The art and science of slowing down

Slow living has been making buzz for a while. And for a good reason. Living slower, we get to enjoy the little things that we miss in a daily hustle otherwise. In the rush, we have no time for our loved ones, we have no time for ourselves, overlooking self-care, self-development and often running (literarily) towards burnout...

"I have no time, I have so many things to do, work cannot wait, my kids school appointment cannot wait, it's really urgent..." - I believe you.

And I know that if I challenge you to suddenly drop it all to slow down, it may only increase your stress and add to the overwhelm you already experience.

Instead, I invite you to find just 2 minutes a day, (120 seconds only!), to practice slow and mindful breathing. Stand stably or sit down with your spine straight, and inhale on a count of 5, try to keep your breath on another count of 5 and exhale on a count of 7. You can set the timer so you know when 2 minutes are over.

Moderate stress from time to time can bring some benefits. We know that we need that little kick to complete our projects, to stop procrastinating, to step out of our comfort zone. But a long term and heavy stress is impacting our mental and physical health in a negative way.

We do not think clearly, we get easily frustrated, overwhelmed or depressed. Even if we eat healthy, we do not digest and absorb nutrients if we eat under stress and in a hurry...

The good news is, the 2 minutes of this calm and mindful breathing is all the time our brain and body need to enter into relaxation mode. You only need 2 minutes to slow down :-)