Tips on Slowing Down in a Modern World

I’m stating the obvious when I say to slow down you have to go about things slowly. But this was a revelation to me  when I found myself rubbing hand lotion into my hands at warp speed the other week. I wasn’t in a rush or had anywhere to go, but my actions were disturbingly frantic as if doing things in a hurry is my default setting now. When did that happen? When did we forget to breathe, to listen and to do less?

Slowing down is about being present in the moment and in this modern age, personally, that is more important than ever before. So I’m making a conscious effort to do better for my own sake and for those around me. Here’s some ideas that might help you slow down too:

1| “For fast acting relief, try slowing down.” Lily Tomlin.

First up, be mindful of your speed. We all have a different pace in which we move and go about our day but could you turn it down a notch? I know I could. Think about it when taking a shower, eating food, when brushing your hair or walking the dog.

2| Reduce multitasking (I learnt this at cognitive therapy and still need to remind myself). Think of a non-work activity that will help you focus and calm your brain. For me, that’s Roller Derby and watching films; both of these activities help me switch-off from my worries.

3|Listen. In a world of 24/7 non-stop chatter and opinion, I think we all could listen more. It helps develop your patience, relationships and understanding of the people and places around you.

4| Start or finish your working day with a form of exercise to help reduce stress levels and improve sleep. Instead of worrying about finding the time to do this why not switch up your routine commute and walk or cycle into work? Our neighbour rides to work on his Brompton foldable bike (they do electric bikes now too!), cutting out parking and traffic stress.

5| Say NO more. I don’t have enough time to see the people I love let alone the people who are mere acquaintances. You don’t need to please everyone. This I am learning fast in my late thirties!

6| Rather than focusing on having less screen time at night think about the other things you could be doing instead. We live in an age where we can watch TV and go online as and when we want to so why don’t we think about the freedom that this offers…we don’t need to be checking-in daily. Our favourite programmes and websites will be there again tomorrow, and the next day too.

7| Walk and appreciate nature. I do this well courtesy of Polly. This is my everyday, and it calms and helps me to de stress. I can’t recommend walking outdoors enough.

8| Write more. Apart from writing greeting cards or my daily to-do list I haven’t written (using pen and paper) for a long time. Over the past month however, I’ve been doing writing exercises to practice everyday creative writing and it’s felt a restorative and calming part of my day. As it’s hard to write fast, I think this is great practice in actively slowing down.

9| Bring the fun back. We are all different but I think as adults we forget to find joy in the everyday, savouring fun for weekends or holidays. Dance, sing, play with your children / pets, be silly…

10| Communicate. Changing habits takes effort and dedication. So let the people around you know why you need this and get them involved too.

Disclosure: collaborative post