Seven Ways to Slow Down
When you feel stressed out, overworked, and frazzled, it’s often a case of taking on too much, too fast. Here are seven ways to slow down and simplify your life:1. Slow down, simplify, and slow down: keep things simple.
When it comes to relationships, focus on quality-not quantity
We need to recognize that what is physically possible for us to achieve in a day is not psychologically wise or plausible.
- On weeks when you feel overextended, it’s important to learn to just say no to dinner out, a day volunteering at the school fundraiser, or a weekend work trip.
Go to sleep
Rest, get some shut eye, and try a sleep meditation to relax before you hit the hay.
- Don’t feel like making major changes in your life to fix things, instead, commit to a healthy balance of rest, relaxation, and regular day-to-day activities
Focus on personal achievement, rather than status
Although it can feel difficult to “quit,” at something, it is ultimately more fulfilling to focus your time and energy on something we really care about, even if it that’s a more quiet type of success-such as finally taking a cooking class, or learning how to play guitar.
Take a break from the information cycle
While it’s important and necessary to follow the news, we don’t have to follow it at every hour of every day.
- Set one or two times a day to check the latest headlines or watch a recent broadcast.
Cultivate a healthy environment
Create an environment that fosters a sense of peace and contentment in your daily lives.
- Repain your bedroom, add plants to your desk at work, or simply tidy up the living room to create a calm and tranquil environment.
Practice mindful eating
Pay more attention to your meal and begin to savor each bite, in order to feel more full and satisfied for longer.
Check in with your emotions
When we’re busy, we often slip into auto-pilot-going through the motions of our day without pausing to notice how we really feel.
- Consider three topics in particular: What is making me anxious, who has caused me pain and how, and what is exciting me.