I gotta be honest, I have a really hard time slowing down and resting. I have a tendency to go go go, ALL OF THE TIME. The act of doing nothing doesn’t quite exist in my brain, yet (work in progress…). To me, there is always something to be doing. Anyone else feel like this? I know I can’t be the only one, so if that’s you, keep reading 🙂
The start of the new year is a time of new beginnings and a time to just really reset. And although the world seems a bit monotonous these days, it’s still so important to keep on keeping on. This year I really wanted to make it a priority to slow down in order to really get ahead and leave room for all of the things that truly bring me joy. Often times when we are “so busy,” it’s due to lack of efficiency. Finding ways to create balance in my life has been a GAME CHANGER. Of course like anything, some days are better than others. But for the most part, I can tell I have made progress to cultivate a better balanced life by sticking to the ways below:
- Slow down through meditation: I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to meditate,” or “I can’t sit still that long.” What if I told you it only took 5 – 10 minutes? Of course there are more lengthy versions of meditation. But I don’t have time for that either! I do however have 5-10 minutes to set aside every day. My favorite meditation is actually a Podcast, and it’s called Daily Meditation Podcast by Mary Meckley. I turn this on in the mornings, with zero distractions, and I just sit with the stillness, which allows me to focus on my breath and kinda get lost for a second. For me, it has helped bring me to a more grounded state (less of the go, go, go mentality) and re-center my thoughts about whatever my to do list for the day entails.
- Write your to do list down, in the morning: Do you ever feel like throughout the day, your mental to do list just continues to get longer and longer? Ya, me too. The days where I find myself the most balanced are those days where I actually wrote my to do list down, in the morning, before actually getting my day started. I keep a specific journal for this, but you can write it down wherever works for you! Except in your phone 😉
- Make it a priority to do ONE thing a day that makes you happy: This can be hard for a lot of us, as we may not feel unhappy. What I mean by this is to do at least one thing, deliberately, that is not of priority for someone else (i.e., work, kids, spouse, pets, etc…). It could be as simple as running yourself a bubble bath, free of distractions or treating yourself to a coffee from your favorite coffee shop. For me, I find happiness on my yoga mat (I know, big surprise LOL!).
- Take social media breaks: Remember, balance is not found, it is CREATED. So how can we be our most efficient self if we are constantly loosing hours by scrolling through Instagram, or TikTok? I know I am completely guilty of this. That’s why I have had to start being deliberate with when I am going on social media. I will set alarms or timers, so I don’t catch myself over scrolling, or I will turn my phone off for an hour at a time. I know it sounds so silly to have to do these things, but trust me, it helps! Especially since this pandemic has increased majority of our screen times.
- Be in the present moment: For me, this can be one of the hardest ones. I’m a forward thinker, so being intentional about being exactly where I am in each moment is something I struggle with. As I’ve become more mindful of this, it has actually helped a lot. Next time you are with friends or family, try putting your phone away for a few hours. I guarantee you will catch yourself enjoying the moment that is right in front of you just by this one small little step.
I would love to hear from you if you have any tips and tricks to creating balance! Feel free to share in the comments below ❤
Living Intuitively 