The love of speed has become a progressive obsession. When people feel short on time, they look for ways to speed up the things they already do. This constant acceleration comes at cost. The pressure to go faster can reduce the quality of the behavior or activity. Over time, you begin to forget how to go slower, and that is a high price to pay.
A rushed life is superficial by necessity. You only allow enough time to skim the surface and this leaves no time for real connection with people or the activity itself. While you may get more done, less enjoyment is yielded from your efforts. Rushing through life cheats you of its deeper meaning and beauty. The things that bind people together and make life rich, such as family, friendship and community, all thrive on time. When people fail to make time for these connections, they lose touch with them. This creates disconnected isolated lives, in the midst of unending opportunity for connection.
Today you can have thousands of connections all over the world; however, you still only have the same amount of time. How many of those connections can be meaningful if they are not nurtured with ones time? It seems that people who live life fast, unwittingly trade depth for breadth. Is this cult of speed, akin to making a deal with the devil? You can have it all; you just won't really enjoy any of it...
Downshifting to a slower pace allows time for doing nothing, being with friends, daydreaming, and reflection. It is a challenge to shut out distractions and to be alone with ones thoughts. A challenge because distractions are plentiful and because it has been so long since doing so, that it is almost uncomfortable to be without stimulation. Where would your thoughts go if they were not challenged by the latest distraction? If you are not sure, try it and find out. That is downshifting; taking small steps in the direction of slowing the pace at which you tackle life.
Test yourself. When was the last time you read an entire article, book, or even an email? Skim, reduce and summarize is the fast life way. However, what is missed when you do not take time for the full picture? Occasionally this is necessary or timely, but when it becomes the norm, you may be facing life stuck in high gear. This means that even when you do have more time, you do not use it to go deeper; you use it to take on more activity in the same shallow manner. This results in a partial, superficial understanding of many topics.
In the age of the sound bite and twitter, people feel free to share what they think, however it often comes from a shallow knowledge base. No longer are people taking time to evaluate their core beliefs or values and how that affects the opinions they form. There is a lack of fully researching subjects before commenting on them. Today, anyone with a computer or cell phone can be an "expert" on a subject.
People today bounce from one hot button topic to the next, sharing their limited point of view. In turn, others begin to form their opinions based on those summaries. It becomes easy to see how opinions can become skewed away from the true heart of an issue. Like the telephone game played as children, the original message is lost, due to sharing through multiple people, what was only partially heard.
Going back to the days of living slow by necessity, is not the goal of Downshifting. The purpose is to live a better, more fulfilling life in the midst of this fast-paced modern world. It places value on slowing down the pace of life and spending time meaningfully, while not spending money wastefully.
To begin downshifting, is to become aware of ones relationship with time and to seek balance. To be easily adaptable, fast when it makes sense to be fast and slow when life can be better savored through slowness. This right speed or tempo giusto as musicians would call it, is a personal choice. It requires finding what is important to you and ensuring you honor that in the way you use your time.
Carl Petrini, the Italian founder of Slow Food, may have said it best, "Being Slow means that you control the rhythms of your own life. What we are fighting for is the right to determine our own tempos." Downshifting allows you to find that tempo giusto, and discover your unique balance of self-nurture, work and home life. It means taking time for what matters and not spreading yourself so thin that you fail to enjoy connections that are at the heart of vibrant living. If your lifestyle is wearing you down, consider downshifting as a way to regain the vital connections that will restore you.
"Wellness Matters" Article Series by Lisa Schilling RN, BSN, CPT
Speaker, Writer, Wellness Coach & Consultant
Lisa Schilling is the author of "The Get REAL Guide to Health and Fitness-FIVE STEPS to Create Your Own Personal Wellness Plan." She juggles life as a doting wife and the mother of three boys, who keep her feet firmly planted on the ground!
Lisa is a Registered Nurse, author and recovering pageant queen, who spreads hope with her Get REAL approach to wellness. She empowers women, caregivers and groups to unleash their fullest potential by helping them to see their true beauty and discover their REAL value.
As an outspoken advocate for wellness and prevention, her motto is: "See one, do one, teach one!" Visit Lisa's website http://www.getrealwellnesssolutions.com to claim your FREE Bonus Gifts!
Providing quality counselling articles, hynotherapy writings and other mind help resources online, counselling hypnotherapist and life coach in London.
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