{"id":57913,"date":"2022-06-17T09:11:36","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T14:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=57913"},"modified":"2024-04-06T06:27:48","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T06:27:48","slug":"how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"blog-entry__subtitle--full\">A personal perspective: Slowing down improves your quality of life.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"blog_entry__key-points\">\n<h3 class=\"blog_entry__key-points-title\">KEY POINTS<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item-list\">\n<li class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item\">Slowing down improves your quality of life.<\/li>\n<li class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item\">Slowing down can lessen both physical and mental pain.<\/li>\n<li class=\"blog_entry__key-points-item\">Practicing mindfulness will help you implement the suggestions offered here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field-name-body\">\n<div class=\"insertArea\">\n<div class=\"image-article-inline-half\">\n<div class=\"insert-inner\" data-wp-editing=\"1\">\n<div class=\"insert-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Public Domain\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.psychologytoday.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/article-inline-half-caption\/public\/field_blog_entry_images\/2022-06\/gustave_courbet_1844_22the_hammock22.jpeg?itok=ezUpZ7zs\" alt=\"Public Domain\" width=\"427\" height=\"240\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8220;The Hammock&#8221; by Gustave Courbet (1844)<\/div>\n<div class=\"subtext insertArea--origin\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Source: Public Domain<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In my 21 years of living with\u00a0<a class=\"basics-link\" title=\"Psychology Today looks at chronic pain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/chronic-pain\" hreflang=\"en\">chronic pain<\/a>\u00a0and illness, I\u2019ve discovered that remembering to make the effort to slow down has several beneficial effects. It calms any mental\u00a0<a class=\"basics-link\" title=\"Psychology Today looks at stress\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/stress\" hreflang=\"en\">stress<\/a>\u00a0I\u2019m feeling, and it also tends to lessen my physical pain. I said \u201ctends to\u201d because, some days, nothing much helps my pain level. On those days, I have to be patient and call on self-compassion to see me through. (Self-compassion simply means being kind to yourself in any way you can).<\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-0\" data-slot-position=\"0\"><\/div>\n<p>Here are three ways I\u2019ve learned to slow down and, as a result, improve my quality of life. I hope you\u2019ll try these suggestions and see which ones work for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Decide how long you think it will take to complete a task, and then allot double the time to get it done\u2014or even triple the time!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re like me, you rarely get a task done in the time you put aside for it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-1\" data-slot-position=\"1\"><\/div>\n<p>I recall a few years ago when I needed to prune back the lantana plants in my yard so they\u2019d bloom nicely in spring. I always estimated that it would take about 15 minutes. (I erroneously seem to think almost everything will only take 15 minutes!) Realistically, pruning the lantana takes about 45 minutes. If I stay at it that long, my symptoms will flare and I\u2019ll be &#8220;trashed,&#8221; as we call it in my household.<\/p>\n<p>So, on the day I tackled the lantana, I didn\u2019t double that 15 minutes, I tripled it and divided the task into three sessions. I pruned a third of the lantana on a Friday, a third on Saturday, and the last third on Sunday. Not only did I avoid a flare in my symptoms, but I enjoyed being outside three days in a row\u00a0<em>and<\/em>\u00a0had a lot of fun snipping away at the lantana little by little. (Thankfully, it\u2019s a plant that doesn\u2019t care if you have little skill at pruning).<\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-3\" data-slot-position=\"3\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>2. Perform a task in slow motion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can perform almost any task in slow motion: brushing your teeth, making the bed, typing on a keyboard like I am now. This idea was inspired by a discovery I made in the 1990s while driving my 1985 LTD (a car that my kids dubbed The Big White Boat). I realized that driving my LTD on the freeway could actually be relaxing. All I had to do was stay in the slow lane. There was no need to pass cars because they were going as slow as I was. There was no one riding my bumper to get me to go faster, because it\u2019s acceptable to stick to the speed limit when you\u2019re in the far right lane (at least it was back then).<\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-4\" data-slot-position=\"4\"><\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;ve taken that &#8220;slow lane&#8221; mentality and applied it to other tasks by consciously doing them more slowly. That said, unless I&#8217;m vigilant, out of habit, I find myself moving quickly even when there\u2019s no reason to hurry. When I become aware that I\u2019m doing this, I take a deep breath, and slow down again. Becoming aware like this is a\u00a0<a class=\"basics-link\" title=\"Psychology Today looks at mindfulness\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/mindfulness\" hreflang=\"en\">mindfulness<\/a>\u00a0practice. (Mindfulness simply means learning to pay\u00a0<a class=\"basics-link\" title=\"Psychology Today looks at attention\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/attention\" hreflang=\"en\">attention<\/a>\u00a0to your present moment experience).<\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-5\" data-slot-position=\"5\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>3. No multitasking (okay,\u00a0<em>less<\/em>\u00a0multitasking).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Korean Zen master Seung Sahn liked to tell his students: &#8220;When reading, only read. When eating, only eat. When thinking, only think.