Living life with patience and grace
Wednesday 8th March 2023
In a world of quick, constant content it can be easy to get caught up in the notion that we should constantly be on the move and multi-tasking. Many of us have multiple goals we would like to achieve whether that be to boost our career, have social lives or make time for ourselves. This has led to many of us rushing for the next thing (myself included), and a lack of enjoying the present moment and experiences. This blog post I talk all about my journey of slowing down… hope you enjoy!
Background.
So I have always been somewhat of a control freak and loved having a set plan/ to-do list which has unfortunately led me to planning days months in advance instead of allowing myself to enjoy the now. In addition, it has forced me to plan out years ahead in terms of career and relationships, always working towards the next thing and therefore putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself. Due to this, I have found that I end up missing out on the present and current experiences and often forget that my current reality is one that I had previously dreamed of. So, I have therefore began taking steps in slowing down and appreciating the present, I am by no means an expert and still very much at the beginning of this journey but below I talk about steps I have taken and ones I wish to work on that may help you too.
1. My morning routine
This is a big one for me as I tend to rush through my morning. Often I roll out of bed like a zombie, shower, get ready, do my skin care and leave the house rushing to get to my bus stop and start my 2-hour morning commute. This tends to make me feel quite slumped throughout the day – and week – especially if I don’t get a good sleep, which often happens on Sunday nights. Then I’m half asleep throughout my commute, listening to music that I’m not really paying attention to until I end up at the office in central London craving a strong coffee – sometimes two – before I can really start working. This is a feeling I don’t like and have been recently trying to change. Although it is still a work in progress I have began to make some adjustments that have so far proven quite effective.
Firstly, I have started to get into bed earlier than usual to give myself enough time to fall asleep, I tend to plan out my outfit and prep my bag the night before as well so I don’t have to rush in the morning. This then gives me some extra time 2 do my skin care properly.
Another addition to my morning routine is to meditate and listen to positive social media (which are both part of my March goals) whilst I am commuting, instead of aimlessly trying to listen to music without thoroughly enjoying it. This is allowing me to really enjoy my mornings and make use of them instead of wasting those hours every day.
These are my main changes to my morning routine, if you have any additions or alternatives do let me know in the comments.
2. Taking one step at a time/ not trying to multitask
Another change I’ve started to make is too not multi task and instead take everything one step at a time. Often as a society we put multitasking on a pedestal but I have recently found not doing this has helped me greatly to not only get through my To Do List properly but also reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
I do this by creating a weekly and daily To Do List, figuring out the priorities and working through each one until they are completely done. This means not trying to start multiple tasks at once and therefore feeling like there’s always loads left to do. I have found that taking tasks one at a time has given me a better sense of fulfilment and satisfaction as well as reducing an over stimulated brain. It has also led to me feeling more in the present by focusing on one task rather than trying to do multiple or think about what’s next to do. Part of this also means that if tasks take longer than expected being flexible with moving them to another day or giving yourself more time to complete them properly, this can often be difficult as we tend to want to rush through things and move on to the next so it is important to give yourself ample time to complete each task instead of forcing yourself to burnout.
While this is largely related to work tasks I found it also makes sense in my personal life. For example, instead of always eating whilst watching Netflix or listening to a podcast perhaps allowing yourself to just enjoy a meal in peace would be beneficial as well. I have tried this on a few occasions and will certainly be implementing it more as it has allowed me to enjoy my meals more and give my brain some peace and time to slow down. In addition instead of going on walks and listening to music or podcasts perhaps allow yourself to just be in the moment listening to the sounds around you of homage to the thoughts that pop into your head instead of always enforcing a distraction.
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If you like my tips or have any of your own, let me know in the comments!
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