How to slow down this winter
Why do we feel so compelled to add more more more to our winter holiday season?
That's a rhetorical question of course— we're simply expected to fill our holidays with as much busyness and consumption as possible. And we comply, even though it stresses us out like nothing else. There's a reason why the slow living side of Instagram is so swoon-worthy. It's because our souls crave a simpler, more intentional way of life. We weren't meant to be this overworked, cluttered, and exhausted. We can begin our gentle homecoming this winter by practicing the art of slowing down.
It’s much simpler than it seems. First, we need to drop the belief that slow living has to look a certain way in order to be valid. Sure, aesthetics are great and all, but they’re not the point of slow living. You don’t need to have the perfect tea set before you start to make your morning cuppa with more intention and presence. You can start living slowly wherever you are with whatever you have now.
Here are 7 ways to keep your holidays slow this year:
Evaluate how much time/energy you truly want to pour into your holiday schedule. Do you really want to go to three cookie parties, fly across the country for a few specific days, lug your kids to the ice rink, AND somehow create winter magic throughout the season in your home? I personally want to do maybe one thing on this list. It takes practice, but try saying no to at least one thing you truly don’t want to do. If your extended family expresses disappointment that’s ok. They’re allowed to feel disappointed. It’s not your responsibility to fix that.
Schedule the magic. Pick one or two days to do something magical- baking cookies, drinking hot cocoa with special marshmallows, or watching a fun winter movie. Planning in advance and seeing it on the calendar helps you get rid of that pesky feeling that you’re not doing “enough.” (By the way, store bought cookie dough is entirely acceptable for holiday magic-making!)
Take photos of the magical moments so you can look back and remember fondly. They don’t have to be “Instagram-worthy. And in fact, I encourage you to make sure they’re NOT Instagram-worthy because all that stressing over staging and lighting really takes away from the magic.
Keep your countertop surfaces & kitchen table clear. Trust me, I know how hard this one is. But if you’re like me and don’t “see” mess, your brain will register the empty space as peaceful. Empty space is priceless when cultivating a slow lifestyle.
Remind yourself that keeping up with the Joneses is overrated. So. Over. Rated. There’s no way to accurately compare your real life with someone else’s highlight reel.
Be open to the present moment. This is the key to cultivating a slow living lifestyle. If you followed the first one above, you’ll have naturally created more space for spontaneity in your life by saying no to what you don’t truly want to do.
REST. Whenever you can, rest. Our bodies naturally slow down in the winter, we want to snuggle up and get cozy on the couch. So do it! Whenever you can, rest. There’s no need to push yourself to do more than, say, your 75%. (And remember- everyone’s 75% looks different! Honor your own body’s abilities.)