Lately my life has been crazy busy and I have really had to take the time to practice the art of slowing down. And that is definitely an art form that has to be mastered.
For some, the art of slowing down may be easy. They can simply let go of their responsibilities and just do what they want instead. They are taking time for themselves and slowing down in their busy schedule.
But in reality, that is more like laziness. Truly slowing down in your busy schedule doesn’t mean forfeiting your responsibilities for your own pleasures.
It means to take the necessary time to rest and refocus your mind and body so you can best serve others and accomplish all your responsibilities well.
This is something that I have been learning to do over the past few months or so. With working full time, managing a home, running a ministry and online business, plus preparing for a baby, it’s hard to find time to truly slow down. I’m the kind of person that keeps working and thinking and creating all day long. It is so difficult for me to just turn my brain off and refocus my mind on what my goals truly are.
If you are anything like me, I want to give you are few ways that may help you slow down in your busy schedule. This list of ten things have been helpful for me when my mind just wants to keep working, and I hope some of them are able to help you too. Here you go!
- Make a quiet time with the Lord.
In my opinion, this is the most important thing you can do to help you slow down and reset your mind to what truly matters. With so much going on in our own life and things around us, we need to have a solid foundation to set our feet upon. Making a quiet time with the Lord each day to read His Word, pray, and grow your relationship with Him is truly so important. It doesn’t have to be something you do for an hour. If you can just fit ten minutes of time with the Lord into your schedule, I promise it will be worth it.
- Say not to obligations you truly don’t need.
I have been guilty of this. There have been many times when I have said yes to someone when I really didn’t have the time or energy to help them with their task or request well. So in the end I was exhausted and didn’t give my all. I have come to realize that you don’t have to say yes to everything someone asks you. If you are unable to help them, it’s okay to say no. They will find someone else.
- Take five minutes a day to journal.
This isn’t something that I do everyday but I love it when I’m able to! Taking five minutes to journal after you wake up, while you are eating lunch, or right before you go to bed is a great way to reset your thoughts and slow down. You can write in a prayer journal, a daily journal where you write about your life, or a journal where you jot down all your goals. It’s totally up to you!
- Listen to peaceful music while you complete a task.
If you have a hard time slowing down and finding peace during your busy day, I would suggest turning on some peaceful music while you are folding the laundry, washing dishes, or driving to work. It can be worship music, instrumental music, or any thing that brings you peace.
- Don’t shove all your responsibilities into one day.
If you schedule all of your tasks and responsibilities into one day you will run yourself down and won’t be able to serve others well or work your very best. Making sure you split up your responsibilities, especially the big ones, throughout the week will help you find time to slow down each day.
- Schedule time for rest.
If you’re anything like me, if it’s not in your schedule you’re probably not going to do it. So don’t be afraid to add time to rest and slow down into your schedule.
- Do something that makes you happy.
That can be as simple as reading a chapter before bed, going for a walk, or eating a bowl of ice cream. Find something that brings you joy and add that to your day.
- Take time to breathe and align your mind before getting out of bed.
What do you have to do today? How many responsibilities do you have? What goals do you want to complete? How are you feeling emotionally? Who are you letting control your thoughts? Is God who you really trust today? Take some time before getting up to just ponder on some of these questions and slow down your mind before beginning the day.
- Learn to not be a people pleaser.
This goes back to learning to tell people no sometimes. You don’t have to be everyone’s best friend. It’s okay if you can’t be there for everyone who comes into your life. You don’t have to have all the answers and you don’t have to please everyone around you. Because that’s never going to happen.
- Take time to notice and appreciate the small things.
Lastly, there is so much beauty if we just take time to stop and notice it. Taking time to slow down in your busy schedule can be as simple as noticing the small things around you. Appreciate the falling rain, the little ant on the sidewalk, the tiny flowers on the side of the road, the way someone smiled at you in the store, or the breath in your lungs. If we just slow down and look around, there is so much to appreciate even in the midst of a busy day.
In His amazing love,
Hannah Marie
