6 Positive Ways that Slowing Down Improves Your Life

Has anyone ever suggested you should stop and smell the flowers? Maybe you were in too much of a rush to hear what they said!

There’s much to be said for slowing down, even though it may feel as if we can’t afford to do so. If that same thought is going through your mind now, stop for a moment and read through the following ways you could benefit from dialling things down a bit. It’s not all about stopping to smell those blooms; there are many other perks to doing this.

In fact, once you try it, you may find there are untold benefits you could take advantage of.

SLOWING DOWN RELIEVES AND REDUCES STRESS
Stress isn’t good for us. It can lead to all kinds of health problems. While some stress won’t do us any harm, we shouldn’t always feel this way.

Take the time to consciously slow down for a day or two and see how you feel. Do you notice a difference? Is that difference physical, emotional, mental – or all three?

GREAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU GO SLOW
You can look forward to increased focus, better concentration, and fewer mistakes too. There you go – three advantages in one! These are all great benefits to have in the workplace, no matter what you do for a living.

But they will also be beneficial in your personal life. Rushing to chop vegetables for dinner is more likely to land you in casualty for stitches than if you slow yourself down and take more care over your task. Hey, you might even appreciate the act of chopping those vegetables more if you take time to do it properly instead of thinking of it as a chore to be finished as quickly as possible.

YOU’LL CONNECT WITH THE WORLD AROUND YOU
How often do you notice what is happening around you? How often do you miss things completely? Taking life at a slower pace means you can appreciate more details – things you may never have noticed before. It gives you a new appreciation of the world you live in, no matter where that may be.

Here’s a challenge for you – resolve to spend tomorrow taking things at an easier pace. If you have a busy day ahead, cross out some things that wouldn’t matter if you didn’t do them. Television isn’t a necessity; neither is the housework. Not for tomorrow, anyway. Just for tomorrow, slow down and see what happens. How do you view the world when you’re not always focusing on the next thing on your to-do list?

IT MAKES MINDFULNESS EASIER – ALMOST AUTOMATIC
You’re probably already aware I practice mindfulness. But it is far easier to do so when you aren’t rushing to get through the day. My mind used to be focused on little more than a tick-box exercise. Done that, done that, need to do that… you get the idea.

Now, I live life more slowly. I have time to appreciate the moment, rather than just thinking about the next thing I need to do. If you have tried mindfulness in the past and never quite managed to conquer it, slow things down a bit and see what happens. You might be surprised at the results.

YOU WILL FIND YOU ARE MORE IN TUNE WITH YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES
How do you spend your time? When you’re rushing through each day, it can be hard to tell how much time you spend on doing things you like and dislike. Of course, we all need to do things we don’t like. Visiting the dentist, paying bills, cleaning the oven… Yet by slowing things down, we can focus on how we spend each day. You’ll never get rid of all the things you don’t like, but you can see how you spend your time. That means you can make changes and improvements to how you use this finite resource.

GREATER ENJOYMENT OF LIFE
Isn’t this the greatest benefit of all? We cannot get back the moments we have already lived. All we can do is make the most of every moment we have now. Taking things more slowly means we can check in with ourselves. We can adjust the way we live our lives, to ensure we are as happy as we can be. Going forward, this is arguably the best tip of all.

Slowing down seems counterproductive, doesn’t it? You’ve got lots to do, and the sooner you get it all done, the sooner you can relax. But as you will soon discover, slowing your pace right down to start with can make you more productive. It can make you work smarter rather than harder. And it can give you more to look forward to every day.

Doesn’t that sound like something to aim for? 

AUTHOR: LEANNA DOOLIN

Co – Founder of holistic skincare brand, Pure Thoughts and advocate for women finding pause in their day to breathe deeply, give thanks and reconnect to what matters. Loves early mornings, dogs and books that you can’t put down.