Slowing it down

Slowing it down

Slowing it down…

I’m lucky enough to live in Taranaki where the air is fresh and the grass really is green. I get outside when I can when creating my products so I can really take advantage of it, especially now that summer is coming up, yahoo!

We’re all leading such busy lives and it’s so easy to take our environments for granted when we are rushing here and there. But being busy doesn’t necessarily mean better, so I’m really trying to stop and use more mindful techniques in life to de-stress and just generally live a little ‘slower’.

Now living slower can be hard to do, when you’ve got children to get to and from school, lunches to make, sports to attend, classes, work, family and all the things we have to juggle every day but I’ve discovered a couple of small things that can make a truly big difference.

Instead of having a busy life, I try to think of it as a full life. Smell the roses, and all those clichés, but even just taking a minute to sit and breathe. We don’t need money for that and we deserve the time. So sit on your front step in the sun for five minutes, look around you see all the good stuff, (ignore the washing or the work for a minute, it’s not going anywhere), close your eyes, and think of a couple of things that make you smile.

Someone once told me, if everything else is hectic and you’re finding it hard to look after yourself just make sure you do one thing, when you get up in the morning, make your bed. This one simple act means that when you come to rest at night your bed is ready, inviting, welcoming and comfortable. Your zone. A pleasure to get into. Even if the house is a tip and you’ve got a million things to do and three children climb in during the night, try and make this the one thing you do for yourself so it’s there for you, especially if you’ve managed to put fresh sheets on after they’ve been flapping about in the sun, it’s a true treat to slip into a clean fresh bed after a long day.

Maybe gradually try and add one or two things to do for yourself every day. Take a few extra minutes in the shower; sit down while you drink your tea or coffee, heck sit down when you eat your lunch instead of a sandwich on the run or while you’re driving. Take time wherever you can to focus on what you’re doing at that particular moment. The past is already gone, the future isn’t here yet.

So these are the ways I’m trying to pace myself, and it’s the way I approach making my products. Slow and steady wins the race right?

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