In America, we live in an incredibly fast-paced culture. I can’t be the only person to have noticed this. I sure as hell am not the only person to write about it. But I am here today to tell you from my barely-visible vantage point as a teeny weeny St. Paul, MN born-and-raised ant in an adorable, tiny voice that maybe we should all just take it easy for a second and slow down a little.
Tiny ant (me)
But before we go any further, let’s pause for a second and recognize the fact that ‘slowing down’ in this context is a privilege that is often talked about under certain assumptions about the audience’s circumstance. I think it’s important to at the very least acknowledge that. If you have the ability to ‘slow down,’ generally speaking, it means that you have the resources to do so, whether financially or otherwise.
But not to worry, friends, frenemies, foes, and strangers (don’t want to exclude anyone) -- I think my definition of “slowing down” has the potential to apply to anyone.
Maybe that is naive, but I think it is as much about working to slow down your thoughts and noticing tiny, everyday moments -- slowing down the world around you through deliberate observation. As someone with the classic anxiety/depression mental illness cocktail who often oscillates between having racing thoughts that I can’t slow down and feeling like my body is made out of rocks, “deliberate observation” (not a real term, I think I made that up) is something that has been really helpful to me.
For me, “slowing down” may be more accurately described as “going at my own pace.” For example, I am 25 years old, about halfway done with college, and have withdrawn from school 3 times. This summer, I started back up and think this time I am there to stay and finish, but that is beside the point. The point is that the straight-from-high-school-to-college-and-graduating-x-number-of-consecutive-years-later strategy wasn’t for me, and isn’t for a lot of people.
There are so many factors in a person’s life that affect their experience in school, and their ability to go on a certain timeline or even go at all.
I personally needed a breather after what turned out to be particularly draining high school years. Once I did make it to college 2 years later, my anxiety and depression became increasingly severe. A few withdrawals and a year of AmeriCorps later, I’m back. At 25, I feel like I am exactly where I need to be. I have the mental energy and confidence necessary to be successful in the world of higher education.
I used to be really self-conscious of my college path and hyper-aware of the surprising amount of criticism I got for not going right away and powering through. Here, that age-old adage “Haters gonna hate” really comes into play. The “traditional” college path is not for everyone. College in general is not for everyone, for that matter. Taking your time with it is okay if that is what’s right for you. Everyone is different, so why project a+b=c onto everyone and expect it to be the “right” or “best” way every time?
In conclusion...
In a display of accidental irony, I was one day late in submitting this article. Some might argue that I take going slow a little too far (late to everything, terrible with deadlines, still don’t have a driver’s license, etc.). Although slowing down may not be the move for everyone, I think it can really be a big quality-of-life-improver. It doesn’t need to be a full-throttle lifestyle 180, just something to keep in mind on days that you feel like you’re tripping over yourself trying to go, go, go.
