Slowing Down To Enjoy Life More

Imagine giving your life a slow-motion script, savoring each moment, and truly relishing the beauty around you. It's a tantalizing prospect, isn't it? But the reality is that our hyper-connected, fast-paced lives have us sprinting from one task to another, barely pausing to catch our breath. This episode is all about hitting the brakes - not just to avoid burnout - but to truly appreciate and enjoy life. We dig into the idea of 'doing less but better', and how this conscious choice can lead to increased happiness and productivity.

But slowing down isn't just about stepping away from the rat race. It's also about reclaiming our time and attention from the digital world that keeps us relentlessly tethered. We discuss strategies for setting boundaries with our devices and share practical steps to help you disconnect and be more present. So, join us on this journey of 'conscious deceleration' and see how slowing down can help you reclaim and re-evaluate your life.

Next Sunday's Topic:  When a New Chemical Sensitivity is a Good Sign

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:33

Hi and thanks for joining me today. The topic today is slowing down to enjoy life more, something most of us can work on. Before I begin, I'd like to say a special hello to my listeners in Istanbul. Thank you so much. I just had a very good friend who was there visiting. I don't know if she's the one who started the listenership, but thank you so much for being here. I was jumping to this topic. There's a lot to cover.

Speaker 1: 2:00

Isn't it such an irony of modern life that, while technology is continually invented that saves us more time, we just use that time to do more and more things? Our lives are just as fast-paced and hectic as ever, if not more so. Let's be honest, life moves at such a fast pace now that it seems to pass us by before we can really enjoy it. A client told me yesterday how they feel this and that somebody said oh, the niece's birthday one-year birthday is coming up next week. To her, that child was just born a few weeks ago and that's how overworked and exhausted she had been that she wasn't even able to pay attention to that at all. I think that's just a great example of what I'm talking about here. But it doesn't have to be this way. Let's decide to rebel against a hectic lifestyle and slow down so we can enjoy life.

Speaker 1: 3:00

Chances are you've thought these four words yourself when things slow down. I know I have, and maybe when you've done that, you've added some words like once things slow down, I'll visit my family, I'll take that vacation, I'll start that business, I'll write that book. I mean, you can put just about any phrase after that. Thoughts like those point to a problem though You're too busy, you're running yourself into the ground. I have a tendency to do this. I used to have social events five nights a week, if not six, on an ongoing basis. Then now and then, I'd collapse, not want to do anything. Then I'd jump right back into it again. I'm so glad I broke that.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Unfortunately, slowing down in life doesn't just happen by accident. You can't just stumble into having a balanced life. Every other change you make it takes concerted effort. That's because life, in this case, only keeps moving faster. You have to keep moving faster to avoid falling behind. If you're not careful, you'll live your entire life rushing from one thing or one place to another in a constant whirlwind of chaos. When you get that busy, you're missing out on the best parts of life.

Speaker 1: 4:14

Let's talk about why slowing down is important and discuss some practical ways you can achieve this. When you live at a constant breakneck pace, like I used to, it takes a huge toll on your mental health, your physical health, relationships, productivity. But when you prioritize slowing down, here's some things that you can expect to see happen. Folk, you'll focus on what's truly important in life. When you live a busy and distracted life, you tend to lose sight of the people and things that matter the most to you. Slowing down allows you to set your priorities and stick to them, and that means the people who are important to you as well. You can expect to stay healthier, physically and mentally, and emotionally.

Speaker 1: 5:01

Over-the-top busyness leads to stress, and chronic stress will wear down your mental and physical health. Psychologists and doctors call this unofficial condition hurry sickness. It's a form of anxiety fueled by constantly trying to squeeze just one more thing into our already packed schedules. So let's avoid that. You can expect that you'll be more productive. It sounds backward if you're slowing down, but rest is crucial for real productivity. When you rush and hurry through your work, you're more likely to make mistakes, and that forces you to go back and redo things you could have just got right the first time. Going slow and allowing the moment allows you to bring your best energy and mental focus to your work. Whatever you do, the reality is, if you don't slow down, you're going to miss out on a ton of important events and fun times, and life isn't just about work, work, work.

Speaker 1: 6:00

A slower paced life means making time to enjoy your mornings instead of rushing off to work in a frenzy. I like a slow morning. It means taking time to enjoy whatever you're doing, to appreciate the outdoors, to focus on whoever you're talking to or spending time with, instead of always being connected to your phone or your laptop. Instead of always thinking about work, tasks and emails. What you've got to do when you're out of this situation, it's single-tasking, rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and just focusing on nothing.

