9 Ways to Slow Down in a High-Speed World
Hudson Valley cheese plate. Quinn Corte, 2022.
Listen to the audio version below:
Is it just me, or does everything feels like a “rush job” lately?
I’m rebelling by slowing down.
Even when life is speeding by, we can find oasis in our experience. My friend Jaime Fleres uses the metaphor of a train. If we’re on a speeding train of a fast-moving life, we can still be taking a nap. We can find pockets of ease and rest no matter what’s going on.
Is there any better place to practice slowing down than New York City? These last few weeks while I worked on a stressful project at the Met, I experimented.
I challenged myself to walk 5% slower through the galleries. Why is rushing my default instead of a gear to use when I’m running late?
I challenged myself to actually look at the art and spend time chatting with colleagues. What was the point of enduring New York if I didn’t enjoy the people and this iconic place?
I challenged myself to take brief lunch breaks in the sun and leave at 5ish. What’s the point of overworking myself when the job is too big to ever fully catch up?
The most surprising thing is how rebellious this all feels. Walking slower. Leaving an event early to get enough sleep. Not sitting up straighter when the big boss walks by. Seeing the mile-long “to do” list as a neutral tool instead of a panic-inducing indicator of failure.
My partner and I met up at a farmhouse for an agenda-free weekend away in the midst of my busy work time. We drank coffee and tea in the coziest bed with linen sheets. Then we put a quilt outside in the grass and ate a fancy cheese plate while watching yellow leaves fall around us. We strolled to the Hudson river to watch the sunset.
I want life to feel more like that weekend--sweet moments unfolding with delicious ease--even when life is speeding by.
Here are 9 small ways to practice slowing down:
Walk 5% slower.
Notice when you’re rushing purely out of habit.
“Put your pencil down” during meals.
Clock out with your brain and let yourself be a human as you eat.
Have an agenda-free day.
Let it unfold without plans, to-dos, or shoulds.
Step away from your screen for 2 minutes.
Slowly turn your neck to observe your surroundings.
Notice when you feel like someone is wasting your time.
Just acknowledge the impatience and see if you can stay present.
Put something that smells good on your desk.
Pick it up regularly and close your eyes to take a whiff.
Observe how you relate to your body when something's wrong.
Is your body an ally in resting or an obstacle to working?
Do fewer things this evening.
In fact, do only two things. Eating dinner counts as one.
Challenge yourself to do nothing.
Find tiny pockets of time where you literally stare into space. Let your cells slowly adjust to this new state of being.
“I judge success by how many naps I took in a week, and how many times I told somebody no; how many boundaries I upheld. To me that’s justice, that’s liberation, that’s freedom.”
– Tricia Hersey
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