If you stop and ask a friend, “How’s life?” one of the most common responses you’ll get back is “Busy!” The vast majority of us fill our calendars and our lives to the brim with activity, to the point that one thing taking longer than expected or not going to plan sends the whole day cascading into a stressful mess.
There are many reasons we live such busy lives—some people avoid slowing down because they haven’t learned to be at peace with themselves in the quiet of an unrushed afternoon. The vast majority of us, I suspect, are just afraid of saying no to others and ourselves because we’ve been programmed to believe that our worth is tied up in what we do instead of who we are.
The question of “who we are” most interests me. In all the rushing around, it can be hard to prioritize any value higher than efficiency, let alone make space in your mind to contemplate and consider the kind of person you want to become.
6 Reasons to Take Life Slowly
1. Having Less Stress
When you hurry about, your body naturally perceives a stressful situation. While helpful for those rare times when you’re running late and need to focus and move fast, this response is hard on your body if experienced chronically. Once you slow down, the stress response is reversed. Try it by washing the dishes or cleaning up a room without rushing this evening. Perform each task like you have all the time in the world, and—like magic—you’ll experience a calmer state of mind.2. Finding Pleasure in Simple Joys
After a few days of slowing down, one of the delightful side effects I notice is that I begin to take pleasure in things I had previously missed. Subtle, quiet, and easy to miss, these pleasures often disappear behind the mind’s veil of busyness when the body is moving at warp speed. Simple joys, such as noticing the warmth on your face as you walk to the car, feeling a surge of love when picking up the kids from school, or luxuriating in taking time for a fond memory, surface when we slow down.3. Making More Time for Relationships
Relationships can’t be forged in a hurry. Every friendship I’ve ever had resulted from unrushed time getting to know someone and savoring the other person’s company. There is simply no shortcut for this process. When you’re in a hurry, your mindset switches to pragmatism—figuring out what you can get done and who can help you. Slowing down, on the other hand, puts you in a more curious and receptive spirit, which is ideal for connecting with others.4. Discovering Different Types of Productivity
Most of us hurry so we can get more done. We pack our days full because of our commitment to our goals and obligations. But isn’t it funny that our plans often outstrip the amount of time we have? Slowing down invites a different type of productivity that helps you see what’s really important. Such clarity can lead to cutting out the less important to make room for what matters. If you define productivity as stewarding your time well, eliminating fluff is more valuable than adding one more thing to your plate.5. Improving Your Health and Sleep
I mentioned earlier that being in a hurry leads to stress. This is an easily observable fact that most of us take for granted because we’ve experienced it so many times. However, you may have an underlying intuition that stress isn’t good for your body. It often comes along with headaches, stomach discomfort, and susceptibility to colds. Thankfully, when you slow down and take a few calming breaths, you awaken your parasympathetic nervous system, which calms your body, lowers your heart rate, restores your natural health balance, and aids in a good night’s sleep.6. Aligning With Your Highest Values
When rushing around my house or on some work project, I feel my body is in flight-or-fight mode. I’m hardly taking any time to pause and reflect, I’m just doing what needs to be done to put out the fire in front of me. That’s fine for true emergencies, but when it becomes your standard mode of living, it likely means you’re living reactively instead of proactively. Slowing down means creating white space in your mind and heart to remind yourself of what you’re living for and why.Slowing down increases your sense of productivity and a job well done, even if you end up doing less. Dropping the busyness for a slower experience in life might change your answer to the question, “How are you?” to “I am loving life!”
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