If you push through until your body tells you to slow down, by getting sick, tired or broken in another way, your first response is rarely, “sure thing!” It’s usually a fight against reality, continuing to push through because things need to get done.
Getting things done isn’t the only reason you push through when your body tells you to slow down. For me, I kept going because I was strong and capable and on some level, the only way I could prove that to myself and others was to ignore what I needed most. I dug in and whispered, “no pain, no gain,” when what I needed was rest, a slower pace and less to do.
How To Respond When Your Body Tells You To Slow Down
When your body tells you to slow down, listen. Sometimes the messages aren’t that loud, but listen and notice before they get louder. Respond gently and honestly with lots of love for the most important person in your life.
1. Be present for your life.
Before you decide how you will slow down, choose to be present for your life. Embrace and enjoy the moments that matter. This will help you naturally slow down and give you plenty of reasons to slow down even more. Even when your body tells you to slow down and you don’t feel well, find one small moment to simply be there for. Even the smallest amount of joy and gratitude will point you in the right direction.
2. Remember that you can slow down and thrive in your life.
We often think that slowing down means sacrificing, and that we can’t both slow down and thrive in our lives. I’ve found the complete opposite to be true. If you think it’s impossible to slow down and thrive in your life, I’m living proof that it actually works. If you are worn out from the go, go, go, running late and no time to breathe in between things, it’s time to hush the rush. The next time your body tells you to slow down and you resist out of fear, consider these 13 ways to slow down and thrive in life.
3. Remove the decision fatigue of how to slow down.
The last thing you want to do when you are tired, sick or overwhelmed is pour more energy into figuring out how to slow down. Instead experiment with the following list. 83 mostly-free ways to slow down your life.
4. When your body tells you to slow down, do less.
This sounds obvious, but our to-do lists are relentless. We overcommit, struggle to say, “no” and protect our time and our to-do lists start running our lives. The key to simplifying your to-do list is to start by doing less. First things first, cancel as much as you can until you feel better and simplify your to-do list.
5. Schedule more nothing … yes, nothing.
Slowing down is one thing but doing nothing is next level self-care. It seems as if there is always more to do, so doing nothing can feel like a luxury we can’t afford. Our inability or unwillingness to slow down and do nothing is not serving us. When we refuse to do nothing, we compromise everything. If you are curious, here are 3 compelling reasons to schedule more nothing.
6. Don’t let guilt guide your life (especially when your body tells you to slow down).
If you too feel guilty for resting, lazing around, or spending your weekend the way you want to spend your weekend, it’s time to write yourself a permission slip. But first, write a little love letter to your guilt. When guilt creeps in and tells you to do more, take a deep breath and tell guilt where to go.
For example … “Dear guilt … I appreciate your input but it’s time for you to get lost. Maybe you mean well but you never really change anything about how I live. You just make me feel bad. I’ll be taking this weekend without you for whatever I want to do. I’ll let my heart decide and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to catch up or keep doing more things. My heart wants a rest. My heart wants to smile. My heart wants to find delight.”
Next, give yourself permission to enjoy a guilt-free lazy weekend.
7. Stop glorifying busyness.
My crazy, busy life was destroying my health and relationships. When I finally noticed that’s what was happening (after a devastating diagnosis), everything changed. One of the most important things I did was quietly begin a busy boycott. I started my boycott at the height of my busyness while working in a fast paced, very stressful advertising position. I didn’t tell anyone, and no one noticed. Here’s how I stopped being so busy.
The most important take away from this article and the articles about slowing down listed above is that you don’t have to wait for your body to tell you to slow down before you do. You don’t need to earn your rest or prove your worth.
