This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about why I try to take my foot off the gas, even when life feels like it’s pressuring me to keep at a faster pace. Isn’t it funny how worry is so easy to gather when you’re not looking as easy as picking up stones, until your pockets are too heavy to walk? Living more simply for me is really about having fewer worries so I can bear less weight.
I didn’t always feel that way. Once upon a time, this hard worker always being BUSY must mean I’m doing something. But there came a point where I was just tired. Snappy. Distracted. And half the time when I was sitting with friends or family, the half of my mind that wasn’t with them was enumerating my chores or ruminating over past conversations.
That realization was humbling. I wanted to be more present. I wanted to feel lighter. So I started small, with three habits that have genuinely changed how I manage my day.
✅ Taking breaks.
This one is pretty obvious, but it's an easy one to forget. That is particularly true if you’re working from home, or simply wearing many hats. There were times I would just stare mostly at my screen, but also convenient objects for hours, paralyzed and not wanting to halt. Now I remind myself: walk away for a few minutes. Breathe. Look at the sky. Pour a glass of water. I’ve learned the world doesn’t end if I rest. These little breaks clear my mind and help me return with fresh eyes.
✅ Journaling.
I never in a million years thought I would become a journaling person but I have found it to be a gift putting pen to paper. It’s when everything is a mess in my head, or I feel really anxious or overwhelmed, and I go home and open up my notebook and just do a full brain dump. It’s messy, visceral; but that’s the idea. I find it helps my chances of being able to then see the words on the paper and figure out what’s real and coming from me as opposed to overthinking. It’s like tidying of a room in my head.
✅ Prioritizing.
This one has been hard for me, honestly. I want to do everything and be there for everyone. But I’ve learned the cost of saying yes to everything is my own peace. Nowadays I do my best to ask: Is this really that important? When I say yes, she tells me I need to help others even when I don’t want to.” ‘I’m learning to say no when I need to, to save some things for later or even let them go completely. It’s not selfish it’s survival.
What I’ve found is when I do these things as a practice, I feel lighter. Calmer. More present for the people I love. I can sit and talk with my sister without looking at my phone 10 times. Without worrying about what I would say in response.
Someone once said to me, We can’t control everything but we can control how much of the weight we carry. That’s stayed with me. It is a bit of a reminder that maybe at least for me
I can’t prevent those worries from bubbling up maybe, but I do not have to hold on to every single one of them still
Yeah, If I can leave you my readers of this particular post, who are feeling the weight of burden, with one takeaway today, it’s this that , Worry does not change one thing that weighs on you. Take one real break. Put down that thought you’re still carrying with you. No to 1 thing that takes from you. Your shoulders and your mind will thank you.
Because living simply isn’t about having nothing to do. It’s about making room for what really matters.
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Images used are mine.