Speaker 1: 6:36

Slowing down is a conscious choice and it's not always an easy one, but it can lead to greater repuriation for life and a greater level of happiness. One way I'm seeing this happen in a big way is so many people coming to me and my friends who work in this field, who are in corporate life and are desperate to get out of it. They know that they're in this grind, this rut. They can feel life slipping away. They want life to be simpler. They want to focus on something they have passion for. They want to have more of a life. This really increased dramatically in the last four to five years for me.

Speaker 1: 7:14

So how do you slow down? It's great to hear you need to do it, but how do you do it? And I like to give you ways to actually start making the change. Let's talk about how to do that and stop feeling so overwhelmed all the time. Now you know that slowing down takes a lot of discipline and you've got to choose to go against what the rest of the world is doing, but it's worth it. So, number one do less. I mean, it's so simple, isn't it? Do less. It's hard to slow down when you're trying to do a million things. Instead, make a conscious choice to do less. Focus on what's important, what really needs to be done, and let go of the rest. Put space between tasks and appointments so you can move through your days at a more leisurely pace. Read more.

Speaker 1: 8:02

You know I was thinking about this. I had to run a few errands this morning and when I came back to record the podcast, I was thinking about my family growing up. Both of my parents are really they're in their mid to upper 80s now, so not so much now, but growing up they were extremely active and you had to be doing something. You had to be productive all the time and they were, and I remember I loved to read, even as a young child, and they'd come in and say come on, you need to do something. I'm like I am, I'm reading a book. So I was good at taking things slow, relaxing, even though I can be a very focused person. But I didn't grow up in a family like that. So I feel like there's days that I realize I feel good about myself because it's been such a productive day, but I can feel just as good about myself for taking a relaxing day, and that might be a lesson that you need as well.

Speaker 1: 8:58

The next thing is to be present. Part of the reason that we're so bad at slowing down is we try to divide our attention between a bunch of things at once. We think multitasking is going to help us get more done, but it only leaves us stressed and frazzled. One way to address this is to spend some time considering where your attention is directed the people, thoughts and circumstances that you focus on the most. If you don't like what you discover, it may be time to make some changes. It's not enough to just slow down. You need to be mindful of whatever you're doing now. That means when you find yourself thinking about something you need to do, or something that's already happened or something that might happen, just notice it and gently bring yourself back to the present moment, to right now. Focus on that, on your actions, your environment or the other people around you. And it takes practice, but it is essential if you want to slow life down a bit.

Speaker 1: 9:57

In our busy lives, with so much competing for our attention, it feels almost impossible to focus on what's in front of us. That's why you should take some time to identify what gets in the way for you, what keeps you from being present. When you do that, it becomes easier to guard your attention, so that you are living in the moment. Three disconnect oh, that's a tough one. Yep, it's time for the cell phone talk. You just knew it was coming, didn't you? You could feel that.

Speaker 1: 10:32

Well, yes, truth is, most of us are addicted to our phones. It's designed to give you a temporary rush a little bit of high from looking at the content. The noises, alerts, dings keep us feeling hurried because there's always one more thing to check Email, text, social media goodness. It's like we're on call every minute of every day and the entire world is competing for our attention through news, social media texts, emails and app notifications. And it really does remind me of my early days in mental health. Every job I had, except my last one where I was on call 24, seven every day, all the time, and it really exhausted me. You can never just totally relax because it was before cell phones. Most of that time was before cell phones, and so I had to be near a phone all the time. It was just crazy.

Speaker 1: 11:27

You've got to stop letting your phone run your life. Don't give it the power to steal your time, your attention, your peace of mind. You've got to set boundaries around your phone so you can control it you, not the other way around. It may be time to delete some social media apps from your phone and just keep accounts on your computer. You could delete all of them from your phone, delete games from your phone, or maybe you need to lock your phone away in a drawer or container when you get home from work. Until your kids go to bed, you're focused on the family. Look drastic times call for drastic measures. It's time to take your life back and stop letting your phone own you, and that's a huge part of slowing down.

Speaker 1: 12:16

Your mind Don't always be connected. If you carry around a cell phone or other mobile device, shut it off sometimes. Better yet, learn to leave it behind when you can. If you work on a computer most of the day, have times when you disconnect so you can focus on other things. Being connected all the time means we're subject to interruptions. We're constantly stressed about information coming in. We are at the mercy of the demands of others. It's hard to slow down when you're always checking new messages coming in.

