What if I told you it would heal your soul to live each day slowly and simply, with sincere appreciation for your own beautiful but ordinary life?
Imagine if you woke up tomorrow like you always do, but this time you took a moment to feel yourself breathe. Instead of rolling over right away to grab your phone, could you take a moment to lay there? Could you just be in that space and feel gratitude for your warm bed, your healthy body, and your breath? How does this idea differ from what you usually do when you wake up in the morning?
Carry this slower, more deliberate pace into the rest of your day. Truly enjoy your morning coffee or tea or your first glass of clean, clear water. Notice how fortunate you are to have access to something so enjoyable.
Listen to your body and mind.
You may feel the anxiety of the day’s tasks creeping into your thoughts. Remind yourself that this moment is just as valuable as all of the work you need to do. Bring your focus back to the breakfast you have prepared for yourself.
You can expand this idea to unpleasant tasks as well. For example, I have always hated doing the dishes. It feels like a never-ending battle to keep my sink dish-free.
But I recently decided to shift my thinking.
I do enjoy the sensation of warm, soothing water, the smell of clean, bubbling dish soap, and the simple beauty of daylight bouncing off a sparkling sink.
Now, I look forward to enjoying these small, ordinary things. The truth is, if we allow ourselves to be stuck in a fast-paced life, burdened by time-scarcity, it is difficult to even imagine enjoying something as simple as doing the dishes.
A therapist once said to me, “After you do one task, I want you to take a moment to pause. Ask your body if it is ready to move on to the next job. If you are holding tension in your shoulders or your body needs something, please listen.”
If you don’t have time in your life to do this after each item on your checklist, think about what you can cut from your workload. Are you saying yes to more things than your beautiful heart can handle?
If you are a mother or father to young children, this can be especially difficult. I would still venture to guess that there are some commitments or tasks that can be cut or moved lower down the list. A whole, present parent is what your children need more than anything else.
What I am advocating for is actually working toward a slower pace of life in all that you do. Have you been led to believe you need to hustle to be worthy of joy? Maybe what you really need is a break from that prevailing message.
A slow-paced life is one in which you have the time and presence to truly see beauty in your life as it is right now. It is one in which you have enough space to be bored and create or dream.
If you begin to silence the noise, you may find the emotional space to edit unnecessary items from your list. You might, in turn, believe that you are worthy of embracing a slower pace of life. The truth is, your life already is truly abundant with simple yet meaningful joys.
