Slowing Down, Naturally

Slowing Down, Naturally

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Psalm 127:2

In his book Stress Fractures, Charles Swindoll writes about a time when he was in the undertow of too many commitments in too few days. “It wasn’t long before I was snapping at my wife and our children,” he says, “choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day.” Before long, the whole Swindoll family was suffering from Chuck’s hurry-up style, and it was becoming unbearable. He recalls that one night after supper the Swindolls’ younger daughter, Colleen, blurted out these words as quickly as she could: “Daddy-I-wanna-tell-you-somethin’-and-I’ll-tell-you-really-fast.” Suddenly realizing her frustration, Chuck answered, “Honey, you can tell me . . . and you don’t have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.”

“I’ll never forget her answer,” he says: “Then listen slowly.”

Have you ever been infected with hurry sickness? I know we have. And most couples we know have combated it as well. That’s one of the reasons pillow talk can be so important in the life of a married couple. Bedtime forces you to slow down. Even as you get under the covers, you begin to breathe more deeply and slowly. Your body temperature drops slightly, and your heart rate and blood pressure go down. Muscles relax. Your metabolic rate (the overall pace of your body processes) slows down too. Falling asleep is God’s plan for helping you conserve energy and refuel your tank.

So as you hit the hay tonight, take a moment to savor the change in your pace. Notice your body’s desire to submit to this antidote to stress and hurry. Talk to each other about your busy day and listen to each other slowly. If you’re looking for something to talk about, explore what the two of you might do to schedule a downshift in your schedules. This is a perfect topic for pillow talk. Considering what you can do to live a more balanced life is more productive when you are relaxing. Making specific plans and working on schedules is better left to the early, more productive times of the day, but as you’re edging toward sleep, explore how you might like to change the pace.

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not the scenery you miss by going too fast—you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.

—Eddie Cantor