What Happens to the Mind When Everything Finally Slows Down

For many of us, real rest is only possible when the whole world decides to do so.

There’s something so powerful about December and early January, especially in South Africa. The collective rhythm changes. Finally email inboxes go dormant. Meetings stop or are rescheduled to next year. Expectations to be available soften. Our nervous system senses this before we can even explain it: it’s safe to slow down now.

I went into the holidays carrying more than I realised. My 2025 was a great year, but a bit too much. Multiple projects, lots of international travel, overlapping ideas and trying to keep up with the pace of technology and what's going on in the world in general. Add to this my squirrel mind that gets excited about too many things but occasionally overwhelms itself. One of my friends, who joined up on this trip and who I've known since childhood, called me out on it:

"Anna, you like to talk the talk, but you are too tense. Just let go and have more fun. We don't have endless time left, make the most of it."

What I didn’t expect was how clearly my mind would respond

We spent our time with a group of friends and their families in Zanzibar to celebrate a big birthday of one my closest friends. (Actually she is more like a sister to me). We all stayed at the newly opened Jaz Aurora Elite on the east coast of the island.

It would be incomplete not to acknowledge how much the environment mattered. Everything, the service, the food, the pace, the flow of the days, even the interior design reduced friction and helped me in my nervous system reset. There were fewer decisions to make, fewer responsibilities to stress about and for the first time in a long time spending a few days just being, rather than doing. The people are so friendly, kind and accommodating. Every person we met left a positive impression. Plus the heat. When it is hot, I literally can't think, even if I wanted to.

All of the above added to a sense of letting go. And when cognitive load drops, something interesting happens: the mind opens.

The Quiet Return of Creative Thinking

Creativity doesn’t respond well to pressure. It needs spaciousness, safety, and sometimes even a sense of temporal boredom. For many high-performing, high-responsibility people, that combination only appears once a year when the wider world stops demanding output.

With the children happily absorbed in pools, padel courts and endless motion, a different kind of stillness became possible for the adults.

There was joy in watching them move freely, and relief in knowing they were safe and that they had fun with each other. That alone regulates a parent’s nervous system more effectively than any productivity or parenting hack.

Days unfolded gently: a walk on the beach or to the gym, water gymnastics ("oh so looovely"), long meals or just lingering for hours at the restaurant with someone from the group, kids horse riding along the beach, or playing volleyball against a few French or local guys, There was a lot of laughing and connecting.

And slowly, slowly, day by day, almost imperceptibly, my mind shifted from doing to being.

Spaces That Invite the Nervous System to Let Go

The architecture and décor beautifully marry Zanzibari elements with Arabian and African influences. Natural materials, warm textures, earthy tones, handcrafted details. Nothing loud, but spaciousness and natural beauty, allowing light and air to do much of the talking.

I've learnt over the years that design and our environments play a far greater role in regulation than we give it credit for. Our nervous systems are constantly scanning: sharp or soft, chaotic or coherent, rushed or slow. Thoughtful design sends subtle signals of relaxation and safety.

I found myself sitting longer and letting my eyes rest on textures and shadows. The space itself seemed to say: there’s nowhere else you need to be.

Movement, Meaning, and a Word That Stayed With Me

One of the most grounding moments came during a yoga session led by the wonderful teacher Sashin Parasha visiting from the Mora Hotel. He was gentle, embodied, and deeply present.

Somewhere between breath and movement, (I loved Sashin's guidance: "take your breath for a walk through your body") the Swahili phrase: pole pole came into my consciousness quite loudly. Directly translated, it means slowly, slowly. Not as an instruction to do less, but to do things with more presence and care. And to just do one thing at a time.

It struck me how rarely we practise this form of slowness. We've learnt how to move fast and with AI giving us the tools to be more productive at a pace that is unnatural. We’re far less practised at moving slowly without guilt.

Why This Kind of Rest Matters

From a psychological and neurological perspective, this type of rest is not indulgent, it is so critical for us at a foundational level:

When the nervous system is given sustained signals of safety:

• Our attention broadens

• Emotional regulation improves

• Creativity becomes accessible and insight emerges without being forced

Many of my clearest thoughts didn’t arrive through effort. They surfaced during a Yoga flow, walking, or just sitting quietly with no agenda. It's no coincidence that the idea for Popcorn Training, which was the business that got acquired by KnowBe4 in 2018 was born in Zanzibar 15 years ago.

This time, being surrounded by close friends and family amplified this effect. Shared meals, unstructured conversations, laughter, and familiarity create social safety, one of the most powerful regulators we have.

Taking the Slowness Home

The real value of rest isn’t how perfect it feels while you’re in it, it’s also what stays once you return.

For me, pole pole has become more than a holiday phrase. It’s an intention for the year ahead. A reminder that slowing down doesn’t dilute impact or ambition. It refines it.

In a world that constantly rewards speed, December and January offer a rare collective pause, especially in the Southern hemisphere where the summer holidays mean that slowing down feels socially permitted. The question is whether I can carry some of that permission with me into the rest of the year. Because when everything finally slows down, my mind seems to remember how to think again and tap into a much more creative space.

Thank you TUI and Jaz Group for the fantastic experience. Please can we get a direct flight from Cape Town :-)

For anyone looking for their next beach holiday, check out this amazing resort in Zanzibar:

JAZ HOTEL AURORA