Speaker 1: 12:51

Next, focus on people, and I really think this is a big one. When we've rushed through life, we often push people to the side, whether they're friends, family or even just acquaintances. As a result, we miss out on relationships, and those are the center point of life. You need to stop slow down. Put your devices away I know I mentioned it before Look your loved ones, your friends, in the eye and spend quality time with them. The connection that comes from those moments will help you slow down and be more at peace.

Speaker 1: 13:27

Too often we spend time with friends and family or meet with colleagues and we're not really present. We talk to them but we're distracted by devices, or we're there but our minds are on things we need to do. We listen but we're not really thinking about them. We're thinking about ourselves, what we want to say. None of us are immune to this, but with conscious efforts, you can shut off the outside world and just be present with the person you're with. This means that just a little time spent with your family and friends can go a long way A much more effective use of your time, by the way and it means we really connect with people rather than just meeting with them. One thing that I've had clients say about this just not thinking about what you're going to say next. They're like, what if I forget what I wanted to say? What if you do? I have to remind myself of the same thing, like when I start thinking what I'm gonna say next, I let go of it and, frankly, if we forget what we were going to say, we'll think of something else or we'll think of it later. It's not worth losing focus and not really listening to people.

Speaker 1: 14:33

Next, appreciate nature. Many of us are shut in our homes and offices or cars and trains most of the time and rarely get the chance to go outside, or rarely make the chance to go outside and often, even when people are outside, they're talking on their cell phones. Instead, take the time to go outside mindfully and really observe nature. Take deep breaths of fresh air, enjoy the serenity of water, the feeling of some breeze on your face, just the greenery around you. Exercise outdoors when you can, or find some outdoor activities you enjoy, such as nature walks, hiking, swimming, etc. Feel the sensations of water and wind and earth against your skin. Reconnect with nature and do it frequently, and try to do this daily. You can do it by yourself or with loved ones. We've lost touch with nature and yet we're part of nature, so it'll help you ground to have that regular connection.

Speaker 1: 15:36

Here's one Eat slower. Instead of cramming food down your throat as quickly as you can, leading to overeating and a lack of enjoyment of food, learn to eat slowly. Be mindful of each bite that you take. Appreciate the flavors and textures of the food. Eating slowly has a double benefit of making you fuller on less food and making the food taste better. It's a good idea for those of you who enjoy my podcast. You are likely spiritual people. You're on a journey. You're trying to raise your frequency. Try to eat more actual, real food as well Food as it comes out of the earth, not processed or ultra-prostate, not out of boxes or cans, but fresh produce. You can use some great spices instead of fat and salt and sugar and frying for flavor. Just try to eat your food. Eat what we call real food.

Speaker 1: 16:35

Next, drive slower. Oh my goodness. I'm the lone proponent of this in my family. I come from a family of speeders and I know my two sisters, who are still living, are going to be listening to this likely and hear this. So, yes, this is for you two. Speedy driving is a very prevalent habit in a fast-paced world, but it's also responsible for a lot of traffic accidents, for stress and wasted fuel, and you know I am a proponent of saving our environment. Instead, make it a habit to slow down when you drive, appreciate your surroundings, make it a peaceful time to contemplate your life and the things you're passing. Driving will be more enjoyable and much safer and you'll use less fuel.

Speaker 1: 17:17

Better for your pocketbook, better from Mother Earth, find pleasure in anything. This is related to being present, but it's taking things a step further in that direction. Whatever you're doing, be fully present and appreciate every aspect of it and find the enjoyable parts of it. For example, when you're washing dishes, instead of rushing through it as a boring chore to be finished quickly, really feel the sensations of the water, the suds, the dishes. It can be an enjoyable task if you learn to see it that way. I actually have quite a few clients who tell me that they find it meditative to do dishes, so you can think of it that way as well. The same applies to other chores washing the car, yard work, sweeping, dusting, laundry and anything you do. Life can be so much more enjoyable if you can learn that simple habit. Next, another one my family doesn't like the whole thing of a.

Speaker 1: 18:13

I'm going to go back to driving the speed limit because there's a couple things I forgot about that. If you want the world to slow down, you might actually make some progress by literally slowing down your car, like stop pretending you're a NASCAR driver and are in fast and furious and just force yourself to drive the speed limit and experience slowness on a physical level, which will help you slow down mentally and emotionally. So I'm gonna get off that topic. I promise that's it. Accept your limitations. Do you ever feel like it's your job to save the world? I have often none. Have you ever signed up and said yes to something you didn't even want to do because you worried if you didn't show up the whole thing would fall apart or people would think badly of you? We've all been there. But here's the truth the world will keep spinning if you say no to the rush and just take a nap instead, or just have an enjoyable afternoon, or just say no and do whatever you want. It's true, accepting your limitations allows you to give yourself some margin for rest, and you need that. You're not an energizer bunny, you're a human being. And if other people don't like it that you say no, so what? You cannot control what other people think about you. You can only control yourself.

