“If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in?” — Nanette Mathews
I don’t know if it’s just getting older, or maybe they really did open up a portal to another Universe with the CERN Hadron Collider, but whatever the cause I’ve been noticing that time seems to be going by faster. We cheer in the New Year and then it’s Valentine’s Day and the next thing you know it’s summer and then BAM Christmas is upon us once more.
I decided to try to do something about it, so my newest creation is this: Slow September, or Slow-tember for short. If you’re going to choose a month to purposefully slow down, September is a great choice because it includes late summer and the start of fall, the weather is usually lovely and, since it’s a shoulder season with the start of the school year, it tends to rush by faster than other months. Which is a shame, given its beauty.
As I write this the month is three-quarters through and I can report great success in slowing things down. I’ve been super conscious of each and every day and I’ve packed a lot of great stuff in without any sense of pressure. In fact these slowing down techniques may well become a routine way of life. Slow-tember has been a hit!
Now, I don’t know how to slow time any more than anybody else, but if you’re curious to try Slow-tember, (or perhaps start with Slow-tober), here are some tips that have worked for me:
Turn your Routines into Rituals - This change played the biggest role in my Slow-tember. We all have our daily routines, like to make our beds, take a shower, get dressed, etc., but the way in which we do these basic things can drag us down or uplift us, depending upon our mindset.
For Slow-tember I worked to elevate my routines, so instead of just washing my face I did a South Korean double cleanse followed by layered serums and just stopped to pay attention and really experience those moments of self-care. Even washing dishes became meditative this month, as I made an effort to notice the scent of the dish soap and the movement of the suds.
We can have rituals around anything, really. It made me happy to get cuttings from my European Hornbeam tree and make the biggest floral arrangements I’ve ever had throughout my home, just because I was thinking differently. Rituals are powerful time-slowers because they require you to become fully present.
Make ‘No’ your Default - If you want to have a slower life it means you’ll be doing less. So while it can be fun and adventurous to make saying yes your default, if you’re wanting a slower vibe, starting with no will provide the space you’re seeking. I don’t think I could have pulled off Slow-tember if I hadn’t already mastered that first.
When you say yes to even a simple thing, it often requires multiple emails or drive time or other things you didn’t factor in. And then before you know it, the morning or afternoon has rushed right by. This month especially, being comfortable saying no really helped me enjoy longer, fuller days.
Let yourself be bored - With the arrival of cell phones so few of us experience boredom anymore because we just whip out our phones and start scrolling. I didn’t push away boredom this month, and although I didn’t experience much of it because I have so many things I like to do, when I found myself in a little lull I welcomed it like an old friend I hadn’t seen for a long time. Rather than a state to be avoided at all costs, I find boredom often precipitates creativity and energy. It’s quite effective at slowing time as well.
Prioritize domestic tasks - The home is where we go to be nourished and restored. To live a nice, slow vibe you’ll likely be spending some good quality time there, so it makes great sense to invest in creating an environment that pleases your eye and comforts your soul. This may mean investing in some upgrades to the decor or stocking your fridge with tasty, nourishing foods. My ultra-thick socks, French press coffee, flower bouquets, cozy throws and cheerful music has made my Slow-tember especially nurturing.
Join the Adventure Club - If you rarely vary your routine and each day is like the one before, naturally time is going to pass quickly. But you slow things down by shaking things up. With the extra space I created this month, I had time to drive to several small towns and explore them, getting a vanilla latte at a cute coffee shop and sitting on the patio of a big hotel built in the 1920s, just enjoying the sunshine with a friend and iced tea. Going to new places kept my mind engaged and placed highlights in my month’s calendar. I was never rushed but I was fully present.
Go Analog - We all live in two worlds now, the digital and the analog. Time in the digital world moves much faster. Have you ever sat down to watch a TV show and then it’s three hours later? Or checked out your Instagram feed and an hour zoomed right by? While I’m not anti-digital, I’ve been making more of an effort to spend time in the analog world, with paper books, animal friends, food, textiles, conversation and tactile sensation. It’s remarkable how much you can accomplish mindfully moving from one analog task to another. At the end of the day you have accomplished so much more.
Get a Lava Lamp - If you weren’t around in the 1970s you might not know what a Lava Lamp is, but it was a big trend at that time. Lit from within, orbs of lava-like wax form blobs in a colored liquid and slowly float up and down. It’s impossible to feel rushed watching a lava lamp. Mine has blue water and green lava and it’s set on a timer so that it automatically comes on for my morning coffee and evening relaxing and I must say, if you need a place to start slowing time, this is one way that is simple and strangely enjoyable. Lava lamps come in all sorts of colors and you can even design your own.
Whether it was fast or slow, I hope your September has been lovely and I wish you all the time you desire for the coming fall season. Thank you for being a reader of my blog!
Barbara Wayman is the author of Living An Extraordinary Life: 9 Transformational Strategies to Live Your Best Life Now.