Three ways you can slow down to avoid overwhelm and burnout

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I grew up believing that achievement was a sought-after virtue. That perfection was to be chased at all costs. To slow down and rest was for the weak and only acceptable for 7-8 hours of the day.

I didn’t know that this kind of striving was setting me up to fail.

This kind of striving didn’t leave room for anything but busyness. At 32 I was enrolled in a masters degree, training for an ultramarathon, working full-time and learning how to be a mom to my 2-year-old.

I was spread too thin. And I had no healthy stress relievers. At 32, and many times before, I was being called, urged even, by my body, and my circumstances, to slow down.

I wished I’d listened.

When Ariana Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, collapsed on the floor of her office bedroom, she blamed burnout and exhaustion. Her bestseller, The Sleep Revolution, was born out of this experience and is a call to rest, to slow down.

If we consistently ignore the call to slow down, there’s a good chance we will become a statistic. If we don’t get the rest we need it’s likely we will develop chronic health conditions, perform poorly in our work, and increase our risk of injury and even fatality.

Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Fast and furious are not the only options. Living life running from one thing to the next doesn’t have to be our default. A slower, more meandering approach is possible.

But you have to be radical. You have to be different. And you need to start now.

How to answer the call to slow down

Living a more simplified life is a journey. And it’s not always going to be an easy one. We are constantly pulled in other directions by a culture that is built on speed, outcomes and more, more, more!

Slowing down is an iterative process. Techniques and tricks for living slower that work today might not work for you next year. We have to be open to trying new things and taking chances, and adjusting course where necessary.


Decrease your expectations

One of my biggest roadblocks to slowing down is myself. I’m often my own worst enemy when it comes to keeping things slow and simple. Slowing down is not just about saying no to others; it’s also about saying no to myself.

No, I don’t need to make the house perfect every morning before I leave it. No, I don’t need to serve a 3-course meal when we have visitors. And I sure as heck don’t need to bake for school lunches every week! And these no’s make way for a few yes’s. Yes, I can give myself an extra 10 minutes to stretch. Yes, I can relax when I have friends over. And yes, I can let go of the expectations I have of myself to provide “perfectly” for my kids all the time.

Increase self-care

Self care and slowing down are synonymous to me. Being a highly sensitive person, busy schedules increase my anxiety and make me feel overwhelmed easily. I answer the call to go slower by increasing my self-care rituals and routines.

More cups of tea, long runs, lighting my favorite candle and honoring my body’s need to immerse in nature.

Allowing myself these small pleasures is my way of putting down busy schedules and putting myself back in the picture. 

Self-care activities have the ability to rewind the negative effects of a busy stressed life if we are consistent in our approach. Ten minutes of yoga or stretching every day will have greater long-term benefits than a massage and facial once every few months.  

Opt out to slow down

You can answer the call to slow down by opting out. Opt out of potluck dinner with the neighbors. Ditch the Christmas dress-up party you don’t want to go to (but feel enormous pressure to). Opt out of driving your kids to every party or play date they are invited to.

You don’t have to say yes to every invite. If you do, your schedule will wind up being written by everyone but yourself.

In the past, I’ve said yes to things because I felt like I didn’t have a choice. The truth is, I did have the choice. 

There are very few things we do not get to choose.

How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives.

Annie Dilliard.

I’m wondering if you are feeling an urgent call to slow down? Is your body, mind or soul dropping hints that you need to start paying attention to? Some of my hints have been; a tendency to drink too much wine, increasing panic attacks, insomnia, and a nasty paralyzing anxiety that had me caught in an ongoing cycle of seeking perfection and failing.

If you aren’t feeling urged then I encourage you to at least pause and investigate. Are you happy with the pace of your life? Is it sustainable? Or do you need to make the switch to the slow lane?

Don’t wait till your body urges you.

Make a change today.

What next? You might be interested in my signature course – The Slow Living Tool Kit. Find out more HERE. 

You can also sign up to receive regular encouragement from me on your journey to slow and simple living.