I knew it was time to slow life down when my bub was just a week old and we made our first tentative trip out of the house. We were living in the heart of Darlinghurst in inner-Sydney and the moment I stepped out onto the street my pulse began to race.

Buses roared past, sirens wailed and my baby and I were jostled along as we made our way to the local park. That’s when I decided fast living wasn’t for me and, six weeks later, my husband and I had packed up and moved north to a seven-acre property in the Byron hinterland.

Ten years, two boys, seven chooks and a puppy later, we couldn’t be happier. And while you needn’t make such a drastic change, there are heaps of little things you can do to slow down the pace of your own life. Your health and family will thank you for it, says Melbourne-based psychologist Meredith Fuller.

Your safe haven

Even if you relish a bustling neighbourhood, career or social life, it’s vital you close the door on that bustle when you return home, Meredith says. “Your home is your safe haven and a place where you need to be able to relax – and you can’t relax if you’re on high speed!”

Carl Honoré agrees. He’s the author of In Praise of Slow (Orion, $24.99), the bible on the global ‘slow movement’, which is all about living life at a more natural pace. “When we’re stuck in fast-forward we start to wear out our bodies and minds,” he says. “By slowing down, living at a more reasonable pace, you have more energy and you’re more likely to live longer and better.”

You may also be a better parent. “The problem with modern parenting is the compulsion to do more. You end up on this exhausting treadmill of quantity over quality,” says Carl.

“I think the gloriously relaxed moments when you’re in the kitchen together hanging out – maybe you’re cooking and the kids are lying on the floor playing – are the most enriching and bonding. You need that open-ended, unstressed time, and it’s out of those slow moments that the real love and connections happen.

But they won’t happen if you’re busy.”

Slow time is great for children’s development, adds Meredith. “Part of being a child is being curious about the world and your own internal reactions, about wondering and reflecting, and if you take that time away from them you’re not helping their brains develop properly.”

By slowing things down now, you’re also setting an example that your children are likely to continue following for many years to come. “Children follow your lead so if you want to set the pace, you have to slow down,” explains Meredith.

Making the change

While you can’t change the pace of the world, you can change the pace of your home. Of course this is easier said than done, warns Carl. “The natural human instinct is to want to do it all and have it all, but having it all is just a recipe for hurrying it all.” Here are some ways to slow things down at your place:

* Decompression time
Whether you’re home from work, shopping or childcare, the minute you step through your door you need to change gears and slow down, says Meredith. “When rushing home, we often take that fuss and bother in with us – ‘I’ve got to get dinner on! I’ve got to do this and that!’ What you need is a decompression.” That might mean swapping work clothes for trackie-daks (a sure signal you’re in slow mode) or taking the kids for a walk. “That ritual helps you slow down as you have to walk at the kids’ pace,” she says. “It also gives special time to ask what happened that day. By the time you get back home you’ll be feeling much

less frazzled and anxious.”

* Clocking off

When you’re at home, you also need to put boundaries around work and other commitments. Whether you have a home office or piles of laundry to wash and sort, shut the door on it all at some stage. “Say, ‘After 6pm, that space is invisible’,” says Meredith. “Put curfews on things and even use a fold-up screen to contain the space. Your second shift is your family and you have to pay attention to them.”

* Family time

Many of us see a hole in our diary and rush to fill it up. “The first step to slow is to start pruning your planner and doing less,” says Carl. “Then you open space for serendipity.” Try simply making every Sunday morning ‘sacred family time’, for example, “so when you get up in the morning you can go for a bike ride or play Monopoly or mess around in the garden, whatever you feel like.”

* Switching off

It’s hard to slow down when you’re constantly bombarded with emails and phone calls, so put limits around them, too. “It’s important to forge a more balanced relationship with technology where you are not constantly moving at the speed of software,” says Carl. “Wall off moments in the week when you say, ‘That’s it, I’m unplugged now and nothing is going to plug me back in until I am ready’.”

* Loving lists

Have too many people wanting too much from you? Set up some ‘to do’ lists, suggests Meredith. “You might say, ‘Tomorrow is the day we’ll do that fun craft project’, and you write a note and put it beside your child’s bed so it’s in his mind: ‘Yes, it’s under control, Mummy hasn’t forgotten but she’s put boundaries around when that will happen’.

It means you’re not trying to fit 1000 things into the one space and it sets the pace for tomorrow.” And don’t let others wind you back up. “When they’re trying, just sit and breathe deeply, five deep breaths. It’s the best antidote.” Learn to prioritise and say ‘no’.

* Quality catch-ups

Instead of jotting off a quick Facebook greeting, invite a friend over for a cuppa and a long chat. “A lot of our relationships now are too fast and end up being superficial,” says Carl. Real connections take time. “By slowing down we develop deeper, stronger, richer and more meaningful human relationships.”

* Slow cooking

One way to strengthen relationships and slow down is to make a healthy, slow-cooked meal at home says Geoff Hudson, chairman of Slow Food Australia. “It’s tragic to see people coming out of supermarkets loaded up with soft drink, chips, processed foods and very little of the raw materials used to cook nutritious meals,” he says. “Instead of shovelling it in, seek out good food. If you buy from farmers’ markets you’re buying from the people who grew the stuff.” Even better, grow your own vegies! While it takes longer, it teaches your family about nature, nutrition and patience. Then set the dining table and enjoy the feast together as a family!

Tips for slowing down in your household

• Move computers, phones and even TVs out of core areas so they won’t divert your attention away from what’s important.
• Set up a ‘slow room’ where gadgets are banned and reading, relaxing and other quiet activities are encouraged.
• Use light and other design ideas to slow down the mood of each room. Think lamps, aquariums and water features.
• Recycle. Take the time to separate your garbage and set up a compost or worm farm – all great for slowing down and reducing your eco footprint.
• Invest in a decent coffee maker, then DIY and be rewarded by the wait.
• Use landline phones with short cords so you can’t multitask while chatting.
• Paint your living area sky-blue: colour therapists say it’s the colour of tranquillity!
• Prepare a bath with some calming lavender, geranium or rose essential oils, or place them in a hot towel at the back of your neck and slowly exhale...

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