Slow Living is much more productive than you think!

2016 was a breaking point for me – After years of hustling, feeling guilty when I was having a lazy day and thinking that life has to be busy to be productive… I finally reached total burn-out.

Most people would say that I should have known better. After all… here I was, working as a therapist in the heart of the busiest cooperate part of London and seeing first-hand what burnout looks like with my own clients. Yet, I also somehow fell right into that trap! The sad truth is that I have also seen how many health care professionals experience this too. And if you are building your own business alone, the pressure can always feel like it’s full-on. So, this was my wake-up call.

It was time to reflect on my belief system about slowing down and why I had some resistance to it. And I realised that this was already a whole practice of Self-care that I somehow skipped over. So, I decided to dive in deep and see what was coming up…

Transformational times are also bringing this up… As I write this post, we have been going through a global pandemic that has put many of us into a space where we are re-thinking some of these belief systems in our life. It’s bringing up a lot of the things that I went through in 2016 and the things I was personally reflecting on back then.

The Slow Living lifestyle has become a popular topic – Try typing it on YouTube and observe how many videos/channels are based on slow living. It’s no accident that many of us during these times are embracing this. And yes, maybe the trend might go away in future (like many other hashtags we have seen since social media began), but the concept is timeless.

“I am TOO BUSY For…”

The glorification of busy-ness is a harmful mindset. This was one of the first things I had to address in my own life – I had to be honest about where this belief came from and how I had to find a healthier way to live my life. I needed to actively challenge it… And in daily life, this looked like observing where my mind was focusing on as I went through my to-do list, finding ways to make time for rest, to actively and essentially reform my daily routines so I knew what my priorities meant… Not easy to put it into practice.

Yes, we do have a lot of things to do in our real-life… But what happens if we approach it differently and STILL get positive results, minus the stress? It is possible to embrace slow living and be productive too.

✨ TIPS AND REFLECTIONS

➨ When do you FEEL your energy peaks during a regular day? Everyone is unique and some people feel they can be the most productive in the morning, whereas others just start to activate their energy after lunch and beyond… The key is to know when we personally feel like our energy is highest. Even though it may not always be practical to completely follow this schedule in real life, at least we can start to make plans for how to re-arrange our time more effectively – We can use our lower energy times for slower-paced things and high energy times to get the most out of the times when we feel more energetically awake.

➨ When was the last time you used the excuse “I am too busy to/for…”? I say EXCUSE because maybe there are times when you automatically react to an invitation to do something with this personal statement – when really, you could have made time if you wanted to. We’ve all been there! A simple example: A friend asks if you want to spend Saturday having lunch and the first thoughts are “I can’t because I am going to be too busy with the kids, my work etc” – Question that reaction next time… Can you re-arrange your schedule or make time? Maybe not on that specific day but for another occasion? It’s good to catch our Self saying these types of statements and ask our Self how true they really are… Sometimes, we are just too busy and other times, there is a way to make space to do things we are invited to.

➨ Have a look at your daily schedule – Where or what can you spend less time doing? A simple example is looking at the ways you spend passive time on the TV, Netflix/Other film streaming websites and Social Media… Could you use this time to do something different instead that will help you develop your simple Self-care routines? So, instead of scrolling for 30 minutes on social media before bedtime, you could use this time to do some yoga, journal, have a soothing bath, read a good book, study a topic… the list is endless!

“I DON’T HAVE TIME OR ENERGY to/for etc…”

This is an extension of the last point – If you are ready to start questioning and bringing awareness to statements like these, maybe we can start working on some awareness tools to really pinpoint how we can embrace slow living and Self-care.

Self-care is very much about embracing slow living – And it does not mean we need to have endless amounts of time and energy to do this. Simple example: Just 3 minutes of space between our to-do list is enough for a breathing exercise. The key is to look at our real daily life schedule and find small time slots where we can do something to nurture our Self.

If you are a sensitive person, empath, HSP… This is vital! Some people thrive on fast energy and some of us prefer a different pace due to our sensitivity… There are no right-wrong ways as both can be just as productive. If you do have a more sensitive energy exchange with the world, it’s essential to have the tools in place to recharge and release regularly!

✨ TIPS AND REFLECTIONS

➨ Start a free Self-care journal – I promise it is worth it!

This journal will help you re-evaluate how/what you spend your time in, how you can add simple self-care routines to your daily life and act as a safe space to track and explore your own progress.

➨ Try the IND Journal

This journal is something you can do for a week or more to gain awareness as to what/who is inspiring or draining your energy… As well as looking at your self-care routines. I invite you to give it a try!

“I SHOULD BE doing/working/being/trying etc this instead…”

If you are SHOULD-ing on your Self, why? This is the classic way in which we start to feel uncomfortable, guilty or annoyed with our Self. It usually comes from a place of external expectation of standards that we think we need to have in order to feel good about our Self.

Focus on what YOUR values and needs are… Forget what you were taught or what others expect from you. Ask your Self if what and how you live your life is aligned to what your own values and needs are. If you have been going through a lot of transitioning and transformation, this might have changed (often subconsciously) and it is a beautiful opportunity to re-discover your Self as you are now.

✨ TIPS AND REFLECTIONS

➨Journal Inspiration: Be honest… what are the SHOULDs in your life right now? Write down a whole list if you have to… Get very clear on what you regularly say to your Self about what your life SHOULD look/be like. And most importantly, ask your Self (next to each point on your SHOULD list): Does this align with me or is it an expectation from someone/something else? Where is the root of this statement? Again, explore, write it down, release, observe!

➨ How can you Re-Define that SHOULD list? So now that you have your list and notes, how can you make a list of what really matters to you? Some of the list may feel good to you, some of it may need to complete go! You choose! And add your own definitions of what you feel your values and needs are now.

Re-Define what SUCCESS means in our OWN LIFE

I want to end this post with one of my podcasts – This will inspire you to explore journal writing and build your own success! ENJOY!

✨ TIPS AND REFLECTIONS