When we talk about the art of slowing down, I think it’s best to start by asking what exactly does it mean to slow down?
Slowing down in life means to increase the conscious effort you make when you are doing your day-to-day tasks. It’s about being present and not letting anxiety or stress get to you. It’s about taking time for yourself and the people in your life.
There are abundant benefits to slowing down in Life. For one the stress levels in the body are lowered which makes for a calm and relaxed mental state. Slowing down allows us for more clear thinking about what is important in life.
In the age of instant gratification and information overload, we have all become a little more impatient. The children of this age are having trouble waiting for anything – from food to technology.
Many studies have found that people who are used to instant gratification have an increased risk for depression and anxiety. Given that the younger population is so used to getting things instantly, it’s no wonder they have a higher chance of feeling unmotivated or frustrated in life.
We need to remind ourselves that there is no such thing as perfect satisfaction because once you get it, you want something else instead. What if we could just stop what we are doing and be happy with exactly what’s happening right now?
There are many things we could do to slow down in our lives. From cooking more to spending less time on social media, there are many things that can be done that will impact the way you feel.
Slowing down increases self-awareness and results in being more mindful of how we spend our time, what we eat, to enjoy each moment instead of rushing through to get to the next. If you’re having lunch, enjoy your lunch. For example if you’re having lunch plus work, the quality of the work you’re doing because of your rushed state just is not as good, and as a result you’re stressed about the poor quality and it goes in a spiral.
Stress and burnout robs our energy and threatens our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. When we are rushed, stress and burnout is just going to be the eventual outcome.
So here are my best tips to slow down:
- Enjoy the connections and the presence of whoever you’re with, give them more time and attention.
- When going to an event, don’t rush to network with 10 people, have a true deep connection. This is also why I love to go to events alone, I can slowly get to know other people and not rush to meet my friends.
- Have a morning routine that starts your day right. You do not have to wake up at 4am, even if it’s just 10 minutes earlier than before so that you can have a solid grounding morning routine that makes you feel good about yourself and the day ahead is enough. One misconception I hear that I want to debunk is that you do not have to be a morning person to have a morning routine. And if you want to become a morning person, stop saying you’re not a morning person.
- Evening routine, go to sleep in gratitude and feeling like a winner.
- Stop saying you’re overwhelmed. Stop saying you’re stressed, whatever you want to throw out of your life, don’t say it over and over and remind yourself of that busy state.
- Get rid of feelings of Busyness.
- Breathe and start over. As soon as you notice that you are lost in the busyness or overwhelm, stop. Simply pause, take a deep breath, put on an eye mask, close your eyes, practice silence or meditate for 5 minutes or even just 2 minutes and remind yourself that you can start over right now and choose slow, intentionally choose calm.
- Don’t overestimate what you can do in 10 days but also, don’t underestimate what you can do in 10 years.
- Fuel yourself with motivation as many times a day as you need.
It’s your life, remember that you get to decide the speed you go at life or business with. You have the steering wheel, and your foot is on the gas pedal, so have a joyful ride and enjoy the scenery along the way. Look outside, inhale, exhale and smile now.
Lucy Liu is a master life coach helping women uplevel in business and life to confidently live an epic life! She is an unshakable optimist, wife, mom, entrepreneur, workshop facilitator, motivational speaker, best selling author and podcast host of The Lucy Liu Show.
Entrepreneurs & high achievers hire her to see clarity and take quantum leaps FAST. Because most of them are overthinking, scattered and self-doubting. She's best at helping you get unstuck, make faster decisions and fulfill higher potential. Bottom line: not only make more money and impact, but have more fun and live an EPIC life by design.
She has been featured in Medium, VoyageLA, Elephant Journal, ThriveGlobal, South China Morning Post and dozens of other media outlets. 
