Going Slow: Cultivating Presence in a Fast-Paced World
“Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” ~ Eddie Cantor
In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. Many of us strive to be productive, achieving as much as we can in as little time as possible. However, constantly pushing ourselves to move quickly can lead to burnout and decreased productivity in the long run.
As a recovering perfectionist myself, I know firsthand how uncomfortable the concept of slowing down can be - what if I lose all my momentum and never get started again?! My experience in recent years has been quite the opposite. I've learned that practising slowness and cultivating a sense of depth and presence can actually enhance productivity and lead to a more fulfilling life. It's possible to slow down without losing momentum.
Slow doesn't have to mean slow.
Going slow is not inherently better than moving quickly in the world. We live in a society that values productivity and speed. In a world that has conditioned us to go fast, do more, and feel less, going slow can feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar If you want to have a choice about how you show up in the world, going slow is something you need to practice and cultivate. The ability to oscillate between fast and slow allows you to experience your whole range of being human.
But what does it really mean to go slow?
When I think about slowing down, one of the first things that come to mind is physical slowness. This can involve deliberately creating more space in my diary or physically moving around the house at a slower pace. Sometimes, this physical slowness happens naturally when I'm tired, or in the latter stages of my menstrual cycle, and I feel like moving slower.
This is the type of slowing down that has me worried about how I'll ever get anything done again with the idea of moving at this pace all the time.
Slow down and smell the roses….
And that brings me to another quality of slowness. Slow isn't just about how you physically move through the world; instead, it's depth. Rather than moving across the surface of things, this sense of slowing down is going deep and being with all the layers of what's happening at any given moment. It's a quality of presence and noticing both internally and externally. While physical slowness can help me access this quality of depth, the two aren't synonymous and it's very easy to conflate the two. For me, this sense of depth is what it really means to be authentic, to be in connection and to be more fulfilled.
It can be challenging to maintain lots of external activity and move quickly in the world while maintaining this sense of depth. So, having more space in my diary and life can help me cultivate a sense of depth, but it's not the only way. I experience this quality of depth when I'm running, for example. Even though my body is moving, my mind slows down and focuses on one thing rather than trying to handle a million things at once.
So, how might you cultivate more of this sense of depth and presence in your life, even when you're moving quickly? What do you need to do in your body to cultivate a relaxed sense of focus and awareness of the world around you and how you are in it? Let me know how this lands for you and if you have any questions in the comments below.