The Importance Of Slowing Down

The most important gifts you can give are you love, time and attention. Slow down, take time to smile and enjoy loved ones…life goes by way too fast.  Maybe it’s time to consider the importance of slowing down… 

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Some of you may have noticed that I did not post anything last week — which is very rare for me to take unplanned breaks — I am a big believer in consistency. I’m so used to my routine of posting 3 times a week on the blog and at least 3 times on Instagram, along with other social media platforms. But for some odd reason I hit a wall and couldn’t get anything up…

The Importance Of Slowing Down 

I can go on and explain how busy I am, which is true…I might be taking on too much at the time. But I can’t put all of the blame on just that. For the last couple of weeks I have felt SO run down, mentally and physically exhausted, lonely and even a little sad. (And before anyone thinks that my marriage my be bad, trust me it’s NOT — we will be celebrating 7 wonderful years of marriage this month.) I’ve just had too much going on at once, work stressors, my husband taking a new job that’s keeping him out of town a lot, personal goals, etc. 

I have found it incredibly stressing to try to devote my time and energy into my new career, while still focusing on my full-time job and my hobby of blogging. I constantly have things running on my mind about one job, a blog deadline and scheduling clients in between — I literally have 3 planners — and even that doesn’t seem like enough sometimes. It may sound like I hate what I do…but that’s the thing, I don’t. I love it all so much that I have literally given them my all and I’ve finally feel like I’ve hit a wall — I’ve drained myself.

Don't be in such a rush to get through life. Take time to rest and just be. Click To Tweet

I rarely take time for myself — the most I do is taking time to do my nails and apply a mask once a week. That’s it. Most of the time you’ll find me glued to my phone, laptop or iPad working on something. I haven’t taken any time to spend with people I love and care about. I haven’t slept more than 6 hours a night in a long time. I haven’t watched a chick-flick just because I want to. Heck, I don’t remember the last time I did something for myself.

So last week I finally had enough and decided to slow down.

Life goes by so quickly. This week I had to watch a precious friend of mine say goodbye to the love of her life — his death was sudden and he left behind 2 sweet babies and his wife. It breaks my heart to watch her grieve but it also brings you into reality and makes you realize how important it is to let go of trivial stuff and love like there’s no tomorrow, do the things you want to do, take time for yourself and loved ones, and most importantly be present.

I encourage you all to

• take a step back
• stop the glorification of busy
• evaluate how you spend your time
• set boundaries
• simplify your life
• practice self-care

and realize that it’s OKAY to slow down. We’re human beings, we aren’t perfect. Take the time you need, life will still be there when you decide it’s time to get back into the swing of things.

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Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list. Click To Tweet

Sometimes it takes feeling like a ton of bricks are weighing you down to realize that it’s time to slow down, other times you can stop it. I sincerely hope that you take a step back and take a look at your life and what you may be missing out on. It’s never too late. 

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