How Slowing Down Helps Improve Your Wellness and Mental Health
In the work that I do, I am always having conversations with clients about the importance of slowing down in life. I believe I am in a season of my life and journey that slowing down is becoming a crucial part of my own wellness and mental health. I would jokingly share with clients that I am the most “still” when I am sitting in sessions with them. While this was sustainable in a different season of my life, this is no longer the situation. My current season and chapter in life requires more rest.
St. Thomas, USVI Brewers Bay Beach, Monday August 1, 2023
When you are used to living in a fast-paced environment, and a society that judges people's performance and productivity based on how “busy” they are, it becomes easy to get caught up in the hype of the hustle and bustle. But like always, we have to pause and ask ourselves how well is my current pace serving me? Have a check-in with yourself every once in a while, and see if you are truly meeting your own wellness need and goals or simply pushing yourself through all the noise of the day to day.
Petite Pump Room & Bar, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
Petite Pump Room Bar & Restaurant | St. Thomas Virgin Islands
This is also why I love to travel. Not only does it allow you to reset and gain some mental clarity to better organize your thoughts, it exposes you to environments outside of your norm. This can cause some levels of shock to your system and even disrupt your comfort zone. But these are all good processes, as it allows you to expose yourself to the vulnerability required to make any necessary changes. In my most recent travels everything slowed down tremendously. To the point I was out for a walk and I caught myself walking fast and literally had to tell myself to “slooooow down”.
Palm Tree, St. Thomas, USVI
Here are just some of the quick scientifically proven facts about how slowing down can improve your wellness and mental health:
Lowers your stress.
Helps you to make better decisions.
Improves your mental and physical health.
You make better connections with others.
Helps you to avoid burnout.
You enjoy more meaningful life experiences.
Releases tension from your body and improves happiness.
It boosts your creativity!
So why the rush? And I ask you to ask yourself “what is the rush”? For each day we are fortunate to live is another day behind us. And while we plan much for the future, the future is just a hope for that day to come but not a guarantee. One day, much like me, you will look up and realize there are more days behind you than in front of you (a friend said this to me recently) and you will feel this sense of urgency to soak up any and all experiences in the present and potentially in front of you. To enjoy the full brevity of this, you must be intentional in your thoughts and mindset which influences your actions and helps you to slow down, rest and enjoy life as it presents itself unfolding like a daily gift.
