We’re just three weeks into the new year, and I already feel like I can’t keep up. And I promised myself that this year would be different. This would be the year I focused on rest. So I wrote myself a list of how I plan to slow down in the new year and am committed to sticking to it. It’s never too late for resolutions right?

I don’t know about you, but the countdown to Christmas is so busy, the week between Christmas and New Year is a hazy blur, and then we’re thrown into the hustle of a new year without any time to rest. And all I want to do is slow down! I don’t want to be running here there and everywhere and have a to-do list so long I can never complete it.

I want this to be the year that my family and I throw out the lie of convenience simply for the sake of speed and I want to truly take it easy for a change. So I wrote a list, checked it twice (wrong season?) and I want to share it with you in case you could use a slow down too.

6 WAYS TO SLOW DOWN IN THE NEW YEAR:

1. Do less.

Stop trying to multitask yourself through this year. Doing a million things all at the same time does not make us more productive so I don’t know why we keep trying that. Take a daily inventory of your must-do tasks and make time just for them. Everything else can wait.

 

2. Stay in the present.

Along the same lines as multitasking, stop letting all the things you think you need to do keep you from enjoying the moment you’re in. When you’re spending time with friends and family, adopt a no-phones policy. No scrolling social media, no checking emails, and no texting. Stay focused on the here and now and tell your mind to worry about what’s to come at another time. Take time to discover things you’ve never seen before, breathe in the presence of people in a new light, and take more time to simply relish the fact that you’re alive and well.

 

3. Take social media breaks.

Log out of your accounts, delete apps from your phone, put all of your devices on airplane mode, whatever it is you need to do to fully walk away from social media. Do this every single day, even if it’s only for an hour. Our society has become so dependent on staying connected that it has made us so hurried. Make it a point to break yourself of bad habits this year and clear your mind without the noise of social media.

 

4. Prioritize rest.

You’ll never be able to truly slow down if you don’t fuel your body with the rest it needs. Adopt new bedtime routines that get you in bed early and allow you to sleep in later. This is the easiest way to achieve the life balance you’re looking for. Make your evenings and mornings more focused on rest and mindfulness, it’s the only way to truly slow down.

 

5. Spend time outside.

Take time to literally smell the roses and become more in tune with nature. Breathe in the fresh air and soak up as much sun as possible. We move so fast with the pace of society, but the actual pace we are designed to move with is nature. Get outside as often as possible and simply become one with the earth.

 

6. Get in the kitchen.

Make “slow” food fast again. Take the time to cook yourself homemade foods. Enjoy the time it takes to prepare a meal rather than door-dashing dinner. We have become so hurried that we don’t think we have time to prepare our own meals. But honestly, that’s exactly what our bodies are craving to help us slow down.

 

No matter the steps you focus on, I hope you will make it a priority to slow down in the new year. Life was never meant to be a rat race and you certainly weren’t meant to feel like you couldn’t keep up.

Join me in 2023 as I slow down and savor the small moments. Because the older I get, the more I discover they’re actually the big ones!