The Dutch Council for Health and Society recently released a striking report (as described by NOS): we are living in what they call a hyper-nervous society. Constant acceleration, pressure to perform, and rising individualism are leaving deep marks on our well-being. The numbers are sobering—burnout is on the rise, waiting lists for mental health care grow longer, and nearly half of all adults will face a psychological disorder at some point.
And yet, most solutions still focus on the individual: resilience training, coaching, therapy. These can help, but the Council warns it’s like mopping the floor while the tap is still running. If the culture keeps speeding up, no amount of personal grit will be enough.
Everyday Slowness
What we need, the Council suggests, is everyday slowness. Not as a luxury, but as a necessity. More unstructured time at school, more space for rest at work, more permission in our private lives to simply be. In other words: creating a society where quiet moments are valued as much as achievements.
Everyday slowness doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means doing things with attention and care. It’s taking time to walk instead of rushing to arrive. It’s allowing silence in a conversation, noticing the way the light changes across the room, or tasting your morning coffee before reaching for your phone.
Slowness invites us back into our senses. It pulls us out of constant thought and into direct experience—the texture of a blanket, the rhythm of breathing, the sound of birds outside the window. These small moments of awareness are how we reconnect with the present, and with ourselves.
We often think of change as something loud or dramatic, but slowing down is a quiet form of resistance. It asks us to trust that our worth doesn’t depend on how much we achieve, but on how fully we inhabit our days.
This is the kind of slowness that The Gentle Path stands for: not a pause from life, but a return to it.
Gentle Suggestions for Slowing Down
So how do we begin to shift away from hyper-nervous living? We don’t need grand solutions. Small, intentional practices can remind us what it feels like to breathe again.
- Reclaim unstructured time. Let a morning or an evening stay blank in your calendar. Resist the urge to fill it. See what unfolds.
- Prioritize real connection. Put the phone away during dinner, take a walk with a friend, or sit quietly with someone you love. Presence matters more than productivity.
- Embrace restorative rituals. Light a candle before bed, prepare food slowly, or take a few minutes to write in a journal. These are small acts of resistance against a world that demands speed.
- Listen to your rhythms. Notice when you are tired, overstimulated, or rushing. Give yourself permission to stop, even briefly.
An Invitation
The Council’s warning may sound heavy, but it’s also an invitation. If a hyper-nervous society is eroding our well-being, then slowing down—individually and together—is an act of quiet revolution.
You don’t need to change everything at once. Choose one gentle shift this week: a slow meal, a phone call with no agenda, an evening without screens. These moments may feel small, but collectively, they are how we begin to turn the tide.
One of the ways we like to spend an evening is listening to records. No television, no phones—just us on the sofa, surrounded by the soft crackle of vinyl. Sometimes we close our eyes when a song hits just right; sometimes we talk about the music, what memories it brings, or how it makes us feel. Playing records means getting up now and then—browsing the selection, pouring another glass of wine, maybe singing along. It’s a simple rhythm of movement and stillness, conversation and quiet, and somehow it slows the whole night down.
Because a society built only on acceleration leaves us breathless. A life lived with slowness, on the other hand, allows us to finally exhale.
🌿 If this reflection speaks to you, you might also enjoy Rewilding Our Daily Lives—a piece about finding your natural rhythm again in a world that’s forgotten how to pause. Together, both reflections invite you to step away from constant urgency and back into a gentler, more grounded way of living.