most of your meals, slowing that down to once a week can have a significant impact on your budget. Looking at how to prioritize your financial wealth can help you make better decisions in your overall lifestyle.
What does slowing down look like for you?
Slowing down is about increasing your awareness of your mind and body. It’s about bringing the focus into yourself. When you are not connected or self-aware, it is easy to get caught up in anxious cycles that lead to an increase in stress. If these go on for extended periods of time, it can affect your physical and mental health, as well as your relationships with others and yourself.
You need to prioritize self care and time for yourself. Reducing stimulants and making better choices on what you consume can go a long way in slowing down. Manage your time better, and find joy in the everyday. And finally, look at how you spend your money and slow down your frivolous spending. This can have a significant impact on your stress reduction and overall quality of life.
Slowing down is about giving yourself permission to just be. It’s okay to indulge in quiet time. A little you time is exactly what you need. Slowing down will improve both your mental and physical well-being. You will gain more time to live your life, and experience the little pleasures.
IMAGE CREDIT: Unsplash | Trent Haaland.