I just finished a fabulous book by Carl Honore called “In Praise of Slowness,” and I loved it. He talks about the very simple concept of slowing down and moving more to the natural rhythms of our bodies. Something that many of us have forgotten in our sped up fast paced world.
Why is is so hard to slow down?
1) Guilt- American culture places a high value and worth on working hard. It is part of what makes America such a great place. Anyone can build themsevles up out of nothing, it’s the “American Dream.” To slow down and move to a slower pace, is not only un-American but will cause you to fall behind the rest (this is the belief). This need to work hard, is hard wired into our culture. While I agree that working hard is important, I also believe that working hard needs to be coupled with rest and downtime. I have seen too many people suffer from major health issues from too much stress and overwork. The question you have to ask yourself is, “do I want to have more balance today and move at a slower pace over the course of my life, or work myself to the bone and then have to take 3-5 years off and my life savings to recover from massive health issues associated with overwork, stress and poor eating.?”
2) Keeping up with the Joneses- I recently wrote another blog on how being healthly is a revolutionary act and I believe slowing down is in this same vain. If you are not indendently weathly, you have to make a choice between making lots of money or having more time on your hands. If you work in corporate America, slowness is not valued. To keep up with the pace of the culture and to move up, it is almost a requirement that you have to work long hours. If you want to continue to upgrade your home, car, clothes etc. then “yes” you most likely need to stay in the rat race. As your income starts to rise, rather than increase your lifestyle try to put more money away it will lead to more freedom and more choices. If you are in a corporate job that is sucking the life out of you, having a savings cushion gives you greater freedom to leave, and if you have maintained a standard of living that is lower you will not feel the need to have to stay in a certain job to maintain all of your stuff.
3) Putting yourself first- This is a tough one especially for women as we have a tendency to put everyone else first besides ourselves. There is more and more being put out in mainstream culture that the more we take time to care for ourselves our friends, family and community will reap the benefits. Next time you have the opportunity to take some down time for yourself, take advantage of it and know that you are doing something good not only for your health in the long term, but for all those that you touch in the short term.
Here’s to slowing down and enjoying the unfolding of life.
To your health,
Sharon
