"How do YOU slow down?"

I've had a couple clients bring up this question to me, especially with all my recent posts about SLOWING DOWN. I thought it would be a good opportunity to share to get YOU thinking about your days/weeks, but also to remind ALL OF US that this is always a "work in progress" (as is our deep health overall). The question is; Are you doing SOMETHING and LEARNING along the way?

My Current Reality to End 2025

I'm burned out. Not physically, but rather mentally and emotionally. I shared with my clients how with next year being 25-years in the industry, I'm in the process of re-invention. THAT takes energy. When your passions are shifting in HOW you help others and you're "figuring out your next chapter" that takes ALOT out of you.

On top of this, my days are busy. I'm currently at my limit with in-person clients at the moment (good problem). Add to that the time of year (Christmas creeping closer) and things to do. There's plenty of ways my energy is being used each week.

HOWEVER, as I shared with my clients; EVERY SINGLE DAY I have time for ME. EVERY SINGLE DAY I have time I slow down. That in itself has only been the last couple years of my career. As I mentioned, we are our own lifelong project. The learning NEVER stops. Which is what keeps you adapting and evolving personally (and professionally). I find this side of things fascinating and exciting (which is why I love what I do). What I've learned in the past 5-6 weeks, especially as the year winds down (by winding up - ironic I know), is that even though I'm ensuring I SLOW DOWN regularly each day, the weight of "stuff" is still present and can certainly impact those slow practices.

For example, I shared with a client that yesterday I still went for my afternoon walk. I debated doing a run, but honestly I wasn't sure if I had the energy for that. I opted for a 40-45min walk. And it was great. A beautiful winter walk, snow on the trees, snow falling gently. Really nice. HOWEVER, my "stuff" weighed on my mind; I had work to get done for clients at home, before my evening video call sessions, I had to continue brainstorming and planning my end of year work to prep for 2026, I have more blogs to write (always 🥰)... So as much as the walk was enjoyable, THAT need to get things done, paired with a side of "burning out as the year winds down", didn't allow me to be present the entire walk. Which didn't allow me to get out of it, what I typically do.

After those calls and dinner, I played board games (which is a go-to slow down hobby for me AND fun) and then read before bed. I AM conciously slowing down DAILY despite feeling "SPENT".

Lessons in all of this

Here's where we seperate learning and evolving within ourselves and our habits and, NOT. What I'm realizing, especially because this year I've chosen to immerse in this side of things (the SLOW emphasis), is that even though I have regular SLOW DOWNS in my day each day, I'm STILL feeling burned out. THAT is the SIGN ... (*Insert the great comedian, Bill Engvall saying "Here's your sign" 🤣)

👉It's the sign to say DON'T take on ANY more.

👉START DECREASING your load rather than increasing it.

👉START ADDING MORE "NO's" to your week.

👉KEEP slowing down as much as you can each day. Maintain at least.

👉KEEP listening to your body and what it NEEDS in any given moment of each day

The lesson here is I'm recognizing how I can VERY EASILY get pulled into the "OVERLOAD/BUSY-NESS" mode where you're pulled into mindless, numbing activities that only make you FEEL WORSE, NOT better. When things get "heavy" we subconciously shift into these activities that "numb us out". This is where we get caught stumbling into that rabbit hole and eventually find it harder to bring ourselves back out. This is where we / I have to CONCIOUSLY do things that PROMOTE feeling GOOD and SLOWING down my physiology (hobbies, health practices etc). We have so many options today to be MINDLESS and BURY ourselves in DISTRACTION that we have to MAKE THE CONCIOUS DECISION to choose activities that will promote health, creativity, recovery etc.

I love my board games. Shawna calls it my "Zen". Yep - This is a soccer board game. ⚽ It's called "Eleven: Football Manager"

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I reminded my clients in these conversations; None of this means we'll "never find ourselves being caught up in being busy" or that we'll never feel overwhelmed or stressed at certain times of the year. All of these posts and conversations are to get us to SLOW down enough to understand HOW these times make us FEEL and HOW they impact our HEALTH. Stress in all forms IS essential to our lives. It helps us grow, learn and become more resilient. Chronic stress however (in this case chronic "busy-ness") is NOT healthy. Life WILL bring ebs and flows for us. If we LEARN, LISTEN and SLOW down enough we can better manage our health and wellbeing during those busy times, making them short lived and more balanced in our own way, while NOT letting the "busy" become HOW we live each day.