Slow Down Therapy
1. Slow down; God is
still in heaven. You are not responsible for doing it all yourself, right now.
2. Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there. Each moment has
richness that takes a lifetime to savor.
3. Set your own pace.
When someone is pushing you, it's OK to tell them they're pushing.
4. Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow,
your neighbor mow.
5. Taste your food.
God gives it to delight as well as to nourish.
6. Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for
their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.
7. Quit planning how
you're going to use what you know, learn, or possess. God's gifts just are; be
grateful and their purpose will be clear.
8. When you talk with someone, don't think about what you'll say next. Thoughts
will spring up naturally if you let them.
9. Talk and play with
children. It will bring out the unhurried little person inside you.
10. Create a place in your home...at your work...in your heart...where you can
go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.
11. Allow yourself
time to be lazy and unproductive. Rest isn't luxury; it's a necessity.
12. Listen to the wind blow. It carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow-and
now. NOW counts.
13. Rest on your
laurels. They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.
14. Talk slower. Talk less. Don't talk. Communication isn't measured by words.
15. Give yourself
permission to be late sometimes. Life is for living, not scheduling.
16. Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song. Music and nature are gifts,
but only if you are willing to receive them.
17. Take time just to
think. Action is good and necessary, but it's fruitful only if we muse, ponder,
and mull.
18. Make time for play-the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner
child needs re-creation.
19. Watch and listen
to the night sky. It speaks.
20. Listen to the words you speak, especially in prayer.
21. Learn to stand
back and let others take their turn as leaders.There will always be new
opportunities for you to step out in front again.
22. Divide big jobs into little jobs. If God took six days to create the
universe, can you hope to do any better?
23. When you find
yourself rushing and anxious, stop. Ask yourself "WHY?" you are
rushing and anxious. The reasons may improve your self-understanding.
24. Take time to read the Bible. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.
25. Direct your life
with purposeful choices, not with speed and efficiency. The best musician is one
who plays with expression and meaning, not the one who finishes first.
26. Take a day off alone; make a retreat. You can learn from monks and hermits
without becoming one.
27. Pet a furry
friend. You will give and get the gift of now.
28. Work with your hands. It frees the mind.
29. Take time to
wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.
30. Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.
31. Once in a while,
turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, the invitations. Less really can
be more.
32. Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do - but often it is the
best.
33. Take a walk-but
don't go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.
34. Count your friends. If you have one, you are lucky. If you have more, you
are blessed. Bless them in return.
35. Count your
blessings - one at a time and slowly
