HOW (AND WHEN) TO FIND MOMENTS TO SLOW DOWN WHEN LIFE GETS CRAZY

I’ve never been one to lead an extremely busy lifestyle; I like to take my time and go with the flow of things. But over the past few years, I’ve found myself feeling like there’s just too much on my plate and sometimes life gets hard to juggle. Maybe it’s work, or making too many commitments to friends, but I often notice the stress of life will catch up to me if I’m pushing myself too hard.

The worst part? I often can’t find a good time to slow down. What is the right project to skip? And what commitments can I say no to? Sometimes I still struggle to find moments to take time for myself.

 Here are three solutions that have allowed me to give myself the moments to slow down when life gets busy.

FIND A MINDFULNESS MOMENT EVERY DAY

If you are anything like me, you know the intense feeling of stress when things get too overwhelming and life gets busy. One of the ways I avoid having mental breakdowns (which I’ve had my fair share of!) is to give myself quiet time every day. Even if its for five minutes, I make it a priority to sit on my own and just breathe.

 I noticed that when I take this moment at the beginning of the day I always feel better prepared for whatever the day throws at me. Then, throughout the day I am always mindful of my feelings and emotions. If I start to feel stressed or anxious, I come back to my breath. Breathe in…breathe out…and proceed.

It took me a while to turn this into a habit. Sometimes for me this looks like waking up a little earlier or resisting the (overly addicting + brain-washing) phone for a few minutes. But a good place to start is if you know you are going to have a busy week ahead, or you notice yourself constantly feeling overwhelmed, find five minutes away to be mindful. You’ll start to feel a little more in control in no time!

 LEARN TO SAY “NO”

I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve wanted to cancel plans or say ‘no’ to commitments but struggle because I was SUUUUUCH a people pleaser. Sometimes you can’t control when life gets crazy and that’s okay. When it does – part of slowing down is not adding additional work to your plate. This is something that you can control.

When things do get overwhelming, try saying no to the activities that don’t truly bring you joy or relaxation. If something is going to bring stress to your life in a busy time, skip it.

For me, I was (and still sometimes am) scared my friends or partner would be angry if I said no to plans. Instead, I was surprised they were happy that I was taking the time I needed for mental space and often times agreed that they needed it too!

HAVE QUALITY ‘YOU’ TIME

If your life is getting crazy, know that getting sleep and giving yourself some solo time almost always helps. This could mean different things for everyone. Ask yourself this: What activities recharge you? Is it a spa day? Binge watching Breaking Bad on Netflix? Going to a yoga class? Meditating? A beach day? Journaling?

For me this means going to the gym, listening to music, or spending time with nature or animals. But whatever “quality ‘you’ time” means for you, go ahead and indulge in it. You deserve it. Not only do you deserve it but it’s necessary in order for you to be the best ‘you’ you can possibly be. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again:

You can’t pour from an empty cup! 

All my love, Kenna