CAUTION: SLOW DOWN

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.

Lily Tomlin, actress

“The Season” is upon us. Magically, the signs appear everywhere during Halloween. Buying frenzy begins. Only time for a three-minute shower because you did three snooze alarms because you’re so tired. Your To-do list feels UNdoable, Droopy eyes from screen-time overload. Stomach or neck knots. Speed sleeping only to restart the cycle.

Oops! Time to see the CAUTION: SPEED BUMP sign. Slowing down is the magic we resist all the time. I must finish this last thing, just a few more minutes, and then I can relax. Really? How about relaxing while doing it?

Lily is right. I remember my mom cautioning that haste makes waste. There’s a reason proverbs last: they’re true. The mindful prescription includes slowing down your movements: brushing your teeth, eating, walking, texting, answering the phone on ring five. A slow, luxurious breath is mindful medicine. Slow motion will get you there faster. Visualize the sign: CAUTION: Slow Down. Falling Rocks Ahead.

In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying
attention.

Pico Iyer, British essayist, novelist

Published by Gennifer Birnbach

Every curl on my head is an idea.