&#8221; In other words: no multitasking. I&#8217;ve discovered that it&#8217;s hard to break the multitasking habit; it can feel analogous to an\u00a0<a class=\"basics-link\" title=\"Psychology Today looks at addiction\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/addiction\" hreflang=\"en\">addiction<\/a>\u00a0at times. Again, mindfulness practice helps because consciously paying attention to your present moment experience can show you that you\u2019ve been engaged in multiple tasks without realizing it. Once you see this, you can choose to do one task at a time if it\u2019s appropriate, given the circumstances of the moment.<\/p>\n<p>Not multitasking is essential for me because too much sensory input can set off an intensification in my symptoms. I think of myself as a recovering multitasker.<\/p>\n<p>These three tips can enrich your quality of life, regardless of the state of your health. I hope that, in reading this piece, you allotted twice the time you estimated it would take!<\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-7\" data-slot-position=\"7\"><\/div>\n<p><em>Note: The theme of this article is expanded on in Chapter 8 (&#8220;Tools for Sharpening Your Mindfulness Skills&#8221;) of my book,\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-Wake-Up-Buddhist-Inspired-Navigating\/dp\/1614290563\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DAX6MWSNW6HT&amp;keywords=how+to+wake+up+by+toni+bernhard&amp;qid=1654521472&amp;sprefix=how+to+wake%2Caps%2C147&amp;sr=8-1\">How to Wake Up: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide to Navigating Joy and Sorrow<\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-last\" data-slot-position=\"last\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/contributors\/toni-bernhard-jd\" hreflang=\"en\">Toni Bernhard J.D.<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/turning-straw-into-gold\" hreflang=\"en\">Turning Straw Into Gold<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-slot-position=\"last\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"blog-entry-references\" data-hide-large-count-items=\"false\">\n<p class=\"blog-entry-references-label\">References<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-entry-references-content-items\">\n<div class=\"blog-entry-references-content\">\n<p>These two pieces might also be helpful: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/node\/66056\/preview\">Six Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness Outside of Meditation<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/node\/66947\/preview\">How to Ask for Help<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/turning-straw-gold\/202206\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\">Original post Psychology Today\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A personal perspective: Slowing down improves your quality of life. KEY POINTS Slowing down improves your quality of life. Slowing down can lessen both physical and mental pain. Practicing mindfulness [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":57914,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false},"categories":[139],"tags":[136,137,155,120,147,165],"class_list":["post-57913","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-life-blog","tag-ais","tag-american-institute-of-stress","tag-research","tag-stress","tag-stress-management","tag-stress-relief","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress - The American Institute of Stress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress - The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A personal perspective: Slowing down improves your quality of life. KEY POINTS Slowing down improves your quality of life. Slowing down can lessen both physical and mental pain. Practicing mindfulness [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-06T06:27:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"379\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/\",\"name\":\"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress - The American Institute of Stress\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-17T14:11:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-06T06:27:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":379},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/\",\"name\":\"The American Institute of Stress\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The American Institute of Stress\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":432,\"caption\":\"The American Institute of Stress\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress - The American Institute of Stress","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress - The American Institute of Stress","og_description":"A personal perspective: Slowing down improves your quality of life. KEY POINTS Slowing down improves your quality of life. Slowing down can lessen both physical and mental pain. Practicing mindfulness [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/","og_site_name":"The American Institute of Stress","article_modified_time":"2024-04-06T06:27:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":379,"url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/","name":"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress - The American Institute of Stress","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png","datePublished":"2022-06-17T14:11:36+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-06T06:27:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-7.png","width":600,"height":379},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-slowing-down-reduces-physical-pain-and-mental-stress\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Slowing Down Reduces Physical Pain and Mental Stress"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/","name":"The American Institute of Stress","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization","name":"The American Institute of Stress","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg","width":1440,"height":432,"caption":"The American Institute of Stress"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/57913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}