What are Slowlutions™?
Spencer Tracy must have believed in Slowlutions™.
When queried about what he most wished to find in a movie script, the actor spoke not of plot or dialogue, but simply said: “Days off.”
Meditation, Relaxation, Shooting Pool…You Name Your Slowlution™
Any choice you make that slows stress and revitalizes you is a Slowlution™. Slowlutions™ are a way of consciously and regularly stepping back from rushing and busy-ness to reconnect with ourselves or those we love – whether for two minutes or two days. They help us remember that we are more than the sum of our deadlines and obligations. Slowlutions offer us an intentional response to stress far healthier than reaching for food, tensing our muscles, or losing our tempers.
A Slowlution™may last for a minute (writing a humorous ditty) or a year (long-dreamed of travel); you may use one once, or two hundred times. A Slowlution™can be a vigorous game of raquetball or a 20-minute nap. Or, catching yourself stressed and rushing, a Slowlution™ might simply be continuing what you were doing, but in a much slower and more attentive manner.
Claudia Horwitz, director, stone circles
Meditation and relaxation exercises need to be learned, but most Slowlutions™ call for no particular skill-set. One mother I know of practices her own kind of meditation and relaxation by taking five minutes alone in her bedroom after work before turning her attention to her children. Another person’s Slowlution™ was to ask for six months’ leave from her job. Still another person might make a point to pause and notice the azure sky throughout a particularly stressful day.
Following three simple Slowlution™ Guidelines will maximize the effectiveness of your Slowlutions™:
- Use Slowlutions™ regularly when you feel stressed.
- Choose Slowlutions™ that are enjoyable or calming.
- Give the fullest attention possible to your Slowlution™.
Asking a Slowlutions™ Question serves as a powerful reminder to slow down and revitalize:
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“What’s my Slowlution™ right now?”
As you have seen, the answer will be as varied as the people posing the question.
Slowlutions™ for Healthy Relationships
Slowlutions™ often involve slowing down to spend time with children or others we love. As we practice Slowlutions™, we become attuned to giving time and attention to ourselves when we need it, and we carry that attunement over to those we love. Because we’ve learned to take breaks for ourselves, it feels easier to put tasks aside to read stories to our kids or to return a friend’s call. I call this the Slowlutions™ ripple effect.
Loving, healthy relationships have been shown to be protective against depression. Similarly, a 1998 study by Richburg found that having close friendships strongly influenced personal optimism and sense of satisfaction with life. In fact, Slowlutions™ harmonize perfectly with the thinking of leading marital experts John and Julie Schwartz Gottman on how to build healthy relationships. I’ll have more on this in The Little Book of Slowing Down.
Re-energized by Slowlutions™, we are more able to be positive and attentive to our partners. We are also more inclined to create the affectionate surprises healthy relationships thrive on. Relaxed by the practice of Slowlutions™, our communication is clearer and our outlook brightens – much to the benefit of healthy relationships of all kinds.
Now that you have a better sense of what Slowlutions are, learn more about why they are necessary.
Slowlutions™: The power of slowing down
to enhance quality of life and business success.