Gillian (names changed), 37, mother of two finds herself constantly tired, despite her daily workouts at the gym, twice a week swims and yoga once a week. “I’m a stay-at-home mother with a busier life than when I was working and had no help in Sydney.”
Russell, thirtysomething, works in sales and has a busy social life, which he can’t seem to extract himself from—and he knows he has to, “for the sake of my liver”, he says with a chuckle.
Sarah says she is always on the go, despite seemingly easier work hours as a teacher and two-day weekend. “I have a lot more work-stuff to do and because I don’t want to turn into a homebody, I find myself stretched too thin socially.”
Andrew, 26, a recent resident of Saigon and banker, finds himself in front of the TV most nights of the week, watching the latest episodes of his favourite shows, a beer and take-away his sources of solace and comfort—because he’s just too exhausted.
There are scores of similar stories echoing the same sentiment: busy lives depleting peoples’ energy levels and/or increasing stress and frustration. These stories occur every day, in every city, including HCM City and break many myths associated with the notion that life in Southeast Asia is an easier one, relatively stress free given the comforts of household help and cheaper cost of living.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
That is what long-time expat and general director of Family Medical Practice Dr Rafi Kot says. Everyone is smart enough to understand the importance of slowing down but realising it is difficult. He cites an example of spontaneous activity, and how they often tend to leave lasting impressions. “Here, it’s not so easy to get up and go somewhere or do something.”
There are many challenges to living in a foreign country, from learning new languages and social mores to simpler tasks like adjusting to traffic. However, Dr Kot believes HCM City throws greater challenges than for example, Hanoi nationally and even Phnom Penh and Bangkok regionally, because of its lack of space—and therefore places to escape to. (Despite its cosmopolitan nature, Bangkok has many public parks he says.)
“One of the easiest ways to slow down,” he says, “is to walk your dog, but can one do that in a leisurely manner here? Hanoi is a bustling cosmopolitan but it has parks and its lakes bring serenity; I can’t advise patients to go for a walk in the park here so am forced to tell them to get away for a weekend—a change of environment usually does wonders for a short period. And I don’t mean going away to Phan Thiet because if your experience is going to be affected by complaints of the ride there and back or the traffic en route, it defeats the purpose of getting away. I advise people to look into low-cost carriers and get away to Hong Kong or a place that is opposite of here [to wind down].”
Inevitably, stress takes a toll on one’s body. Ailments can take the shape of sleeping disorders, digestive issues, mild to chronic pains, respiratory problems (brought on by air pollution) to more serious diseases. In the good news, despite the seemingly psychosomatic-related ailments present, people in Vietnam aren’t popping muscle relaxants, sleeping pills or pills meant for psychiatric issues. Dr Kot adds that the drug manufacturing company for one such popular drug in the west recalled its product because there was no market here.
In a world where the number of drugs being created in the mental health industry is rising, this is certainly cheer-worthy. As is peoples’ desire to take time out for themselves, to care for their minds and bodies—as evidenced, for example, by more yoga options in the city. Yoga is a no-brainer example of slow activity that’s good for your body and mind. Its meditative aspect discourages mind-wandering and/or idleness, which are common side effects of busy lives dominated by technology or addiction to social media.
Yoga living
Michelle Lloyd has been teaching yoga for three years and talks about its therapeutic values and how this ancient, gentle exercise, which incorporates meditation, is essentially about slowing down. On a personal level, she has seen its benefits on herself, from when she began practicing to teaching it. “It has had a huge impact on my relationships and I find myself able to interact with people better; I’m not so quick to react, but rather pause, breathe and respond,” she says citing one example, adding that watching it have a beneficial impact on her students brings her much joy. “I have seen it transform people in a very positive manner. They may come in to practice yoga because they want to lose weight but over time they find that the practice provides a much more profound and wholesome effect on their physical, spiritual and mental health. This is what keeps them coming back to their practice.”
I ask whether the mushrooming of yoga outlets in HCM City is indicative of a demand for more places where people can go to switch gears. She thinks so and adds that such spaces encourage one to “turn down the volume of your internal dialogue, chatter and tune into the breath.” She stresses that yoga allows people to connect with themselves for the time they practice it which in turns gives them a moment’s of silence, peace—“whether that moment is five minutes or the entire yoga session,” she adds. “Coming to a studio to practice provides the environment where people can learn how to slow down and enjoy peace of mind, methods which can be taken with them when they leave the yoga mat and go about their daily lives. Bringing awareness to your breath throughout the day, five minutes at your desk, for a taxi ride, whatever... That also is a huge part of the yoga practice.”
Slow food, slow pleasure
The importance of eating well—and slowly—cannot be stressed enough. Again, it is a fact we are all too aware of but find difficult to implement. While Vietnam may not be beset by the scourge of fast food, or reliance on processed convenience food, and meals are fairly healthy (and for some of lucky ones, prepared by staff) slow food isn’t just about a meal that is leisurely prepared. The slow food movement began in 1989 by Falco Portinari as a reaction to fast food and the damages it would cause to the body and eating culture. He propagates the ideology that taste must be developed, not denigrated as is wont to happen on reliance to fast food. “We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to eat fast foods,” he writes on his website.
Granted that eating fresh healthy food, which is fairly in abundance here in its fruit and vegetables, is paramount but so is eating it in a leisurely manner, on the table (not in front of the TV), amongst friends and family. Slow eating (i.e. chewing longer) encourages better digestion. It also gives moment to pause and reflect, or enjoy instead of the frenzy that eating in a rushed manner while thinking of the task(s) ahead.
Studies have also shown that eating slowly can lead to weight loss without you doing anything—in one study it stated that you could lose up to 20 pounds a year without altering your diet or exercise regimen by eating slowly as it takes 20 minutes for the brain to recognise that it’s full.
The pleasures of slow dining are catching on with the resurgence of the slow cooker, and contrary to popular opinion in the 1970s, they do not strip food of flavour. A recent article in the Guardian talked about there being 864 titles on Amazon’s site dedicated to recipes for slow cookers.
Nice and slow
Joanne, 30-something, talks about how much of a difference daily dinner with the family, gadget free, on the table with proper china and silverware, has made on their relationship. “My husband and I actually know what is going on in our teenagers’ lives. It’s not just about their activities or everyone’s social lives and who needs the driver when; we really do talk over the table about holidays we want to take, news back home and even gossip about the neighbours,” she says with a laugh, adding that sometimes the obvious solution (i.e. family dinner) can evade you.
William Shakespeare summed it up well when he wrote: “Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.” As we usher in 2011, and make notes about resolutions we hope not to break, take a moment to reflect on how you can incorporate slow into your life —and how it will enhance your life.
