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Writer's pictureajconsidine

The Power of Slow


Happy Monday and Happy August! Wow! Summer seems to be flying by. Even in our post-COVID-19 world, we can feel like there is so much to do, many places to go and people to see. Perhaps like me, at the end of a full weekend, you suffer from an "attack of the Sundays" anxiously anticipating the busy week ahead and the dreaded "Case of the Mondays."


As we enter a new month and a new week, I invite you to ease your way into both by slowing down. It's counterintuitive, I know. Slowing down can create space for yourself to notice and appreciate something new and interesting you haven't seen before. Slowing down can also bring about a sense of awareness and new insights by allowing time to appreciate a phenomenon called "Just Noticeable Differences" or JNDs. There is a lot of psychological research behind JNDs. A quick JND definition is, "the difference threshold or the minimum level of stimulation that a person can detect 50% of the time." It is fascinating stuff worth checking into.


You have probably experienced JNDs without knowing what they are called. JNDs apply to all senses including touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. A simple example of a JND is the moment when you notice a slight lighting, temperature, or noise change in a room. Now that you have a name for it, I am sure you can think of many others when you've noticed something has changed even just a little bit.


Okay, so what? Reframing the JND concept, we can apply it to our daily interactions, travels, and activities, by looking at situations through a new lens and a fresh perspective. Slowing down and being present to notice and appreciate the beauty of the world around can help us to experience more joy. New and creative ideas can emerge and manifest when we take time to notice something we didn't before.


I was recently reminded about the great power and the beauty in slowing down. Speaking in "I" statements, I like to see how many JNDs and gold nuggets I can find each day.


This week's suggested reflection and challenge, should you choose to accept: How many "reframed" JNDs can you experience each day? How many new and different things can you notice? Did they make a JND in your life?

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