Go Slow to Go Far

“Go slow to go far” is a quote I heard from a co-worker, about working in communities with communities. It is about taking time to build relationships to create a strong foundation for collaboration,

But it is a quote I have offered counselling clients who struggle with overfunctioning, earning their rest, and living with a baseline of anxiety.

What is slowing down?

Most of us think slowing down means taking more time off work, maybe even vacations!
It means slow mornings with cups of coffee and sunbeams streaming through windows.

Slowing down means not needing to be part of all the social activities, agendas and societal glorification of busy.

Yes, slowing down is great! As someone who has the hobby of ‘staring out the window at trees, ’ it is no surprise that I think we could all use more margin in our lives where there is time to just ‘be’ and not ‘do’

We tend to think of slowing down as a big statement or big life shift. But it can also be something we practice in little moments of daily life, where we often don’t allow ourselves to slow down.

We can slow down in our daily lives.

We can be slow and productive at the same time

A few months back, I was sharing with a friend about a busy week ahead. My husband would be working, and I told her, ‘Nobody is coming to save me, I have to do this on my own!’

Since she is a friend who holds me accountable, she asked me how I was going to take care of myself through it. I told her my mission was to do all the things I had to do, but to do them with a slower and calmer energy.

Most people think I have a calm energy, but my family will tell you that I get overstimulated very easily. (She’s an anxious lady just trying not to have too many noises happening at once!) And when I am caught up in the rush, I can buy into the urgency and pressure of an agenda. I become distracted and short.

I knew the busy week would be one where I would be rushed and overwhelmed, by default.
I knew that it wouldn’t feel good, and my kids wouldn’t enjoy it and I wouldn’t enjoy.
I also knew it was going to take work to keep monitoring and adjusting my stance and my energy.

For years, I have been working on HOW I am doing things, instead of WHAT I am doing.

I want to do things with a calm and intentional (or even FUN) energy. Instead of letting anxiety and stress take over and drive the bus, so to speak.

I’ve been working on doing what I am doing, but slowing it down.

Go about my day with intention.

Stopping to breathe.

Stopping to look up.

Stopping to make a mom joke.

Most importantly, stopping to eat.

Where are you rushing in your daily life? Where would you like to slow down?

Rushing often leads to burnout

We can all tend to rush through our day, driven by this internal pressure to keep checking things off the list and get it all done
(some people have an actual list (that is likely too long for one person in one day), and some have an idea of the list that they actually haven’t defined but still feel constantly threatened by it)

I have some amazing, productive people in my life who are literally running from cupboard to counter in their own kitchen, like they are on the countdown in a cooking show.

You can see people speedwalking through the grocery store.

You can see people speeding out of parking lots.

There are people who are typing the email while trying to talk to you and you can just sense they are split into four different tasks.

You can see people distracted from what is happening around them because they are mentally onto the next thing.

Our society (or maybe even family) tells us EVERYTHING MATTERS! And that to be ‘successful’ or ‘good’ we need to do ALL THE THINGS! (and if you are a woman, you also have to look good doing it #eyeroll #bringbackthematriarchy)

But how does this all actually FEEL?

We do too much, with too much stress. It doesn’t feel good.

Then we start to think that all this living life is SUPPOSED to be stressful and hard. And if we can’t keep up with it, there is something wrong with us!

When we don’t slow down, in little ways, we often crash and burn.

What if we did life a bit slower, without so much stress? Could we feel like we had more capacity in our daily lives?

This is what I mean by go slow to go far.

The slower you go, the more intentional and calm you can feel. It actually allows you to get more done.

You will burn yourself out if you are constantly operating from stress and reactivity.

Just like running a long distance. You have to pace yourself.

I can rush my whole family out the door, through the errands, and back to the house (of course, anxiety is a great motivator). And there have been years where I was a martyr about it all and made it so much harder than it needed to be.

I realized I had the choice to pause in my mudroom. Amidst toddler protests about footwear and my slamming a protein bar into my mouth. I could pause here and take a breath and calm myself rather than continue the stress spiral.

I could pause on our walk home from school. The only thing waiting at home for us was laundry and pantry snacks.

I can pause. I can take a breath. I can do what I am doing, but be a bit calmer about it.

Slowing down is a tool for more intentional living

Our job, as people who are aiming to live with intention and in line with our OWN personal values, is to ask ourselves what matters most to us. Then focus on doing THOSE things.
I know this is simple, but not easy.

But if one of our values is to be a present woman/friend/parent/partner/person, then slowing down is one tool to help us with that.

Slowing down also allows us to operate with intention rather than stress.

Slowing down allows us to still do the things we need to do, but at a pace our bodies can feel safe at.

Slowing down allows us to pay attention to what we are doing and why we are doing it.

It also helps us to be more aware of what is happening around us.

Slowing down, physically, allows us to also slow down emotionally and mentally

And you know what else I have found….. slowing down actually helps me have more fun (which has been a goal of mine over the years). I think we could all practice dropping the heaviness and having some more fun.

So, here is my challenge to you this week.

Do your life, but do it a bit slower.

Of course, part of this has to be challenging your own ‘to-do’ list.

Make sure you understand what you are trying to accomplish and why.

Make sure you like your ‘what’ and your ‘why’

Here are some ways to slow down in your daily life

Slow down your pace (of whatever you are doing, walking, cleaning, etc)
Slow down your breathing (big inhale, even longer exhale)
Slow down your vision (slowly scan your surroundings)
Slow down your hearing (bring your awareness to what you hear around you)
Try to drop out of your head and into your body, give your body a shake and a big breath.
Slow down your eating/drinking (drop your shoulders, look up, be mindful about the process of eating)
Put on some music that reminds you to slow down (listen to it while around the house or cooking, or driving)
Slow down your errands (unless you are on the Amazing Race, you have permission to saunter through aisles, look at labels, and calmly make your way through the parking lots)

I am not saying take all the time in the world to do chores and errands and get people places. I am encouraging you to pay attention to the energy you approach it with. So, practice a calmer energy while you get things done. See how it feels. See where it is easy and see where it needs more work.

This will be a challenge at first. Remember, it is awareness and progress, not perfection.

If you try this, share in the comments how it feels and what you notice!

Related posts you might like

How to actually slow down in your daily life