For many of us we are always seeking an end. And we are always in a rush.
Be it an end to the sickness you’ve had for the last week, an end to a stress at work that seems to just go on and on, an end to financial worries which never seem to cease, or an end to a phase one of the kids is going through – which you’re quite sure is making you feel ten years older than you actually are.
The truth is, our life come to an end naturally anyway, so why do we rush the process? Are we potentially harming ourselves by trying to rush to the end of a particular stage or phase of our life? Are we missing out on the many positive things that are happening simultaneously with those somewhat negative things we instead choose to focus on?
For every negative – EVERY negative – there is a positive. There is. We can often feel like we are the victim of our world and, during these times, trying to envisage any positives can seem like an impossible task. But they are there – you just need to look for them. Your mind will see what you focus on the most. If you search for the beauty in every storm, you will sooner or later find it.
It’s crucial to our health and cognitive wellbeing that we stop the rush, and this need to constantly put an end to certain periods in our life. We need to instead be present in every moment, and be grateful for the many wonderful things that surround us. Our days and weeks are precious, just as are the very moments which pass before our eyes in between blinks. We need to seek out the positives, be mindful of them, and display our affections and emotions towards them. We only live once, so we may as well make it a pleasant experience – the kind of life where we have as few regrets as possible, and make our existence entirely worthwhile and wholesome.
But how do we do this? How do we stop this constant rush? How do we calm and rationalise our thoughts and other cognitive processes so that we can begin to focus on how wealthy our life actually is?
As Ghandi once said “There is more to life than increasing it’s speed.”
Let’s rebel against the traditionally rushed and frantic lifestyle and slow down to make the most of our life. Here’s a few of my own personal tips to assist you in doing this:
- Sleep! I needed to list this one first as the right amount of sleep – 7 to 8 hours per night – is absolutely crucial to our thought patterns. Inadequate sleep plays havoc with our hormones, which in turn affect the way we sleep and function. Sleep deprivation is like a nasty demon on our thought processes, and our ability to think rationally is harshly compromised. Lack of sleep will assist you in feeding the ‘weeds’, where as sufficient sleep, on a regular basis, will help you water the ‘flowers’. Get your sleep, and grow more flowers.
- Nutrition! This is most definitely high up my list too! Every day you need to feed your body a variety of colourful and nutrient-rich foods to ensure every cell that makes up your physical structure is sprinkled with the nutrients necessary for physical and mental health, as well as survival.
- Move! Get outside and be active – in any way that YOU can! Fresh air, nature, and moving like your body was made to move is incredibly energising, and will help to reframe any negative thoughts, and will shine a new perspective onto your daily woes.
- Joy! Acknowledge the little things in life, and find the joy in them. Before you know it they will no longer be present and the moment will be gone. Count your blessings every moment of every day, no matter how insignificant they may seem at the time.
- Control the Controllables! Change what you know you can change, and either accept or forget the rest. Nothing can be achieved by stressing about something that is out of your control. Don’t play the victim; make yourself the captain. Be in charge and don’t let the uncontrollables get you down.
- Breathe! Take time each day to just breathe. Disconnect from all things to do with life and work, remove yourself from all distractions, and just focus on the absolute delight of breathing. It’s our life blood, literally, and it’s amazing how something so natural has become so faulty all because we rush and stress too much.
- Do Less! Simply really. If we do less we’ll feel less need to rush. Say ‘no’ more often – do it, it’s quite empowering. We don’t have to try to be everything to everyone all of the time – it’s detrimental to our health! Acknowledge the maximum amount of life and work ‘chores’ you can take on at any time and don’t exceed it. You deserve a life (a happy and healthy one) as much as every else does.
