Press Play, Not Fast-Forward

Welcome back to the Year of Y.O.U. newsletter!

Today we will be discussing how to resist the temptation of moving too fast during the traditional time of reset and restructuring.

Slowing down when the natural urge is to move faster

Welcome back to a new year!

Before we begin, I invite you to consider this question: 

Are you feeling rested? Are you ready to embark on another 365 days?

If not, you are in the right place. There is no need to rush. I encourage you to become aware of how much you are carrying as you begin this year and to be intentional about choosing a pace that supports you rather than exhausts you. I invite you, just for a moment, to slow down. If it feels comfortable, close your eyes and leisurely count to ten. Allow your shoulders to drop. Let your arms soften. This may mean putting down your phone or turning off the tv, even briefly.

If this feels difficult, be kind to yourself. Being present takes practice. You might imagine the smell of something sweet, maybe your favorite scent, or bring to mind a song that feels familiar and comforting. Even this small act of attention can help create a sense of ease. If you were able to take a moment, be it in stillness or quiet distraction, consider that a meaningful pause. 

Allowing your nervous system to slow and settle, even briefly, is a form of care. Slowing your breath is one of the most natural ways to support regulation and rest. A few minutes a day can be enough. Remember how it feels in that state, the pace that feels comfortable enough to relax. Resist the temptation to drift far from that rhythm as you return to normal speed.

January is often framed as a time to reset, restart, and return to life in high gear. The message is subtle, but persistent: move faster, do better, fix what didn’t work last year. This year, we are offering something different, an opportunity to reorient rather than reinvent.

January does not call for reinvention. It calls for reorientation.

Reorientation asks us to slow down enough to look around and notice where we are, rather than race forward and rush to decide where we should be simultaneously.

The Pressure to Always Keep Up the Pace

Many people struggle with slowing down because deliberation is quietly equated with failure. If we are not moving, producing, or improving at a certain output, we may feel unproductive, or worse, lazy. In the book “Laziness Does Not Exist,” Dr. Devon Price challenges this belief, naming it for what it often is: a learned narrative rather than a truth. The discomfort many people feel with rest is not a character flaw. It is often the result of fear-based conditioning, neglect, or environments where worth was tied to accomplishments. This raises an important question: Is the belief that unhurriedness equals laziness real or a survival strategy we were taught? For some, productivity became a way to stay safe, valued, or unseen. In other cases, slowing down can feel threatening rather than restorative.

Where New Year’s Resolutions Came From

Historically, the new year was not about self-correction. Early traditions viewed it as a time to restore balance, repair relationships, and realign after disruption. This practice shifted over time through religious frameworks, industrial social norms, and modern (individualistic) culture. What was once about restoration became about optimization.

Today, resolutions often carry the message that who you are is not enough and that change must happen immediately. It’s no wonder January feels heavy for so many.

A World That Never Rests

We also live in a society of constant access. There was a time when television stations signed off for the night, leaving silence behind. Information paused. Waiting was unavoidable.

Now, there is always something to watch, read, scroll, or consume. Even meaning is instantly available through lyrics, interpretations, or explanations leaving little room for curiosity or reflection. In a world that never sleeps, learning how to slow down becomes increasingly difficult.

Leisure is not something we choose by force.

When We Get in Our Own Way

Healing does not usually fail because of a lack of knowledge or resources. It often fails because we struggle to trust stillness. Many people fill silence quickly out of fear, discomfort, or habit before allowing awareness to emerge.

Reorientation requires something quieter: the willingness to be present without fixing, proving, or performing. When the opportunity for silence is trusted rather than avoided, it becomes informative. Clarity, direction, and meaning often surface not through effort, but through space.

What Slowing Down Can Actually Look Like

Slowing down does not have to mean meditation, long breaks, or dramatic lifestyle changes. For many people, regulation happens through simple, repetitive, hands-on activities that gently anchor attention to practice calm between productivity sessions.

You might consider:

• Working on a puzzle or doing a crossword

• Stretching slowly, without tracking reps or time

• Caring for a plant: Watering, pruning, noticing growth

• Using colored pencils or markers with an adult coloring book

• Journaling without structure or goals

• Crocheting, knitting, or another rhythmic hand-based activity

• Playing cards with a friend

These practices are not about accomplishment. They are about presence. They give the nervous system a chance to settle without requiring output, insights, or results.

Even a few minutes can make a difference.

Slowing Down Still Counts

We do not need to continue the rat race in 2026. Slowing down matters. Even twenty percent effort counts.

Twenty percent is not giving up. It is meeting yourself honestly where you are.

This is especially important for those navigating:

• Work stress or work loss

• Grief and ongoing loss

• Parent–child or family-of-origin relationships

• Life transitions, chosen or unchosen

In this season, perfectionism only increases strain. Tolerating imperfect attempts at care is often more regulating than striving for consistency or intensity.

A Gentle Reflection

You may wish to sit with one of these questions:

• What am I asking of myself that ignores my current capacity?

• What happens when I allow silence instead of filling the space?

• Where would slowing down be an act of care rather than avoidance?

There is no need to answer quickly.

Closing

January is not asking you to become someone new. It is inviting you to return to yourself with greater awareness and compassion.

Reorientation is not falling behind. It is how we remain whole in a world that rarely slows down.

Optimize your life. Improve your well-being.