It’s no secret – we live in a fast-paced world.
Over the last few decades, just about everything in our day to day experience has gotten faster. The way we travel, communicate, search for and research information…it has all become available to us at a speed which previous generations would have found baffling.
Not only that, but our current culture promotes busyness as something to aim for and admire. The more you can produce with your time, the more valuable you are. It’s easy to equate a longer “to-do” list with having a greater sense of purpose.
Our calendars quickly become packed with work meetings, household chores, and extracurricular activities. If we do happen to find a free moment, we are quick to fill it with input from technology. Did you know the average American checks their phone every six and a half minutes?
Why is this a problem?
The more time we spend producing and focusing on tasks and projects outside of ourselves, the less we understand ourselves. We stop knowing what truly “fills” us and defining our purpose becomes nearly impossible.
For many, true rest has become a thing of the past. We have forgotten how to slow down…or perhaps more importantly, why we should slow down.
Allow me to unpack this for you.
Why is it important to slow down?
- It’s good for your physical health.
The stress that comes from the constant busyness that many of us call “normal life” can raise our adrenaline and cortisol levels to an unhealthy level. High levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, are associated with higher risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep problems, and weight gain. - It’s good for your mental health.
Alright, we are back to cortisol. While cortisol has its place (helping you to discern threats or dangerous situations) consistently elevated cortisol levels have also been linked to anxiety and depression. - It brings clarity.
Making the intentional choice to slow down and leave space in your life and schedule requires you to choose your priorities. You need to evaluate what tasks, relationships, and projects are most important to you. This clarity will allow you to be more present and effective to the things and people that matter most.
This month, I want to encourage you to put “slowing down” on your “to-do” list. Each of the blog posts that will be released throughout this month of November will be offering tips, strategies, and suggestions for how we all can take a step back from the busyness of life to rest and restore.
I’m on this journey with you. Let’s do this together.
If you’re interested in more intentionally working on focused rest, click HERE to join my 5 day challenge to slow down and improve your focus.
RESOURCES:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-gift-aging/201812/slowing-down-the-world-speeds
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
