How to Slow Down in a Busy World

Learning how to slow down isn't always easy. It takes intentional effort to resist the societal norm that "busy is better", or that being busy equals productivity and importance. Choose to slow down instead.

If you're ready to slow down, but you don't know how to do it, how do you get out of the fast lane and embrace the slower pace life you are craving?

Learn How to Slow Down in a Simple Way Without the Stress

Keep it Simple and Stress-Free

Don't put any pressure on yourself to do everything on the list all at once. Start by trying one thing on the list. Try another when you feel ready.

Hopefully, over time, these suggestions of ways to slow down will become ingrained in your daily routines and rhythms so you can live a slower life you enjoy.

Get Outside

Spending time outside in nature has been proven to have a wide range of physical and mental health benefits.

Getting outside can lower your blood pressure, reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, increase creativity and memory, boost immunity, and more.

Another great benefit of getting outside in nature is the way it helps you slow down and let go of some of the busyness of life. Go for a walk, or even just sit outside for a few minutes. It will do your body and your mind good.

Turn Off Your Phone

Technology is a wonderful thing. It makes life easier in so many ways and provides us with many opportunities to innovate, connect and create, but it can also become all-consuming when you're always connected, always reachable, always plugged in.

Learn to unplug. Turn your phone off for an hour, a day, a weekend. Silence your notifications so there are fewer dings and beeps vying for your attention.

Technology can be a wonderful addition to our lives as long as we have boundaries to make sure it is adding value to our lives, rather than becoming an unwanted distraction from the people and activities that matter most.

Spend Five Minutes Noticing Your Breath

A simple way to slow down is to take some time to sit and notice the breath.

Noticing your breath is a form of meditation but doesn't have to be complicated or intimidating.

Try sitting and noticing your breath for five minutes. When you notice your wind wandering, return your attention to your breath.

Not only are you teaching your brain to be more mindful by returning your focus to your breath again and again, but you are also making an intentional choice to sit and slow down for a few minutes.

Take 3 Deep Breaths

Deep breathing is another way to use your breath to slow down when you find yourself feeling rushed, busy or overwhelmed.

Try taking 3 deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth to help release some of the stress and busyness. It will help you find a calmer, slower pace to carry with you during the rest of the day.

Savour Your Coffee or Tea

Taking the time to mindfully notice and savour small moments throughout your day is a great way to learn how to slow down.

Practice noticing, appreciating and savouring your coffee or tea as you drink it.

Instead of checking your phone or drinking it while doing something else, try to be present for the experience of drinking your favourite drink. Really taste it, notice and pay attention to it. The colour, the smell, and the taste.

Anytime you are able to add small moments of mindfulness into your day, you are practicing slowing down.

Start Your Day Intentionally Slower

How ever you start your day, usually sets the tone for the rest of the day. When you start your day in a rush, you often feel rushed, frantic and behind for the rest of the day.

A great way to learn how to slow down is by starting your day a little slower and more intentionally right from the beginning.

Wake Up Earlier

Get up 30 minutes earlier so you can start your day slower. When you wake up earlier, not only can you avoid rushing, but you can also include things in your morning routine that you enjoy, make you feel good and have a positive impact on the rest of the day.

You can meditate, journal, read, exercise or simply have a few minutes to savour your coffee in peace!

For example, you can meditate, journal, read, exercise or simply have a few minutes to savour your coffee in peace!

If you start your day slower and with more intention, your mornings can be more enjoyable. Hopefully, you can carry that slower, more enjoyable pace with you throughout the rest of your day.

Cross Something off Your To-Do List

No matter how much you simplify your life, there will always be things that still need to be done. However, one way to slow down is by really assessing your to-do-list and getting rid of anything that doesn't necessarily need to be done.

Is there anything on your to-do-list you could let go of? Learning to prioritize how you spend your time and letting go of things that don't add value to your life or simply don't need to be done is a great way to slow down.

See if there is anything you can take off the list to give yourself the opportunity to slow down a bit.

Turn Off the Noise

Sometimes simply turning off the literal noise in your life is a great way to slow down and give yourself a breather.

