The Power of 5-Minute (or less!) Slowlutions™
In my Pace of Life Survey, 56% of respondents stated they were “interested in learning to slow down my pace 5-10 minutes at a time….” (I’ll report more completely on respondents’ attitudes and tips for slowing down in The Little Book of Slowing Down.) Slowlutions™ fit the ticket because they can be as short or as long as you want them to be. We all have five minutes – or less - to take, so we always have the choice to slow down and enliven ourselves.
Short-Circuiting Irritability
Five minutes of Slowlutions periodically throughout the day is wonderful for reducing irritability, as well as stress. When you shift your attention from an irritant, you interrupt the mental processes building to irritability and anger. After even a five-minute Slowlution™, your emotional palette will be cooler, allowing you to think more clearly about your options in managing or responding to the problem.
In a recent study, patients sitting quietly in chairs for only 5 minutes experienced an average drop of 14 points in their
systolic blood pressures.
Take 5 – or Less!
As with any Slowlution™, give brief ones your complete attention – or as much as your circumstances allow. Over time your focus will deepen, and the ease brought by even a one- to five-minute Slowlution will grow. Here are some for you to consider:
Make a game out of creating as many 1- to 5-minute windows in which to practice Slowlutions as possible. Waiting to see the doctor. At a red light. While visiting a friend who’s tied up on the phone. As a long document downloads. Notice the rewards as you become skillful at attending to Slowlutions™ rather than to situations that would previously have invited impatience on your part. For 5 minutes, drive 15 miles per hour more slowly than you usually do. Look beyond any frustration or irritability this causes; try to sense the power inherent in restraint. Notice the scenery or the wacky license plates you would otherwise have whizzed by. Let a car in ahead of you. Does your act of generosity ease your mood? Close your eyes and imagine a relaxing place or activity; what do you
see, smell, hear, feel, even taste, there? The brain does not know the
difference between what you imagine and what’s real, so stress hormones
will drop and you’ll come back from your five-minute Shangrila calmer
and energized.Read a funny book or call an amusing friend and laugh! Irritability and tension retreat at the sound of laughter. Your immune system will perk up, endorphins will flow, and your blood pressure and heart rate will ease. Notice nature. Watch the play of sunlight on water or leaves. Close your
eyes and feel a breeze against your cheek. Smell the earth. Folks who have
regular contact with nature are less likely to feel unhappy with their
lives…so the researchers say, but I think it’s common sense!Ask someone to massage tight muscles; mental tension will fall away as
well. Or get down on the floor and stretch for 5 – slowly! Feel your
muscles, their gentle give, your strength, the opening in your mood.
Satchel Paige,
describing an ideal brief Slowlution™.
What five-minute Slowlution™ would feel good to you right now?
I’d love to hear about your brief Slowlutions™ – please feel free to email me at placesense@yahoo.com (please put "Slowing Down" in the subject line).
Slowlutions™: The power of slowing down
to enhance quality of life and business success.