Slowing down

The past few weeks I’ve been living life in a bit of a rush. Frantically trying to get as many things done as quickly as possible. I didn’t really set aside time to rest, relax and just be. From the moment I woke up to the moment I collapsed into bed I was busy doing and it was really exhausting. I’m now taking some time to go slow, read, breathe and relax which is so so needed and really important.

This got me thinking how often in life do we take time to stop and just be without any pressure or guilt. Probably not often enough. In the modern world there is so much pressure to get things done and be productive but unfortunately this can leave us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. With a never ending to-do list there is a lot of pressure to get everything done but in reality that’s never going to happen. You need to decide on the things that you really want and need to do and forget about the rest. Remember nothing is so important that it’s worth sacrificing your health for. However, we often feel a lot of guilt when we slow down and take a break even though resting is completely essential. I listen to a really good podcast on the productivity trap recently which discussed how we will never actually get everything on our to do list done so we should just focus on the things that are most important to us and I thought this was such an insightful point. Only do what you really need and want to do.

In my opinion, social media makes the productivity trap worse as we see a highlights reel of people living these busy and exciting lives and feel that ours should be the same. When in reality that is one day in someone’s life and on other days they stay home and don’t do much. It’s really important to not compare yourself to what other people are doing- especially when you don’t really know what’s going on behind the screen.

Doing things is exciting and wonderful for and a great part of life but so is resting and taking it slow. Snuggling up the sofa with a book or a good film is blissful and so necessary for your health and happiness. Without taking it slow you will become tired and unwell and then you won’t be able to enjoy all of the busy things your want to do. Resting is an essential part of life and as Maisie Hill discuses in this podcast episode isn’t lazy at all.

If you are feeling guilt around stopping and taking it slow then I think you need to take some time to look at how you value yourself. If you only value yourself when you are busy doing something important and being productive then there is a bit of a problem with your self worth and respect. You need to love yourself exactly as you are. Without having to do anything. This self acceptance requires a lot of inner work and a lot of love, I haven’t got there yet. I still feel guilty when I take it slow and I am working on myself to help me move past that. To learn more about how to stop feeling guilty for taking a rest read my blog post on being lazy.

I’m going to leave you with this beautiful message from Where’s Mollie on embracing a slower pace of life as I think it sums everything up beautifully.

And if you want to learn how to do less I have signed up for a workshop with Maisie Hill on how to do less this Monday. Might be a good idea if you struggle with this.

Have a lovely week and take it slow!

Megan xx