One of my favorite songs by King Princess is the song, “Slow Down and Shut Up.” And while I don’t listen to the song as much as I did upon its initial release, the chorus has come back to me frequently over the past weeks. My schedule has been busier than ever this semester and sometimes I wish someone would say those words to me.
“Slow down and shut up.”
Harsh? Maybe. But sometimes necessary when you’re the type of person who overthinks everything without the actual time in my days to be overthinking.
If I opened my daily planner, you would understand where this desire to slow down is from. There’s always a class to attend, an assignment to turn in or an appointment that’s taking up more hours than necessary. There’s always something to do and the result of that busyness is that things become a mess. My emotions, my assignments, nothing is going smoothly and everything is on fire because there’s only so long that the human body can go at 100% before it breaks down.
Already this semester I have been reaching my limits, stressing myself out with endless engagements, pushing myself to get everything done as best as I can, and I’m so tired. And we haven’t even made it to midterms.
This month of September proved to be a trial, testing me to see who will come out on top. My schedule, or me. While the winner has yet to be announced, my optimism was beginning to wane until a friend reminded me that I didn’t need to rush, and a professor told me to slow down.
It is so common to get caught up with all of the deadlines and things that we have to do. It’s practically second nature for me to try and get it all done as fast as I can to move onto the next task, only to find that I’ve made mistakes and have to start my task all over again. In the haste to have it done, I don’t have it done well. And in that hurry to get it over with, I say all the wrong things.
So, I’ve been forced to slow down, to remember what my friend, my professor and King Princess have said. In the act of slowing down, everything becomes clearer. All the outside noise, chaos, and obligations slow down with me as I take a step back.
Then I can shut up for a moment. I’m not racing to finish my sentences before I’ve even finished my thoughts. It is incredible how much strife can be avoided in your life when you’re taking the time to be quiet for a moment. Let yourself listen to the world as it moves by, listen to whoever is talking to you before jumping to a response.
If you ever find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of things that need to be done, just take a moment. Slow down and shut up; that might be all you need to lighten the load and change your perspective.
