What happens when we slow down?

Life is heavy. Sometimes it’s “I think I can carry all of these groceries inside in one trip” heavy and sometimes it’s “we’re gonna need a crane” heavy. There are responsibilities of raising children, being sure your spouse and other family members feel loved and appreciated, the demands from our jobs, keeping our home clean and organized, and being the keeper of ALL the things.

And if you’re like me, you can sometimes feel the weight crushing you. It’s not that you don’t want to take care of everything, it’s that sometimes it all feels like too much at once. This, my friends, is burnout.

There’s one statement that always goes through my head when I’m feeling overwhelmed – “You can’t take care of anyone until you take care of yourself.” But how in the world do we do this?

Ironically, all of the things that are supposed to save us time (ready-to-serve meals, online shopping, caboodles of technology) actually just free us up to commit to more things – making our lives more fast-paced and hectic than ever! It’s a vicious cycle.

But what happens when we make a conscious choice to slow down?  

Our bodies are amazing … they actually tell us when we need to rest, if we will listen (guilty!). And when I’ve been going nonstop for days, weeks or months I believe my body is trying to tell me to chillax. And for some weird reason, in these moments, I actually feel like I should be doing more! Crazy, I know.

But what if we did less?

What if we did less busy-work, less managing, less communicating, less complaining, less judging and expecting? What if we figured out a way to go with the flow, not to force things, let others do, and just let things happen – if only for a day or a few hours? Maybe, just maybe, we might be able to get our minds and bodies to relax and recharge.

What if we chose quality over quantity? What if we responded instead of reacting? What if we got out of our heads and into our body to re-ground ourselves?

 In the grand scheme of things, my fear is to look up one day and think, “Where did that time go?”

Let’s make a promise to one another – mom to mom, friend to friend, from one exhausted person to another. Let’s find time to unplug and seek the things that bring us joy. Let’s find time to remember who we are, focus on the people we love, support one another, and build happier, healthier lives.

Let’s stop saying, “There’s no time for that.” Because you know what? Not only do we need to feel our best in order to take care of ALL the things, but our loved ones deserve the best of us as well.

Life will always be heavy. "The list" will always feel overwhelming. Let's make time for rest, and in turn...make way for JOY.