This is a great question to reflect on at the end and start of the year. If people realize how critical slowing down is, their well-being and life in general could take an unexpected turn, for the better, as it did with me. Earlier this year I made the decision to quit my high stress, high responsibility corporate career after 25 years of working nonstop.
Now, you don’t have to quit your job to slow down, here are some techniques I started using to feel better: mentally, physically, and spiritually.
My strategy, embracing Emotional Intelligence as a way of being with these three practices:
- Self-Awareness: developing my ability to be aware of and understand my own feelings and their impact on my daily life. I was able to do this by starting my day with meditation practice. At first, it was one minute, sometimes five, sometimes I couldn’t do it first thing in the morning, so I did it at night. As long as you make it a habit. I also implemented a Gratitude journal: I write down five things I am grateful for, such as the exercise class I was able to attend that day, or the meal my mother prepared for us, or the wonderful friends that visited us that day. No matter what it is, don’t just log it, feel the gratitude in your heart. Lastly, I consistently exercise, even if it is for ten minutes, I make sure my body moves by walking, doing Bodyjam (dancing – my favorite), or lifting weights.
- Interpersonal Relationships: developing my ability to create and maintain mutually satisfying relationships. I started joining new networks of people that share common interests with me, such as followers of this spiritual leader, or by creating my gym classmates’ WhatsApp group and posting pictures and lifting comments; also, by reaching out to friends, unexpectedly, and asking how they are doing. My Christmas cards always make it to their addresses every year, so at least I stay in touch with them if distance is an issue by sending them these cards.
- Optimism: developing my ability to remain hopeful and resilient, despite setbacks. This is all about looking at the brighter side of things. This is a tough one, but probably one that has the biggest impact on our well-being. Understanding that failure and success are, to a certain degree, states of mind. Finding the positive in every situation is key. I’ve seen this turning my life around in so many ways. Reading books or listening to podcasts about growth mindsets, doing something special for others, improving our own self talks, that inner critic that always accompanies, especially when things go wrong.
Feeling calm is taking your power back, not letting outside circumstances bring you down or to despair. I truly believe we all have the capacity to do this. It is a matter of starting today, not tomorrow, one small step at a time.