Try turning off the TV, music, podcast, radio, etc., for a few minutes to give yourself some silence. Take a minute to notice and really pay attention to where you are, what you are doing and what's going on around you.

In a world full of noise, sometimes silence really can be golden.

Really Listen When You Are Talking to Someone

Another great way to turn off the noise and tune in to what's going on around you is by really listening when you are talking to someone.

Try giving your next conversation your undivided attention. Practice listening to understand, not listening to respond.

Finding moments of connection and truly listening to the person you are talking to is a great way to help slow down and be more present in your life.

Add Some White Space to Your Home

Slow down and simplify by clearing the clutter. When you have less stuff in your home, you have less stuff requiring your time, energy and attention to manage.

Just like removing non-essential things from your to-do list can help you learn how to slow down, removing non-essential things from your home is another great way to slow don.

Remember, every piece of clutter you remove from your home adds up to more time, space and energy for you to reclaim.

Add Some White Spaced to Your Schedule

If life is feeling busy, hectic and overwhelming, a great way to slow down is by removing some of the activities and commitments making you feel that way in the first place.

Take a critical look at your calendar and schedule. Look for activities or commitments you don't enjoy, are no longer working for your family, or simply adding more stress than value to your life. See if you can eliminate or at least reduce those kinds of activities and commitments.

Say No More Often

An important way to start adding more white space to your schedule is by practicing saying "no" more often.

Learning to say no can be hard at first, especially if you're a people pleaser or don't want to feel like you're letting people down.

Learning to say no is an important way to set boundaries to protect your time and well-being, helping you slow down and focus on what is most important to your instead.

Every time you say yes to something, it means you have less time, energy and attention for other things in your life.

Set Your Priorities

Having clear priorities in your life is an important part of simplifying your calendar and learning to set boundaries.

When you have clear priorities of what is most important to you in your current season of life, it makes it easier to assess what is adding value to your life and what isn't.

Knowing exactly what your priorities are gives you a compass to steer and guide your decisions about how you will use your time, space, energy, money, etc.

Keep your focus on your priorities instead of getting swept away in the busyness of life.

Clean Out Your Closet

Cleaning out your closet and decluttering your clothes is a simplifying project that will have a big impact on your life. The heaviness and stress of a closet full of clothes adds to your life.

A smaller wardrobe makes getting dressed faster and easier, so you can start your days with a little less stress and a little more ease.

Practice Gratitude

Practicing gratitude is a great way to slow down and find more enjoyment in life. Not only does it help bring you back to the present moment, but it also shifts your mindset in a positive direction.

The great thing about practicing gratitude is that it's something you can do anywhere, anytime. All you need to do is take a few minutes and think of a few things you are grateful for. Sometimes they are big things, like your health. Sometimes they are small things, like a warm pair of socks.

The key is making an effort to shift your mindset to gratitude to help you slow down and find more to appreciate and enjoy life.

Spend Time with the People You Love

Spending time with the people you love and really being present during that time is a great way to practice slowing down.

When you spend time with people you love, it helps remind you of what matters most in life. Making it easier to step away from some of the busyness and embrace a slower life focused on spending your time with those you love.

Ground Yourself Through Your Senses

If you're feeling overwhelmed, rushed or frantic, a great way to slow down is by grounding yourself through your senses.

Using your senses can help calm you and bring you back to the present moment because you need to concentrate and pay attention to what's going on around you.

5 things you can see

4 things you can feel

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 thing you can taste

Eat Slowly

Sitting down and eating mindfully is a great way to practice slowing down. Instead of rushing through your meal or trying to read, respond to emails, drive, etc., while you eat, make a point of savouring your meal and eating slowly.

Not only will you slow down and feel less rushed and overwhelmed, but you will also enjoy your meals a lot more too.

Do One Thing at a Time

Very few people can multi-task effectively. Usually, multi-tasking leaves you feeling rushed, frazzled, stressed, and not doing any of the tasks particularly well.

Instead, try doing one task at a time. Not only will you practice slowing down, but there's a good chance you will also do a better job at whatever you are doing when you aren't distracted and jumping back and forth between multiple tasks.

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