small things to do when life feels like its moving too fast
aka how to slow down and live slowly
- Being self aware about your proprioception
knowing exactly where you are in space and time can create some quiet in the chaos. sometimes when i feel like i’m mentally in rushed traffic – i like to close my eyes and imagine where i am in time and space starting from the galaxy and going down to where i am sitting. once i do that i ask myself more questions.
what color am i wearing? how do the walls of this room look like? how many lefts and rights will it take me to get to my car? who’s sitting next to me? what does my hair look like for someone sitting behind me? proprioception is sometimes known as a sixth sense.
- Tap into your five senses
i’ll usually close my eyes and really listen. listen to the loudest noise but also focus on the background. if you’re outside on a busy street – chances are you’ll hear cars but if you truly listen deeply you can listen to the birds chirping outside. if you’re inside, what are you currently sitting on? are you standing on carpet or hardwood?how does it feel? what are your hands holding? are they cold or warm? this realization will calm your nervous system. it’s a positive distraction especially when you add breathe work into it.
I am so bad with getting in the habit of doing breath work. i roll my eyes anytime someone tells me to take a deep breath if i tell them im nervous. but breath work is really THAT girl. breathing is the first thing we did when we came out of the womb and the last thing we will do before physically leaving this world. our breath is connected to our nervous system and it’s amazing how manipulating our breath work can intertwine with our energy and heart. 30 seconds is really all it takes. you can get in sync with your senses while doing breath work at the same time as well. the 5-4-3-2-1 technique utilizes both these practices for one purpose. you close your eyes and think of five things you are able to see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. it’s a perf grounding technique you can use to slow down or if you’re anxious or if you simply want to stay grounded. recognizing those feelings of internal chaos and taking deep breaths when they arrive
- Monotasking
i am so bad with this. i will need to feel stimulated in order to do something. if i’m editing pictures or doing mindless tasks – i will need the tv on. if I’m eating I’ll need to watch something. Which is totally okayyy but monotasking not only increases the performance quality but also decreases the workload. constantly multitasking allows us to feel like we have the whole world on our plates, and the work is never-ending which causes stress to our nervous system. but, finishing our tasks one by one creates satisfaction and allows us to focus and pay our undivided attention to the task at hand. simply just create a schedule in order to get all your tasks done with.
- Do everything your own way
you can slow down any way you’d like to. take longer showers, watch an extra episode, read another chapter, take that extra nap – it truly is at your own autonomy. you decide if you really wanna sleep more by sleeping earlier or if you want to get a walk in before work by waking up earlier. you get to decide what you want to eat – do i wanna spend the extra 30 minutes cooking something and washing the dishes or do i wanna order takeout? the choice is yours. you get to decide if your life is worth living slowly for. you will still have obligations and requirements in life, but in many circumstances, you have the opportunity to choose which options bring you the most peace. choose those options more.
5. Nourishing awareness in each moment of your life
something i’ve done to enable my touch with life is realizing how much i appreciate a moment while im living it.
driving and blasting one direction with my friends as the wind blows into our faces,
having random dance parties with my parents,
making a stranger smile,
even as I’m writing this outside in my backyard with the fire on and the birds chirping
i have learned to appreciate the moment
the present moment is filled with joy and happiness
if you are attentive, you will see it
MySimplicity 