9 Ways to Slow Down
We talked about slowing down in yesterday’s post, and now we’ll check some actionable steps we can take today to slow down our time and life:
1. Meditate
Even if it’s a short, 10 or 15 minutes, meditation is the best way to slow down time and remind ourselves that life is meant to be lived at a slower pace.
2. Journal
Time machine exists, and it is called our journal. As we review our old entries, we can travel back in time to a particular day and experience all the feelings and emotions as we’re experiencing it for the first time. When we’re journaling, we are also reliving our day for the second time. I think journaling is an excellent way to recap moments, slow down time, and acknowledge our existence.
Deep, focused breaths can slow time anywhere and anytime. When we find ourselves stressed with the sheer volume of work we need to do, it’s time to close our eyes, take a slow deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and then exhale. Take a couple more. Really feel the air coming in, and stress going out. With 3 or 4 focused breaths we’re certain to slow down time, get rid of stress, and bring ourselves back to the present moment.
4. Be in Silence
Ryan Holiday mentioned in his book, Stillness is The Key, that the absence of noise allows us to discover a deeper awareness of our environment and give our brain time to reflect and contemplate. We tend to listen to the podcast, audiobooks, or music when we do the dishes, when we drive, when we work, etc., and there is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes, it’s better to just turn everything off and enjoy the task at hand in silence. Instead of covering up, why not appreciate it? It might teach us to listen more to what really matters.
5. Disconnect
Scientists believe that our relationship to technology speeds up our perception of time. In a series of human experiments, researchers have found that people who are constantly connected to technology perceive time to flow faster. What was actually 50 minutes seemed like an hour to tech addicts. They were also more anxious and stressed about time running out than people who used technology less.
6. Go into Nature
We are slaves to our clocks. In nature, there is none (if you don’t bring it with you). Time in nature is measured by seasons, sunrises, sunsets and temperature changes. It is much more beautiful than watching seconds go by on our “screens”.
7. Go Out of The Comfort Zone
Learn new skills, adopt new hobbies, try new foods, meet new people, travel the world. Not only will stepping out of our comfort zone bring novelty into our lives, it will also slow down time because it will break mundane routines of everyday life. Maybe this sounds counterintuitive, but passage of time is based on how we use it, thus slowing down brain’s perception of it.
8. Do Everything Slowly
Do your daily activities slower, and not only will you see that everything can be done right on time, but also, you will feel happier and more relaxed than usual. For example, if you have to go shopping, give it more time than expected and you will see that you can end up being more satisfied with your choices.
9. Live an Intentional Life
Often, we are lost in time because we are not living intentionally. Some might call it a life without a purpose. Whether it’s working just to get by, or study for the sake of studying, doing things without intention is a sure way to a fast life. We need to be present in every action we do, no matter how small or unimportant it may seem to us. Maybe living intentionally won’t slow down time as the things above, but it surely will prevent us from wasting time on things that don’t align with our values and beliefs.
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Living Slowly
Living slowly allows us to gain more time for the things that matter most to us. When we define what that is, and say no to activities and behaviors which are not, our time slows down. Therefore, the key to slowing down time is nothing more than being present in the moment, appreciating now, and focusing on the most important things every second of the day.
How is time passing for you these days? Faster than before? Slower? If you’ve discovered any other methods to slow down time, please let me know in the comments down below.
Cheers!
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