Growing up I used to see that my parents would work hard and a lot. That’s all I knew. Working hard. Sounds familiar, right?
Since I was 15 I’ve focused on my physical health. Exercising on a regular basis. Eating fairly healthy (at some point very very healthy).
All the sudden in my mid 30s my mental stability started to suffer. I could not push my limits purely with my strength any longer. I had to realize I’ve never gained mental strength. At the same time my body started to fall apart as well.
Working hard could no longer make sense to me. I started to understand what the smarties have been talking about. Work smart not hard.
I started seeking professional help. After some search I’ve found an amazing somatic therapist who has been helping me on the mental and physical level as well. She understands that mind and body work together. Our sessions are not packed with a lot of tasks or actions. Quality definitely comes over volume.
We live in a sped up society where hard work and high quantity are measurements of success.
I lived by it for too long. But as I’m getting older time seems to go faster and faster.
Slowing down and making the most out of every single moment has priority now. Slowing down also helps us make smarter choices. Because our mind isn’t cluttered to the max.
Nowadays a day of mine looks very lazy compared to what it used to look like. But interesting enough at the end of the day everything important gets done and I’m trying to sweat the small stuff a little less.
I am definitely taking care of my mental strength now and working on staying on the smart side rather than the hard side.
You may ask what you can truly do to slow down?
You can start with simple things such as getting up 15 minutes early and enjoying your coffee and/or breakfast slowly instead of getting up last minute and rushing through the door. Your nervous system will thank you for the care. Always remember to start small and the ‘smart’ will also come ????