I recently came across an article talking about ‘slow September’…
Now I know there are many themed months (Feb Fast, Mindful May, Movember etc) but I’d never heard of this one.
Turns out it’s not actually a thing… more it’s the month of September which alliterates with any word beginning with the letter ‘s’… so hence slow!
In some ways I’m glad the idea of slowing down is not tied to a particular month…
We can do it anytime we want.
The idea of a slower way of living is not a new one…
But it can be hard to fathom when we live in a world that is so full on.
Have you noticed how the words ‘maxx’ and ‘maxxing’ are everywhere now?
Ugh.
A 2012 study found that while you can’t physically get more time (there’s only 24 hours in a day)… your subjective sense of time can be increased…
The results of four experiments revealed a counterintuitive solution…
When you spend time on other people (ie giving some of your time away to others), you end up feeling like you have more time yourself.
You can slow yourself down by taking the time to have a chat with the person next to you in a queue…
Or at the bus stop…
Your barista…
Someone you regularly see on your morning walk…
Or maybe a neighbour you usually just smile and wave at… because you’re too busy to stop.
When we slow down and notice what’s around us, who’s around us, and what’s happening around us (ie practice mindfulness)… we can reduce stress.
In my husband’s last workplace, some employees ‘sold out’ their lunch breaks… rarely ever walking away from their desks…
Whereas my husband was really good at getting up and ‘taking a thought for a walk’…
Or making a cup of tea…
Never eating his lunch at his desk.
Taking small pauses throughout the day is crucial for our wellbeing.
A mindfulness minute…
To take a few breaths…
Look out of a window… see what’s there.
In a job I had many, many years ago I had a fantastic office view overlooking the Brisbane River and South Bank…
I remember people often saying to me ‘Oh wow, what a view’…
To which I’d usually answer ‘if I ever had time to look at it’.
Ouch.
I left that job.
In fact, I left my last full-time workplace, partly due to time…
They were increasing my workload… to the point I wouldn’t have had a break at all between some classes (let alone think about lunch).
I just knew it was going to be me… or the job.
Fortunately, I picked me.
Don’t get me wrong I feel like I’ve never been busier since leaving that job!
But that’s because I choose to be busy… on my terms.
I always find time to look out of the window though…
Noticing if our local wallaby is around…
Or stopping to listen to the Lewin’s Honeyeater…
Or the crazy Noisy Friarbirds that are very vocal at the moment…
Yesterday we sat watching the clouds.
I take other micro-breaks doing Sudokus… or playing Mahjong on the computer.
Now I take my time… and can do things slowly…
Whether it’s September or not.
Ann 🙏