The Art of Slowing Down.

Life is poetry, but we consume it like short term content. 

Felix Vallotton, Laziness |‍ The Van Gogh Museum

It’s very easy to get caught up in this fast paced world, but our lives were meant to be enjoyed in a slow and delicious way. Ask yourself, when was the last time you truly took the time to slow down and just be in the moment? No distractions, racing thoughts, deadlines, or urgency to be somewhere or do something, just you and the moment. Let’s try it now, close your eyes— and now, you’re absolutely still as if time itself had frozen, you breathe and your body falls into a trance completely enamoured by the present, your skin rises in a chill. Your heart feels full, and you just can’t help but smile because everything feels just right. This is the feeling that so many of us have forgotten, and the truth is, who could even afford to truly slow down when we live in a world that values productivity over everything?

Hustle culture has killed the slow mornings, and lazy afternoons. Life has become a numbers game you’re bound to lose, and everything is packaged to your “convenience.” The goal is to not make you waste any time so you can go back to work as fast as possible; coffee is instant, AI replaces libraries and research, meals are pre-packaged and pre-planned, protein is jam-packed into everything we consume, and even our dating has been reduced to an app. This new wave of rampant productivity has made us believe that if you aren’t working 24/7 and monetizing your hobbies you are worthless. We are always in a rush, always thinking of more ways to make more money, or ways to climb to the top, and this mentality has taken over all areas of our lives. We have abandoned the art of ritual and slowing down, and in doing so, we sacrifice the little pleasures of life for meaningless productivity. But ask yourself, at the end of the day did you really enjoy being alive today?

If hustle culture is the devil, short term content is its messenger. Our social media has been plagued with these short format videos meant to hook you in with fast editing and loud messages, usually meant to make you do something: work harder, buy products, teach you something, or alarm you. This has done irreparable damage to everyone that watches. It shortens our attention span, and it tricks us into thinking our lives aren’t enough. It’s no wonder people spend so much time on their phones, our pages are literally designed to be like heaven; everything you could ever want to see, listen to, or know is at your fingertips and strategically dropped by an algorithm to keep you engaged in an endless cycle. It’s kind of like modern day gambling, but time is money…your time is the currency This is exactly how we all fall victim to hustle culture. We work all day, cook, do our tasks, and the breaks we get throughout the day we spend on our phones. It makes sense that we have “no time” for anything, but this is exactly how we fall for fast living propaganda. We want to maximize our time since we don't have any apparently, and the same thing that is taking up all our time, is trying to sell us an unsustainable way of life that is just taking our humanity away from us.

 Maybe it wasn’t a time management issue, but a phone addiction issue after all. 

This brings me to my next point–humanity, or the lack thereof. The experience of being human is encapsulated by many things. I like to think things like rituals, connection, art, and passion, are what truly makes us different from other animals. And all of these things are ultimately achieved by slowing down, you need time and a sort of peace to truly do any of these, so I’d say this is a great place to start.

Utagawa Hiroshige, Procession to the Torinomachi Festival in the Rice Fields of Asakusa | Public Domain Image Archive

Connection

Connection is one of the pillars of intimacy, and intimacy is one of the best ways in which we are fully present in the moment. I think one of the ways we lack connection nowadays is because we get most of our social stimulation from social media. We have been led to believe interactions should be polished and perfect, but that is far from the truth. Real connection and interactions are awkward, raw, and it takes time to build; yes being in an awkward situation sucks, but it forces us to be more present, as real human interactions are messy and you have to be there wholeheartedly to truly make a connection. 

Next time you are craving to slow down, go out. Meet new people, hangout with your friends, cry of laughter, kiss your partner, hug your pet, and get lost in what the moment offers.

Art

Art is one of the best tools we have to slow down time. For those people that will say “I’m not artistic,” well the truth is that art is anything that truly moves your soul, art is about passion, creativity, and yes everyone can be creative. I’m sure everyone has something they absolutely love to do, maybe it’s drawing, singing, playing an instrument, writing, building things, literally anything that requires a mind-body connection and ignites passion and creativity is art. Let yourself wander into a higher state made by your own creation and get completely engulfed by your art, it doesn't matter if you're not good, just let yourself go. This is a sort of meditation at its highest level, you’ll feel free and like a kid again. Art breathes life.

The Self (Rituals)

We all have our own important scheduled activities like, days of prayer, self-care days, date nights, and many others. These are our personal rituals, a sacred time where we connect with ourselves and enjoy the solitude to look inwards and relax. Having these moments of self reflection and isolation are key to building a slow fulfilling life. The self encapsulates everything, and crafting an intimate connection with yourself can lead you to know love and worship in ways you never imagined. A lot of times we are scared of being alone, we crave companionship to ignore the fear that facing ourselves will make us feel, but it is in this solitude that life truly starts to slow down. Get to know yourself, create rituals that stop time, and bask in the boredom. 

Kusakabe Kimbei Woman Reclining with Pipe | Public Domain Image Archive

Some of my personal rituals include spending time in nature, writing in my journal, smoking Virginia Slims while watching a pretty landscape, daydreaming, morning yoga + meditation, people watching, drinking tea, cooking, anything with music, and practicing my personal spirituality. 

Slowing down teaches us to be in the present. It makes us patient, introspective, and more grateful. In this time of madness incorporating these small habits of slowing down can help you take back control of some of the time you may feel you’ve lost. It will also lead you to live a more fulfilling and plentiful life; small moments become more meaningful and you learn to find happiness in small things like, your matcha coming out extra smooth, or how the clouds make the shape of a bird. You may also discover something new about yourself which may lead you to find a new meaning for life.

So go out there, connect with others, make art, be messy, be human, love loudly, sit with yourself while you enjoy a sultry glass of wine and watch the world pass you by, while you slow down time and enjoy life once again.

Strike Out,

Sofia Diez

Miami

Sofy is a Creative Writing student at Florida International University. She loves all things cute, gothic media, boba, and nature. You can always find her daydreaming ideas for her next creative project and watching anime with her Chiweenie Rucky. You can reach her on Instagram @sofydiez & Substack @darkgloomyprincess

Edited by Alexander Polo.