Slow Down & Stop Rushing Through Life

Does the new year make you feel like you should be doing something? And does knowing there are “only” three months left in the year make you feel like you should really be doing something?

You are not alone! Last year, I worked myself into exhaustion. If you’ve ever done that, you know it’s not pretty. And it doesn’t feel good either.

In November, I decided I would take it easy in January and slowly build on my goals. In December, I decided to not even worry about setting my 2019 intentions until January. Mainly because I didn’t see the point in rushing. (Also, I like to set birthday goals so my halfway point is actually January 29th!)

But like all busybodies, I like doing too much...

so I finished reviewing my 2018 intentions earlier than expected. And like any good busybody who completes a task early, I like to jump to the next task instead of taking a break in between.

Somewhere between December 30th and 31st, I decided I should do some things to start the year off “right”. And on January 1st, I spent most of the day feeling anxious. Not because I had 800 things to do BUT because I kept thinking of things I should do that I wasn’t doing.

For me, this is actually progress! I successfully did NOT add a bunch of things to my to-do list. I did things but only what needed to be done that day. And by the time I went to bed, I felt confident that what I did was enough!

At some point during the day, I remembered that there were 4 more days left in the week. But the feeling that I needed to do more reminded me of something I hate about the new year.

I love a fresh start.

I love the feeling of optimism and hope that everyone seems to have. And I love all the sequins, glitter, and confetti associated with that time of year!

But I hate the pressure to hit the ground running. I hate starting the year already stressed about goals and accomplishments. I hate the expectation of failure from others. And I especially hate when people burn themselves out and end up feeling like their efforts weren’t enough.

A strong finish?

Now that there are “only” three months left in the year, I’m reminded of what I hate about this time of year too. I hate the pressure to finish the year off strong. I hate ending the year feeling like whatever was done wasn’t enough. And I hate watching people burn themselves out because “this was the year”.

Instead of putting more pressure on yourself to “finish strong” just so you can “start the year off right”, why not take your time? Why not take a break if you didn’t get one over the summer? 

Why can’t you slow down if you’re feeling overwhelmed? What would happen if you broke up your goals into even smaller ones?

And instead of saying there are “only” 3 months to go, why not pace yourself and acknowledge that there are actually THREE WHOLE months left in 2019 and many more after that?

Because everything doesn’t need to be done right now… or even in 2019.

How are you going to be more compassionate with yourself for the rest of the year? ​Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!