In a fast paced world, slowing down comes across as counter productive or might even be outrightly tagged as being lazy.
Everyone’s always on the move.
A few times it’s automatic & natural.
Other times, it’s because of the pressure mounted from different corners.
So much that once awake, you can’t bear to take a pause.
You start your day on someone else’s template by grabbing your phone to check if there are emails you should respond to and from there a supposed quick check at social media notifications spirals to a visit.
Soon after, you get a call there’s an emergency meeting and voila, you’d have to rush to the bathroom.
During the day the cycle continues, on and on until you’re home and sleep beckons.
This reminds me of one of the common chronic disease which mimics what happens when someone never slows down.
Take a guess.
It’s not so far , just try
Okay let me help
HYPERTENSION
Yes, it’s the body’s fast-forward mode.
Here the blood pressure is so high that it starts destroying the vessels. When the vessels are destroyed, there’s a form of narrowing which then impairs blood flow to organs.
Just before the vessels fill up to get enough oxygen and nutrients, the blood is taken away and the cycle repeats itself.
You see how unhealthy that is at a vascular level?
It’s no different at every other level.
What does it bring?
No intimacy
No connection
No depth,
And finally, the needless wear and tear.
That’s exactly what keeping up with speed & not slowing down does.
It makes you lose touch with you.
It strips you of your your uniqueness.
Yes, that’s because you’re always working on other people’s deadlines and from their springboard.
No spice or strategies to fully living, just the same vicious cycle.
Slowing down is deeply important in today’s fast-paced, achievement-driven world & these are reasons to consider:
1)As concerning physical health, it reduces stress by taking the body off fight or flight mode reducing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
What is the end result?
You’d have subscribed to a life of improved sleep, metabolism and digestion among others.
2) It helps in balancing mental and emotional wellbeing.
By slowing down, there’s an increase in focus so much that you’re fully present & can pay attention to details.
What does this bring with it?
It improves emotional regulation & productivity.
3) It deepens social connections: By slowing down, one is fully present and can give others unhurried attention with an unfeigned compassion.
The silence and the sighs are picked on early enough.
4) It deepens connection with God.
Slowing down provides space for meditation & prayer aligning us with purpose and values.
Much more, it makes us aware and sensitive to what truly matters so we’re not swept by external demands or societal pressure.
Is that not beautiful?
5) It counters and can Influence the fast-paced culture.
If you & I embrace the gift of slowing down at intervals, in our different areas of influence, we can decenter the stereotype that worth equals productivity.
After a season of intense ministry and fear, Elijah ran for his life exhausted and overwhelmed.
God slowed him down by giving him food, sleep and silence in the wilderness.
Let’s look at the The popular Psalm 23
He makes me lie down beside the green pastures
He leads me beside the still waters
He restores my soul
I know someone might say, ” yeahhh premium treatment and baby girl life”
Whatever you’ve chosen to call it, that chapter is a clear picture of what slowing down entails.
Jesus’ earthly ministry showed he was always busy yet he always withdrew to lonely places to pray.
In Mark 6:31,
[31] And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.Jesus, who is the son of God slowed down
God on the 7th day following creation rested.
Being a workaholic isn’t a flex.
Being a workaholic isn’t a flex
Being a workaholic isn’t a flex
You can screenshot this and send to that person that crossed your mind.
Slowing down is not laziness, it is wisdom.
It restores balance to the body, soul, and spirit.
In slowing down, we not only care for ourselves but also create a more humane, compassionate, and sustainable world.
The question is how often should we slow down ?
Let me know in the comment section please.
