How to slow down: 8 tips for fast-paced lives

“When things slow down, I will jet off to that sought-after vacation”, “I will finish reading those books on my TBR list” or “I will start indulging more in workout when life gets a bit slow” – Have you told yourself any of these during everyday life?  These thoughts indirectly point to a problem: You are way too busy to slow down and enjoy life. We keep pushing the good things for the future, thinking life will be easier and slower later on. Unfortunately, slowing down in life does not happen by accident. You do not just stumble into having a balanced life.

Life just keeps moving faster at its own pace, and we have to keep walking forward to match its pace and avoid falling behind. If you do not pay attention, you will notice that your entire life will be about rushing from one thing to another in a constant whirlpool of chaos. And when you become that busy, you will miss out on some of the best parts or moments of life. To not let you fall for that, let us understand how to slow down and its importance.

The importance of slowing down

Have you wondered why slowing down is important? Well, when you go on living your life in the same fast-paced routine, it will eventually take a huge toll on your overall health, productivity, and relationships. But when you prioritise slowing down, you may be able to:

1. Focus on the important aspects of life

When you live a chaotic life with your headspace never free, you will lose sight of the things and people that matter to you. Slowing down allows you that free mental space to set your priorities straight and adhere to them.

2. Stay overall healthy

When you go overboard in life in terms of busyness, it will lead to chronic stress, and that will break your mental and physical well-being. With time, you will have more chance of getting hurry sickness, a form of anxiety that is induced by your constant effort to squeeze one more thing into your already packed schedules. We surely hope you would want to avoid that.

3. Get more productive

When you are rushing from one task to another without slowing down, you will be more likely to make mistakes, and you will have to go back to and fro to redo things that could have been done correctly the first time. When you slow down, it frees up your mental space with oodles of creativity flowing in to bring forth your best energy and mental focus to your work.

How to slow down?

Learning to slow down is not an easy task, for it requires a lot of discipline. However, life feels worth it when stop feeling overwhelmed all the time. You have to choose a different path from the rest of the world which may mean doing life all over again. Here are some practical ways you can learn the art of slowing down as per motivational counsellor Roshan Mansukhani:

1. Stop multitasking

A part of the reason we fail to slow down is because we divide our limited attention to millions of things all at once. We think multitasking is the only way to ace everyday tasks. But in reality, it only leaves us feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Take one thing at a time. Channelise your attention and energy to one task, and give your best to accomplish it. You will not only learn to slow down but will also perform better in personal or professional life.

2. Be present

It is exactly what it sounds: just be present wherever you are. Practise mindful living. But of course, it is always easier said than done. In our everyday life, so many aspects compete for our attention that it almost feels impossible to focus on what is right in front of us.

To ace the art of mindfulness, you can try deep breathing exercises or meditation to bring your wavering mind to rest. Identify your thought patterns and disconnect from all the distractions in order to be present. You can even journal your thoughts to clear that fog that keeps you from being present.

3. Keep your phone aside

We all are mostly addicted to our phones and the cheap dopamine we get from mindlessly scrolling on them. The constant flickering screen of our mobile phones keeps us feeling hurried because there is always something to check. News, social media, texts, emails, and app notifications all keep us distracted and always in a hurry. Learn to keep your phone aside to stop letting it run your life. Do not give your phone that power to rob away your peace of mind, attention, and time. You have to set boundaries around your phone usage and not the other way around.

You may consider deleting futile apps from your phone like social media and can even turn off all notifications leaving the important ones. You can also create phone-free zones in your home so that you can slow down and enjoy your family time without distractions.

4. Focus on the people around you

When trying to accomplish bigger dreams in life, we push aside family members and friends who matter to us. As a result, we miss out on our important relationships. We need to slow down and take some time aside to spend quality time with our loved ones. Deeper connections help us become calmer and be at peace with life.

5. Check your speed limit

It may sound ridiculous, but you can learn to slow down by literally slowing down your car. Stop driving fast and force yourself to drive the speed limit. Slowing down in basic activities will help you shift towards slower living in general life. Something as simple as driving slow will help you experience slowness on a physical level and also mentally and emotionally.

Also read: 4 simple mindfulness practices to stay calm and reduce stress

6. Accept your weaknesses

Sometimes, we take too much burden on ourselves thinking that it is our job to save the world. We even say yes to things that we do not even wish to pursue worrying that the world would fall apart if we do not show up.

Hit pause, and remember that the world will keep on moving even if we do not go everywhere. Do not rush, and take that nap instead. Accepting that we cannot be doing everything, leaves some margin for rest that is needed. We are not machines, we are humans, always remember that.

7. Set aside time for fun

As we get older, we tend to forget how to have fun and unwind. We even feel guilty thinking that it is some sort of luxury that we can not afford. But, we should make it a point to slow down and enjoy the little moments that help recharge our batteries. Even if it is something as simple as laughing and connecting with our loved ones, these moments infuse much-needed joy into our hectic lives.

You can sign up for that baking class, travel, train for a race, or even enjoy video games, it could be anything just to bring you that sense of calmness. Whatever feels like fun, remember what you enjoyed doing as a kid, and make time for it.

8. Embrace silence

We all are not very good at being still. In a world full of noise and clutter, we lose touch with ourselves. What if you can stop and turn it all silent for a while? Here is something you can try: For one week, try spending all your time in the car observing silence. Do not play podcasts, music, or radio, just stay silent. Over time, a sense of calmness will dawn upon you, and it will become natural to you with practice. You can also be intentional with your precious time and schedule moments to make time for silence.