Snow Slow
Finding calm when the world forces you to brake
The skies dropped a white blanket over many places in Europe at the end of last week; the one over Vienna affected me directly. “Take it slow,” a colleague called out as she edged out of the car park before me. I didn’t ignore her, but being a person who generally rushes everywhere, I had to get into crawl mode. I swerved and skidded across a thankfully deserted road before continuing my journey home at half my usual pace. I was sweating at first, despite the low temperatures, but I soon relaxed because everyone else was in the same position. It felt like a switch had been flicked and the world around me was in slow motion.
Although everyone on the roads needed to get somewhere, we seemed to collectively agree to reduce our speed. Rushing would only lead to more hassles, in the form of accident paperwork, repairs to our cars or even ourselves. No one drove right up my bum trying to hurry me along. They were probably discouraged by the spray of grey sludge my little car spews in the snow. Of course, there’s always one who doesn’t conform. His windscreen must have been filthy as a result, and I assume he accumulated a few choice dents further along the road.
What I thought would be the drive home from hell wasn’t. I genuinely enjoyed the slow pace, and I found myself thinking it would be nice if we could all slow down all the time and just, well, chill a bit.
However, it can’t snow year-round. To be honest, scary processions of black‑eyed snowmen with wonky smiles and no noses (serious lack of carrots in Vienna, it seems) and having to dodge snowball fights every time you leave the house can also be a bit stressful. A switch to put everyone on go-slow isn’t an option either, but we can reduce the tempo in our own lives if that’s what we need. I’ve worked with many clients and colleagues on just that. Maybe this isn’t relevant for you right now. In my experience, we often swing between needing a good kick up the bum or to take our foot off the accelerator. I’m not referring to the type of speed I mentioned in my previous blog about slow progress. This isn’t about reaching goals at our own pace but about removing or minimising the frantic activity in our lives. If the latter is where you’re at right now, it can help to take a step back and analyse the hectic bits:
Who: Are you the cause, or is there pressure from others to speed up and do too many things at once?
What: Are you spending your time on the right things, or wasting it and having to catch up again later?
Where: Is there a logistical or geographic issue making things harder than they need to be?
Why: Is what you’re spending your time on and perhaps stressing about important to you?
When: Are you taking time to relax each day – even if just for a short time?
As simple as these questions seem, answering them honestly often brings clarity and helps us make better decisions about how we spend our time, so we can be calmer and more present in everyday life. They work because they help us separate genuine demands from self-imposed pressure.
People I’ve worked with have been able to adapt many aspects of their lives based on their answers to these questions. One client didn’t need to dig that deep to discover that the pressure to rush from one thing to another and complete as many tasks as possible came from him and nobody else. Another needed some stricter self-rules around doomscrolling, and another simplified her stressful commute by changing her child’s nursery (she thought she was being kind by keeping her child with his friends when they moved, but the journey stressed them both and reduced their family time). Yet another realised she and her children were on automatic and neither cared any more about half of the activities they packed into their week. The main eye-opener, in almost all cases, was that very few took some time each day to relax. Most waited until their holidays and then didn’t know how.
The snow is melting in Vienna now. I’ll have to speed up on the roads again. However, I’ll be trying harder to slow down where I can, using my answers to the questions above. My plan includes less Netflix, regular yoga, no scrolling in bed, more reading and a few relaxing baths each week (I’ll shower on the other days 😉).
Slowing down isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing things with more intention. We don’t need to wait for the weather to force our hand. We can choose a gentler pace any time we like.