Weird Things I Do To Slow Down

Hustle and stress have become the norm, but they’re not what I want to invest my time or energy in. Over the years, I’ve built a list of intentional ways to slow down—here are some of my favorites.

“Normal” in our society is stress, hurry, overwhelm, an empty bank account, mountains of debt, and anxiety. I do not want to be investing my time and energy in those things. They will not serve me long-term or get me to where I want to go.

In 2018 I read John Mark Comer’s book: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and To Hell With The Hustle by Jefferson Bethke. They were radically practical and completely countercultural. I loved them both!

my Commonplace notes

Something that I realized I needed to do immediately was make a list of ways that I would start intentionally slowing down in my daily life.

In the last 7 years that list has changed and some things have dropped off while others have been added. Here are some highlights of my very practical favorites.

Ways that I slow down:

• watch the credits after the movie - at home or in the theater I stay until the credits are fully done. This gives me time to process the story, discuss with family parts that we enjoyed, and often gives space for debates about changes we would make to the storyline.

• pick the longer line at the grocery store - Comer gives this example in his book and I implemented this one right away. Those few extra minutes gives me time to write out the meals I planned while shopping, get a drink of water, take a few deep breaths and roll my shoulders, and look around me.

• read a book while my tea kettle heats up - I pick a book that has short devotional type entries and then I read a few pages while standing at my tea cabinet in the kitchen. (Current reads: Consider This by Tawwab and The Daily Stoic by Holiday ) This calms my racing thoughts, centers me in the present moment, and gives me something to think about as I start my day.

• baking with sourdough - I feed my starter and bake something at least once a week. This requires a bit of planning and patience. Also the sensory experience of hand kneading bread dough is just lovely. It is pretty much impossible to over-knead bread dough so I enjoy this repetitive activity in my quiet kitchen (I kick everyone out).

• park farther away in the parking lot - This one is a double bonus because it gives me more time outside and I get more steps in. I started this when I became a van mom 13 years ago. Too many blind spots to see well and park close! Now I continue it because it is habit and a way to slow down and look around me.

• prepping my water cups each morning - I have several large water cups that I fill each morning. As I stand at the fridge I do a few stretches look at our family calendar (on the wall next to me) and think about the day ahead. It is a moment of check in with myself. Then I take each cup to it’s designated spot. Throughout the day those filled straw cups become a welcome invitation to pause, get a drink of water, and take a deep breath. I find I am more hydrated and I create short pauses in my busy day.

• bullet journaling & weekly planning - this might seem counterintuitive but the clarity that I get when I know what needs to be done gives me the space to slow down. (I’ve written in detail about that here)

• having a background track of classical or chill lo-fi - I find that I am strongly influenced by my environment, especially the noise. Slower-paced, no words music can be a calm background when I am teaching, writing, baking, or doing the evening dishes. When it feels like too much I am quick to shut it off.

• I avoid multi-tasking - Whenever possible I focus on one task in front of me. I often have to communicate this clearly with my kids and teens or other adults around me. When I find myself feeling mentally overwhelmed this is often the culprit. Calm returns when I strategically stop juggling several things at once and focus all my energy on one thing.

• sleep in or go to bed early whenever I can - I have always prioritized sleep but now that my kids are older I have upleveled my “getting extra sleep” abilities. Even if I can’t fully drift off just laying in bed reading a book feels so restful and restorative to me. (No phones in bed, no guilt for extra sleep, and no intense 5am workout routines!)

• slow cooking food & homemade meals - Having a soup that simmers all day or a pile of veggies to chop is so satisfying to me. I am not only providing better nutrition for my family but also saving money by buying raw ingredients in season. And the whole process of meal planning and prepping slows me down. I stop and smell the spices to decide what to add, I wash and dice the fresh veggies, and I often get meal prep help from my kids.

• I pay attention to what has my attention - Checking in with myself can give me answers to why I feel scattered or overwhelmed. Where is my focus, what am I spending time thinking about? Am I being mostly reactive in situations? Am I getting dopamine from short form content online? Have I been processing big ideas or spending time in nature? What kinds of conversations am I having lately?

• taking a walk to look at the sunset - In the evening, if I haven’t gotten a walk in yet, I walk to the end of my neighborhood street to watch a few minutes of the sunset. I notice the sky, what the birds sound like, new flowers growing in my neighbor’s yards, smells of fresh laundry or shouts of kids playing in backyards.

• shoes off, lamp on, couch blanket, a mug of herbal tea, and a good book - Ahhh… My favorite way to end the day. Taking off my shoes means I will be sitting for a while and discourages me from jumping up and task switching. Setting the space for cozy reading encourages me to enjoy the moment even if my mind is still racing and I struggle to get into my book.

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“To slow down we have to think of it holistically. We have to slow down our bodies before we can slow down our minds and our souls.”

- Fight Hustle End Hurry Podcast ep.6

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photo by Mary Edwards

I have written about many of these ideas before, but I feel like we all need reminders. (I know I do!) It can be so easy to let the hustle and stress seep in our homes and into our schedules.

Even when we are strategically fighting it.

Sadly, it is the nature of our culture we live in. Living deliberately requires deciding ahead of time where we are headed and then strategically getting there.

I hope some of these slightly odd ideas help you out. 😁

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Check out these posts for more ideas on slowing down:

Reclaiming Weekends

Build a Restful Weekend - 4 Questions for Ideas

What does Sabbath Mean? What is it?