by Philip Waldman D.O, FSCCO Registered Osteopath at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham Rd, SW10
We have all heard of the health benefits of slowing down but in this busy world we live in it can sometimes seem hard to work out how to do this.
Over the years I have come to realise that it is often far better to focus achieving excellence in a few areas than trying to be good at loads of things. On the back of that I recommend the following simple steps to slowing down your life, to the benefit of yourself and all those around you.
WALK SLOWLY
Through the simple act of walking slowly you will find, by default, that life takes on a more gentle pace. By walking slowly I mean walking slowly enough such that most people are walking faster than you and so will overtake you. If you are barrelling down the pavement overtaking people then you are walking too fast. The caveat here is that you allow yourself to understand that you aren’t going to save much time by walking fast, so even if you are late for something, walk slowly. This advice applies to day to day life, but should you wish to exercise with a brisk walk then that’s great.
PUT DOWN YOUR KNIFE AND FOLK / SANDWICH / PASTRY BETWEEN MOUTHFULLS
Though this might appear like a piece of advice from an ettiquette handbook, there is a logic behind this suggestion. The aim is to make yourself eat slowly. By putting down your knife and fork, or sandwich etc, you will be forced to slow down your eating. This has numerous benefits, not least aiding digestion and allowing you to fully savour and appreciate your meals. In eating slowly, as with walking slowly, you will find that if you let it, the rush drops out of life and a calmness will descend..
If you combine these two simple actions then you should find that on one hand life take on a more sedate pace, and on the other, that you get as much, if not more done in the same amount of time. Soundbites like “Less is more” and “Less haste, more speed” sprng to mind, adn yes they are definitely true in this case. Why not give it a go, even if only for a day and report back what you experience via the comments section of the website, or via our Facebook page?
Any questions please do just ask.