Skip to main content

Slow living


#respecttheoldseekoutthenew2022

 “The ‘slow philosophy’ can be summed up in a single word: balance. 

Be fast when it makes sense to be fast, and be slow when slowness is called for.”

We all know by now that every so often, when all is going seemingly well, suddenly obstacles and challenges can present themselves.

 These moments can be very destabilizing, but if we choose the correct mindset and accept them as opportunities to pause, reflect, re-evalute and re-focus, we can try to make the best out of some difficult situations.

A few weeks ago, I felt an immense amount of stress take over my mind and body. Above all, I was feeling frustrated with little things happening (mostly at work) and also pressed to train with more intensity in preparation for upcoming competitions. The accumulation of these stressors eventually led me to ‘crash’ and get really sick; it was a brutal reminder of how costly stress can be.


Though I laid on the couch, several days in a row, feeling absolutely terrible, I had alot of time to rest, reflect on how I got to that point, to re-evalute my choices and to re-focus my energy on things that matter most; primarily my health!

Working and exercising rank high on my list of priorities, but if I am not healthy, can I do either of these things well? Of course not! Burnout and exhaustion are serious issues and we must take care of ourselves to avoid them.

Over the last few years, I have made lots of progress in listening to my body and being aware of certain signs of fatigue, but every so often, I still get caught up in the fast pace of life. Being sick recently reminded me that I either need to make the choice to slow things down, or my body will simply make that choice for me.

Clearly, there are times when we are required to speed things up, but that said, we often forget that we can also get better results from time to time just by slowing things down and even doing less. 

Choosing the right speed can be tricky, and it can also be costly.

Let’s choose wisely!


“By slowing down at the right moments, people find that they do everything better.”



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In a World Full of Noise, Let’s Show Understanding

“Not everyone processes uncertainty the same way, and that’s okay.” The past few days have been unexpected. What started as a normal Saturday - coaching at the gym, breakfast with a friend, catching up on work with the TV on in the background - quickly changed when I heard a loud “boom” coming from outside my apartment. At first, many of us in the community assumed it came from one of the many nearby construction sites. But, within the next few hours, the loud sounds came again and again, and word spread that these were missiles and drones being intercepted in the sky. I’ve always felt safe here in the UAE, and believe it or not, to a certain extent, I still do. Like many other residents here, I have a lot of trust in the country I’ve chosen to call home for over 11 years. I’ve seen it overcome challenges in the past, such as COVID and floods, and I’ve witnessed how much the leadership cares for the residents, particularly over the last few days.  That said, it’s no secret that I a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Momentum Reset

"Momentum doesn’t just return; you rebuild it, one choice at a time." Before summer began, I was feeling a little low. The tipping point came when I found out my HYROX competition partner’s visa had been denied, meaning we wouldn’t be able to compete at the HYROX World Championships in Chicago. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, but I was still pretty bummed. I thrive when I have a goal, something to work toward, and for nearly two months, I’d been all-in. That training gave me momentum, purpose and energy. When that goal disappeared, so did my drive. Suddenly, my energy shifted in the wrong direction. I slipped into autopilot, stuck in the routine of daily life, work, and thought patterns that were becoming more and more negative. Social media didn’t help. It felt like everyone else was out there doing so much, and I had nothing exciting happening. I would catch myself comparing and as my thoughts spiraled, my body started responding, and not in a good way. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Living Out a Dream

 “Have you ever stopped and thought: “Wow. I prayed for this. It’s here. It’s happening.”? I recently received a message from an  old student from my very first school in Canada. It was a simple note, but it sparked reflection in me about where I’ve come from and everything that’s happened over the last 15–20 years. At my age, I often look around and see many of the people ( my age ) settling down; getting married, having kids, buying homes ( A dream for many, especially women. ). And sometimes, I can’t help but  ask myself: what am I doing with my life? However, that message from my former student reminded me of something I often forget: I’ve already been living a dream. When I left my first teaching job in Canada, it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I absolutely loved my students, and together we had built a really special bond. But at that time, I had a dream to travel the world; to immerse myself in different cultures and to learn from people whose li...
Post a Comment
Read more