Today we’re chatting with Amy Arthur, an award-winning writer and science journalist and the author of new book, Pace Yourself: How To Have Energy In An Exhausting World.

Hi, Amy! If you could recommend One Good Thing we could all do to improve our mental health, what would it be?

Look out for all the things that you rush through. Ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to go at such a fast pace, or will a slower approach actually lead to a better outcome?’

When you find yourself tearing through a task – whether you’re eating breakfast while getting ready, taking the shortest route for your dog’s daily walk, or jumping into a new project at work without really considering your existing workload – try to question your desire to rush. Take a moment to explore what would happen if you slowed down. Would you spend a little longer making a healthier breakfast? Might you enjoy exploring a new place and get a little more exercise? Would you be more efficient, producing better quality work?

Interesting. I am definitely a rusher. Why is slowing down so important?

I think everyone’s feeling the pressure to do absolutely everything; to get fitter, to #GirlBoss and side hustle, to have Instagram-worthy cleaning standards, to be an amazing parent, to offer friends a shoulder to cry on, to go to therapy, to focus on self-care, no, self-improvement… the list is endless.

It makes sense that, when faced with innumerable and unrelenting pressures, our default response is to try to do everything in as short a time frame as possible. But as we rush through our tasks, we make more mistakes and cut corners just to tick items off our to-do list. We hand in work that isn’t our best and then we take on more in an attempt to prove that our output can be plentiful if not perfect. Pressure builds, stress becomes chronic and we are at real risk of burnout.

There is no real upside to rushing, only the illusion it gives of being productive (and perhaps if you’re a paramedic!). Instead, taking a slower, steadier pace allows us to be more deliberate in what we do at work, at home, in our social lives and for our health. It makes us prioritise our wants and needs, challenging us to let go of unrealistic expectations and commitments that no longer serve us.

One Good Thing: why we need to resist the temptation to rush