There aren’t many times you hear people talk about how slow their life is in America. It’s usually “I’m so busy”, or “I just want things to slow down”.
But there is the occasional season in life where the opposite is true. Like working from home in a new place where you don’t know anyone.
Not that I know from personal experience.
In these seasons, our thoughts are more, “I’m so bored” and “I just want things to pick up.”
Maybe most of my readers are envious at that thought, but a few of you know exactly what I’m talking about.
It’s the high schooler on summer break.
The college grad looking for a job.
The workaholic on maternity leave.
The parents who just became empty-nesters.
The employee of 40 years that finally retires.
All of the sudden, life is slow.
It would be like playing sports on multiple teams your entire life, going to school, participating in all sorts of extracurricular activities, plus living in the same town as your closest friends for the first 21 years of your life.
Then college ends.
Sports end.
Extracurricular activities end.
And you move to a new city.
Where you know no one.
And work from home.
Meaning you sit on your tail in your apartment interacting with people via email.
That can get depressing.
Not that I know from personal experience.
But maybe when life slows down, we should stop seeing it as depressing and begin seeing it as an incredible opportunity.
Here are 3 things to consider doing if you happen to stumble into a slow season:
1. Change your Perspective.
If you are anything like me, going from a busy life to a slow one introduces a very negative thought process. It can even feel like you are purposeless at times. Fellow Jordans- change your perspective! Flip the coin.
Yes, you do have a lot of free time now. But that can be a GREAT thing. Make a list of all the things that this new time allows you to do. And remember – it’s not forever. Before long you’ll probably be complaining about how busy you are. Embrace the season you’re in.
2. Find New Hobbies.
Due to my negative mindset, I first spent my newly found free time doing what every 20-something naturally does- Netflix binge watching. Don’t get me wrong- Netflix is great. Sometimes. But it shouldn’t be an all day, every day activity. In fact, studies prove that binge watching actually leads to depression.
Instead, discover new hobbies. When I first moved to Louisville for my first job out of college, I was bored out of my mind. So I bought a guitar and tried to teach myself to play (tried being the key word). After my neighbors began banging on the walls because they were tired of hearing such deathly noises, I moved on to baking. Turns out I actually really like to bake! Then I moved to blogging. And look where I am now. I’m regularly doing things I didn’t even know I enjoyed before my slow season. My husband gets to routinely eat his weight in cake and cookies and I am happily sharing my awkward thoughts with you.
3. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!
While finding new solo hobbies is fun, you still need to get out of the house and find some real people to interact with. This is especially vital if you just moved to a new place.
Stop hanging out with Monica, Rachel, Ross, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe and find some real friends- even if you don’t want to. Trust me, I know it can be difficult. I’m a very social person, but I HATE the feeling of being the “new person”- so much so that I spent my first couple of months in a new city without meeting a single new soul (unless you count the Taco Bell drive-thru man). I finally realized it wasn’t going to be easy and it wasn’t going to be comfortable to meet new people. I just had to embrace the awkward. Find a church, join a professional group, play in some sort of league, meet with the old men in McDonalds every morning, I don’t know! Just do something. The people are there. Find them.
Slow seasons can be horrible…or they can be incredible. Just like anything else, it’s what you make of it. There is no such thing as too much free time. After going through a slow season, you might actually find that you like having some alone time.
Change your perspective, find new hobbies, and get out of the house!
Who knows, you may even get bored enough to respond to that kid you knew from high school who is geeky enough to initiate a conversation via Facebook messenger and end up marrying him a couple years later…
Not that I know from personal experience.
Question: Have you ever had a “slow season”? What did it teach you? Are you thankful for it looking back? Share your thoughts below!