Speaker 1: 19:30

Next, make time to have fun. I really am a big proponent of this. I try to have fun multiple times per week because I want to, because it makes life better. The older we get, the harder it becomes to make fun a priority. We might even feel guilty for having fun like it's a luxury we can't afford or we're wasting time. We might have completely forgotten how to have fun in the first place, and I'll tell you a test for that. How do you feel about amusement parks like Disneyland, disney World?

Speaker 1: 20:04

Frankly, I'm a kid. I want to go every chance I can get. So if you haven't done that a long time or haven't gone without children, you go and be the child. But you've got to slow down and make time for fun, and not just in travel but everyday life, because it recharges your batteries, it lets you laugh and connect with people. It infuses a hectic life with some much needed joy. So what do you enjoy doing Could be taking a cooking class, traveling, training for a marathon, playing video games, gardening, learning. Recently I got back to crocheting and now I'm going to get into knitting, because, heck, I'm a grandma. I want to do these things. Whatever brings you joy, whatever reminds you of what it was like to be a kid, make time for it. Or what you liked when you were a teenager, before you had to step into an adult role and life started spinning out of control. If you can't think of anything, do go back to your old hobbies and interests and try those first, because somewhere inside you likely still have the interest Big one.

Speaker 1: 21:06

Embrace single tasking. That is the opposite of multitasking Focus on one thing at a time. What a novel idea. When you feel the urge to switch to other tasks, pause, breathe and pull yourself back to the one you're on Next breathe. When you find yourself speeding up, stressing out, pause and take a few long, deep breaths. And I just like to have people breathe in through their nose, hold it two seconds and then release it through their mouth in a long, slow hiss. It forces your body and your mind to relax. 10 of them can really change your whole energy, brings you back to the present and slows you down. So if you feel yourself like you took two steps forward and you feel yourself taking a step back, do some deep breathing.

Speaker 1: 21:58

Practice silence. Most of us aren't very good at being still. After all, we live in a world full of noise where it's possible, if we want to, to feel every single second of our day with a song, tv podcast, tiktok. All these options and distractions often cause us to lose touch with the world around us and ourselves. But what if you could just stop? What if you could tune out the world for a little bit. And what if you could replace that with silence? Remember that all insights and angelic guidance require silent contemplation. To receive full guidance, whether it's your own intuitive insights, your angels, your higher self, you need that quiet contemplative time.

Speaker 1: 22:49

Here's one way you can make that happen for yourself. For one week, try spending all your time that you're in the car in silence. No radio, podcast, music, nothing. That will help calm your mind, and you may even decide to make it a permanent part of your commute. When I'm really stressed, I prefer no noise in my car, just silence. It lets me decompress. You might find that true for you too. You can also choose to be intentional about literally scheduling periods of silence throughout your week. Yep, put time to be silent on your calendar and make sure to keep that appointment. Find a way to inject silence into your life on a regular basis, and you'll be glad you did.

Speaker 1: 23:35

Here we go back to one of my favorite topics journal. One of the problems with being too busy is we don't make time for reflection. We never pause to check in with ourselves, think back on the day or consider whether we even like how we're spending our time the best way to fight back against that kind of mindlessness is journaling. It's an awesome way to slow down and connect with yourself, and if you've ever had a regular journaling time, you know just how valuable it is. If you've fallen off the wagon with your journaling, now's a great time to get back on it. In conclusion, slowing down isn't easy, but it is possible. If you commit to following the steps I've talked about in the show, you'll start seeing a change in the pace of your life and if you keep at it for long enough, your life will slow down and you'll enjoy it more. Think of how much peace that will bring you.

Speaker 1: 24:31

I want you to know I do have an extension of this show on my Patreon page this week, and that is Symptoms of FOMO Fear of Missing Out which relates directly to this topic in the podcast today. So you can go to my Patreon page, which is the Angel Room and some things you can enjoy for free. Some things you need to be a member and some things you can also have one week free membership with full benefits, so that you can check out what I have to offer. I post four things a week there regularly, but in the meantime, I want you to know that next Sunday we're gonna cover that topic again. I wrote it down here Next Sunday is when a new chemical sensitivity is a good sign, and then that probably sounds really weird, but I am a walking testimonial and I'll tell you about that and maybe you'll recognize it in yourself. In the meantime, may your angels surround you. May your angels protect you every moment, every day of your life. I'll see you next week.