Life moves so quickly! We are constantly looking for ways to make things faster, more efficient, better, easier etc. We rush to work, rush home from work, I mean it is even called rush hour when we are stuck in traffic! All we do is rush rush rush. All of that rushing makes us lose sight of who and what we are. We never slow down to enjoy the moments or see what this world truly has to offer us. We finish up one project and are given 3 more to work on, never savoring the success of what we just achieved.
I decided to write about this topic because it is one that I have noticed time in and time out and hear from clients I work with. We, as a society, struggle to slow down. We don’t take time for ourselves because the culture we live in makes us feel bad for doing so. The idea of slowing down can bring on so much anxiety that it is easier to just avoid it all together and keep on going with out busy lives. This does and will eventually catch up with us! This fast paced lifestyle rears its ugly head all the time. We have pre-made meals to warm up to make it easier for us to save time, we have drive thru fast food, we have instant messaging to connect with people faster, we have email pushed to our phones so as to not miss something, we multitask to get more done so we have more free time to do more things. We even have quickie sex to save on time! Life and society are not helpful nor conducive to a slow down lifestyle.
Taking time to slow down can help us reconnect with the world around us. Here are some mindfulness tips on how to slow down, disconnect from the world, and reconnect with ourselves
1). Use you 5 senses to fully take in what is going on around you. Do the following name and describe in detail:
a) 5 things you see
b) 4 things you hear
c) 3 things you feel
d) 2 things you smell
e) 1 thing you taste
2) Turn off the TV and read a book with no distractions
3) Watch a sunset or sunrise
4) Slowly drink a cup of coffee or tea and focus on all of the little things that make that moment special.
5) Take time to do a hobby or craft that you have not made time for in the past.
These 5 tips are the first of many that can help you slow down to enjoy more. When life gets too fast, we forget to live our lives for us only. Slow down to enjoy more out of your life, your spouse, your career, and most off all, you get to enjoy yourself more.
This is going to be a 2 part series on how being so fast in life can have huge impacts on our relationships and their wellbeing. Thanks for taking the time to read! If you are interested in talking more about how your fast paced life is affecting you or those around you, get in touch with me and lets talk.