In a fast-paced life and in a culture that is so focused on achieving, the word slow may not be a word that stands a chance to fit the puzzle. I know of a beautiful quote by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk, who said, “Drink your tea slowly and reverently as if it is the axis in which the world revolves.”
Which areas do you find most challenging to start slow? What hinders you? Culturally, moving slow is associated with procrastination and lethargy. In truth, moving slow is about making the most out of the present moment. When we rush, we compromise something so necessary to life, our breathing. We forget how to take long and deep breaths. We all have our daily battles to face but we cannot take our breathing for granted. It holds the key to our pause, enabling us to go slow.
Here, some points for reflection:
CHECK YOUR MINDSET
There is nothing wrong with taking things slow. The guilt and worries attached to it like being left behind, wanting to have more free time in the future, or wanting to do things instantly possibly stem from the way we were conditioned to think and operate when we were young. I am not asking you to change your habits. But at the very least, ask yourself why you’re hurrying. Ask if your goal is truly worth it. Be honest with yourself.
IT STARTS WITH BREATHING
When you catch yourself fuming mad or hopelessly frustrated because you’re rushed, tune in to your breathing. You may sometimes forget that breathing is easy and free, so be absolutely grateful for being alive. There are moments that invite you to just breathe because it powers your heart, brain, and life. Breathing is life itself.
TAKE PERIODIC BREAKS
Many of us were raised to get things done the earliest and the fastest we could. But I reckon that it is far more helpful to take periodic breaks. Choose to pause from time to time. It would be helpful if we could look into changing the pattern of how we do things.
TUNE IN TO YOUR EMOTIONS
What do you usually do in the midst of an emotional upheaval or breakdown? When you are frustrated with something, what do you do? In the middle of an emotional experience, it is okay to cry. But after a much-needed release, sit down and ask yourself: “What is this emotion telling me?” Stay in the process. Do not force yourself to craft solutions right away. Take a break. Work on this simple exercise: Acknowledge the feeling, name the emotion, and understand the trigger. When these feelings arise, it is usually not about the other person or the circumstances. It is mostly about our deepest and unexpressed inner need. It might also be about a feeling that we’ve spent so much time denying, hiding, and not confronting. We often try to find a solution but we do not try to resolve the root cause. Respect your emotions. Let them be.
DO NOT JUMP TO QUICK SOLUTIONS
Life may sometimes let us experience the same problem over and over until we learn the lesson. Don’t be so quick to jump into solutions. Doing so can lead to a bigger problem that requires major repairs. Allow yourself to learn things as you go.
CHOOSE TO MOVE SLOW
Choose to move away from the very quick pace of taking on life. What’s the hurry? Is there some sort of competition that we are in?
Think of one activity that you can do daily to support you in your movement towards taking your time and moving slow. Going slow is the key to mindfulness. It is tuning in to the present moment.
In going slow, we can see how God works in extraordinary ways in our ordinary lives. In going slow, we can make sense and appreciate what we have. There are sacred moments that live in the slowness of life. This is perhaps why there are times where we find it so hard to tune in and hear about how the Lord moves in our lives, it is because we are in a rush. The spirit has a hard time catching up with the body. Let us allow our spirit to catch up with us. Allow the body to tune in with the spirit. When we go slow, the body and spirit can work together. – WITH PAU DE VERA