There is no need to emphasize how fast we live... We are in a hurry, we are in a rush, we are always busy, there is always something we should do, and there is always something we need to do! On top of it all, Christmas is coming! There is so much to focus on! There's decorating to do, presents to be bought, the Christmas menu is a challenge, and then it’s exam period too! For students and teachers alike, it's an extra task in addition to the daily chores.... 24 hours is just not enough!

We all know that it would be good to do some exercise, to do some sports. Just half an hour a day and we're doing the recommended amount of physical activity to stay healthy. We also know that it would be healthier to prepare our own meals instead of eating fast food, but cooking takes time! We also know that it would be good to connect with our inner self. Me-time doesn't take up too much time either... half an hour a day is enough. And, of course, spending quality time with friends, on a good book, on a good movie, or a newspaper, only requires another half an hour a day... The last two years have been about the epidemic and many people have not been able to work. An untold number of people have had to use up their savings and many of them have also had problems making ends meet because of their financial situation. Many people are now working overtime to break even! How do they fit in that extra “half an hour”?!

I have been living at a fast pace since I was 14. I come from a large family. There's always a lot going on, there's always something happening to someone, there's always an event; a name day, a birthday, a graduation, a marriage and of course there are unpleasant things as well... illnesses, divorces, deaths. I worked during my years as a university student. It is not easy to study full-time and work part-time for 5-6 hours every day. The days get longer, the nights become shorter, but you have a purpose, so it's worth it. After university I began doctorate training, I started a family and soon had my daughter. With a baby on my lap, I finished my dissertation, but that didn't mean I could rest easy. I‘ve gotten used to the short night because I still have to face multiple challenges on several fronts. There is always a new task, both at home and at work. It’s an endless story!

Do I have time to live a healthy life?! Do I have 30 minutes a day to keep my body fit? Unfortunately, no. Every day I run out of time! I don't have that half hour neither for this nor for that, sometimes not even for lunch. I hope few people are familiar with the feeling when you buy yourself a lotion or a face mask, for example, and a few months later it's still lying unopened in the drawer. Unfortunately, this happens to me a lot. And it also happens - and I'm sure it's not just me - that I finally go on holiday somewhere to relax and unwind and then end up being more tired than when I started. You could call it an active holiday, but if you think about it, that's where we just continue our extremely fast-paced lives: we cram as much as we can into our week's holiday so we would be able to say we've been here and there and we've seen this and that. But we actually go on holiday to relax, to get to know another country, and perhaps another culture.

But then I reached a turning point: in May 2020 we bought a puppy. This puppy slowed me down. She changed everything. She certainly saved my life. Since I've had her, I've learned to avoid the unnecessary things in life. I don't rush around; I have time to get some air every day. I use a phone app to measure how many kilometers I've walked, and by now I've reached thousands. While walking our dog, I talk, I listen to Podcasts, I soak up the power of Nature. I want to escape from the built environment. I used to listen to music but nowadays I just listen to the silence. It clears a lot of thoughts in my head, I'm more productive at home and at work. I cook more often, and I clean more often too because of our dog, but I have a system. Whether it's cold, or it's hot, she makes me go out and this vitalizes me. I never thought I would enjoy walking in minus 4 degrees Celsius! When I come home, I turn on the TV and watch a movie and our dog naturally snuggles in between me and my daughter, because she is part of the family. And that's good for all of us.

My daughter goes to eighth grade. After school she has high school prep classes, extracurricular activities, sports until 7 o’ clock in the evening three times a week, homework, assignments, projects, exams... It's not easy for a 13-year-old girl! And it's not easy for medical students to meet exam expectations either.

The exam period has begun. There is a lot of stress, a lot of expectations and we can hardly talk to the students because we are only concerned with the course material. The efficacy of teaching depends largely on the relationship between the teacher and the student. As a teacher, we rarely have an opportunity to take a glimpse into our students’ lives. But we should. They are overworked, tired, and many have been invited to do voluntary work because of the epidemic, which means they lost a week’s worth of studying before the exams in addition to the 8 hours of daily work a day, so they are even more stressed than usually. Some have even more serious problems than this. For them, we are role models, and a good word from us can determine which field they eventually choose to pursue. So, you could say that our personality can have an effect on their lives. I think it is extremely important that we slow down to allow time and space for teacher-student conversations to take place. It is important to know what successes and difficulties they are experiencing in their lives, and this makes the university more than just an educational institution.

In 2001, Harry R. Lewis, the Rector of Harvard University, communicated to the newly admitted students and their parents to "Chill!". His message was that they don't have to strive for achievement at all costs. In 2004, Harry R. Lewis sent a letter to all admitted students entitled "Slow Down" (https://lewis.seas.harvard.edu/files/harrylewis/files/slowdown2004_0.pdf) to further remind young people that sometimes less is more and to do only what they really want to do. It's easy to get burnt out by a set of expectations hovering over our heads.

Slow Life is now a well-known trend. We live in a constant profusion of news, always watching, reading, or listening to something. Dozens of restaurants in the city, an endless number of fashion products in the malls! We have to learn to make choices. To select between news, television programs, non-essential products, foods, restaurants, and superficial contacts. To put aside time to appreciate the magic of the moment, the time to experience our joys and sorrows, and to savor our food. To focus not on quantity but on quality instead. Whether it is eating, drinking, having fun, or working. Let's make it a priority to learn about and protect Nature.

Buy products from fair trade! Recognize the hopeless situation of vulnerable groups and contribute to the alleviation or even elimination of their problems, whether far away in Asia, Africa or here in our immediate neighborhood. Notice the homeless on cold days, and smile anywhere, anytime, if it brings somebody joy!

I know that everything is important, and everything is urgent, and it is difficult to change. Sometimes you need a big slap in the face from Life to change your way of thinking and to slow down. I have a friend who has been able to work less after having a stroke, and I have friend whose diagnosis of cancer gave her the motivation to change her lifestyle. I am lucky because the motivation to change came from our dog. You should live more slowly too! Soon it will be the new year, a time for resolutions, a time to start the next year differently. It's enough to make a change in only one area at a time. Try Slow Travel, when you don't just visit the well-known tourist attractions, but you use local public transport, when you actually talk to the locals, when you taste the local specialties. This is how you will really get to know a certain place. Or try Slow Food, when you don’t eat in a hurry, when you put the local flavors first, savoring ever bite. Go outdoors, into nature by yourself and see the beauty of simple things! Shop consciously! Instead of the sea of presents at Christmas, allocate time to your loved ones, and then spend it just with them.

Let's not wait until our bodies break down from the whole year’s, or many years of exhaustion. I would like to conclude with the words of the Rector of Harvard University: “It’s your life, even at Harvard. Enjoy it!"

Wishing you a slower Happy New Year!

Dr. Zsuzsanna Orsós

Senior Lecturer

Department of Public Health