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Seemingly everywhere you turn, someone is there to remind you that you need to slow down, despite the unrelenting and overwhelming list of tasks and deadlines and adulting that somehow has to get done. But you already know that you need to slow down. Problem is, no one is telling you exactly how to slow down and not get behind to the point where you’re more anxiety-ridden than you already were.
Children’s book illustrator Lee White understands. Several years ago, White became envious to the point of anger when he learned that a friend’s girlfriend was taking a nap on a random weekday afternoon. His reaction, a backlash to the intense pace that illustrators experience when rushing to finish an assignment even as they’re racing ahead to the next, prompted him to make a change, he explained in an episode of the 3 Point Perspective podcast. So to overcome his overwhelm, he started an industrywide #slowvember movement among artists in 2019.
At first, it was about making sure to set aside time during the month to work on something that the artist wanted to make beautiful, explained White. But by the next year, he had redefined Slowvember to be less about the outcome. “Make one thing, do it as well as you can, live a full life, and take the pressure off yourself,” he said. “It’s a backing up and looking at what you’re doing and what your life is about. A readdressing of your process.”
Maybe we all could use Slowvember.
What Is Slowvember?
We’re borrowing and expanding that notion of Slowvember. And we’re challenging you to do so during the most chaotic month of the year.
Whatever “slow” means to you, find more of that in your life each day during Slowvember. Maybe even multiple times a day. You’re simply going to remind yourself to slow down. Then you’re actually going to let yourself slow down. That can look like taking the afternoon off (whether to sleep or otherwise) or taking the minute in between meetings to laugh. Whether you consciously slow down multiple times a day or simply remember once, that’s progress.
When you feel uninspired or uncertain as to exactly how to slow down, come back to our homepage, where you’ll experience a different way of slowing down each day all month long, or check our social and in our email newsletters (here’s how to sign up!).
You, too, are going to have something at the end. As the month goes on, you’ll not only begin to feel the effects of slowness, but you’ll better understand all the ways you can experience slowness in your body, in your thoughts, and, by extension, in your life. What, exactly, that looks like depends on you. But it’s probably a truer version of you. Possibly a slower heart rate. And quite likely a string of memories that you don’t need to look at your phone to recall.
And if you do capture your experience by photo or video, we encourage you to share them on social with the hashtag #Slowvember and the tag @YogaJournal. We’ll be sharing the inspiration on how to slow down all month long.
How to Slow Down
A short cheat sheet of ideas when you only have a moment…
Lean back from the laptop when you have a minute between meetings and, instead of checking your email, shut your eyes and interlace your hands behind your head or back and stretch it out at your desk.
Slow your sensory input. Hit pause on the podcast and turn off Slack notifications so you can finish that work project.
Listen before you leap in with advice when someone is sharing their current angst. Your default response should be, “Tell me more.”
Take your usual vinyasa practice but move a millisecond slower than your typical pace—even when you feel like moving faster.
Linger as you wash your hands or begin your morning or nightly skincare routine. Try humming or singing a song you love, from start to completion, without ending before the last lyric.
Share a compliment with someone each day. Your only rule is it has to be genuine. How would you pay attention to them differently?
Challenge yourself to sit still for three minutes in a single yin yoga pose.
Print out a photo or illustration that makes you want to get lost in it. Look at it often.
Take a long, slow breath out. Let yourself feel your shoulders release. Pause before you rush to fill that space.
Consider what it means to be mindful. Then try any of these 10 ways to pull that off.
Put the phone down the next time you catch yourself rushing to capture something on camera. Make it a memory instead.
Learn more simple yet effective insights on how to slow your racing thoughts and create a little more space in the everyday when you sign up for our emails.
