How to live life more slowly in 2020

As we embark upon another year, reflecting on what is behind us and hoping for better times ahead, there is one simple way that we can influence this: living slower. What does this mean, though?

Take time to do things properly

Approaching things from a slower pace helps us to concentrate more. For example, if you need a car accident lawyer, rather than calling up the first lawyer you hear on the radio, taking your time allows you to research the most reputable and suitable lawyer for your circumstances.

Alternatively, it could be a project at work or even decorating your living room. We’ve all been there where we have allowed ourselves to be rushed and end up dissatisfied with the result, or just not getting as much satisfaction out of the process.

So, by taking our time, we not only gain better insight, but we also achieve more personal fulfillment which there can be no set value attached to.

Fully immerse yourself in experiences

Turn off your phone, don’t be thinking about being somewhere else or filling your head with other concerns, just appreciate where you are right at this very moment. We are all so connected these days with all of our devices and always so stressed out and busy that we don’t even stop to smell the roses when those memorable moments come along.

They don’t even have to be big, significant occasions, it might just be playing with your children or sitting watching the sunset, but let the experience wash over you. Stop and listen to your breathing, enjoy how it feels in that moment. As the saying goes, ‘life is not measured by the breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away’.

Listen to your body

Our bodies are always trying to tell us something, should we choose to listen to them. That crick in your neck? Maybe you’ve spent too many hours hunched over a computer. That headache you’ve had all day? It could be that argument you’ve had with your partner or your third cup of coffee that has pushed you over your caffeine limit.

Whatever it might be, we can tend to push through it and ignore the tell-tale signs that it might be time to slow down. So, in the New Year, try to respect your body and what it is trying to tell you. That way, you might just end up feeling a lot more relaxed and happier as you end the next year.

Clear your mind of all thoughts

Many of us struggle with the inability to switch off, which means that even while we are completing one task, we are mentally listing the next five and racing through what they involve. This tip is essentially mindfulness in its most basic form, but if we can learn to let our minds go quiet, it will in time trick our bodies into slowing down too.

When we try to do too much, our bodies respond with a racing heartbeat, increased blood pressure and the stress hormone, cortisol. All of these can be extremely damaging to our long-term health. So, a simple mind decluttering can have a huge effect on our overall lives.

Accept you can’t change everything

Many of us try to be all things to all people, which is setting us up for a fall. We simply can’t please everyone, all of the time and as well as this, it is worth accepting early on in life that there are things that happen which are simply out of our control.

When we learn that life happens to us and the only control we have is to react in the most positive way that we can, we feel much more in control. This then enables us to take action, such as calmly researching our options in that situation – just like the car accident situation earlier on – and we can deal with it from a place of calm and get better results.