"Once she stopped rushing through life, she realised how much more life she had time for"
Have you ever noticed that when you’re rushing, time seems to speed up? Like the more you hurry, the less time you have?
This is something I’ve witnessed a lot. Working full time on a (very demanding) business, parenting a (very demanding, albeit very cute) toddler, and managing my tendency to operate at 100kph (thanks to my ADHD "superpower", my foot is always ever-so-slightly, sometimes heavily, on the accelerator pedal), means that I often find myself tangled up in the hustle and bustle of daily life - rushing around, only to watch time slip away, like it never really happened at all.
Slowing down is a constant and conscious practice. It’s not something that comes naturally to me, and I’d take a guess that it’s the same for you too. Modern society is set up to make us feel like there’s always so much more to do and like we constantly need to go faster in order to keep up. It’s no surprise that as a collective, we’re more stressed and anxious than ever.
But in my ongoing pursuit of slowing down, I’ve noticed something pretty profound. That when I do, time expands.
It seems contradictory though right? That if we slow down, we’ll have more time. Like, how does that even work?
It’s not that we actually have more time, it’s that we end up creating more space within the time we have. Instead of trying to do one thousand things quickly (and not doing anything all that well), we go at a pace that allows us to achieve what we need to; mindfully, with clarity, without the rush or the stress. One. Thing. At. A. Time.
We’re more calm. We’re more present. We’re more focused. We actually speed up.
And with this, time expands. We feel like we have more space, and that there’s less pressure on us to hurry. We actually enjoy what we’re doing so much more.
You can trust me when I say this as I have witnessed it with my own two eyeballs. I’ve recently committed to meditating twice daily - once during the day (especially helpful when I feel overwhelmed), and at least 20 minutes right before bed. I’ve also been regularly engaging in the ‘Retreat Rituals’ from our boxes. I schedule them using the downloadable Ritual Planner and have been completing them as a way to bring more mindfulness and ‘me-time’ into my life.
And from doing this, I’ve noticed a huge and profound shift in my experience of my day to day life. I’ve literally watched stress melt before my eyes, and my anxiety has greatly decreased. I feel like I’ve got more space for my little family, and work seems to flow with ease, despite how many things I have on my to-do list.
There is so much research coming out now about the negative impact of modern day living on our nervous systems, and ultimately our health. It’s quite alarming when you truly find out what ‘rushing’ does to our bodies and minds. And while the stress of our daily lives isn’t going anywhere, we each have the power to change how we experience this stress.
So if there’s one thing I could suggest doing for yourself right now, it would be to prioritise slowing down. Make yourself and your nervous system a priority. Find micro moments within your busy schedule to look after you. It could be as simple as creating a mindful ritual with your cuppa in the morning, or just sitting in silence for a few minutes at the end of the day, as you let your thoughts digest.
I promise you that when you do this, you’ll be a much happier, brighter, more productive version of you.
And if you want something to help you on this journey, a subscription to our boxes is a great place to start. They’ve been created as a quarterly reminder (delivered to your door at the start of each new season) to put yourself first; introducing you to beautiful wellness products, rituals and practices that have the power to transform your life; mind, body and soul.
Sending you so much love and slow vibes,
Kate, RY founder xx