Think slowing down this holiday season isn’t in the cards? Think again. You can make your season merry and bright with a few slow-style tips.
1. Establish gadget-free spaces. In our hyper-connected world, our gadgets sometimes take precedence over the people in our lives. While “now” is all we really have, you needn’t spend every second of it in your online universe. Take a few days off over the holidays to live in present time in fellowship with others.
2. Write a letter. Reduce the immediacy of your communication by actually writing a thank-you card to someone instead of an email. The person will appreciate your efforts and the time it took for you to send the note.
3. Busy is a mind-set. Remember that activity does not equal productivity. Taking time to think is as valuable as implementing the idea itself.
4. Disengage from clock combat. Spend a day without wearing or watch or access to the time.
5. Avoid holiday meltdowns by managing expectations. When you communicate effectively, you avert possible upsets before they happen.
6. Eat mindfully. Treat your food intake as your primary activity, not as a secondary one as you do something else (such as read or watch TV).
7. Do one thing at a time. Identify potentially hazardous behaviors such as texting while driving. Turn off your cell phone in the car.
8. Learn to say “no” with kindness. When you do so, you are truly saying ‘yes’ to yourself.
9. Slay the inner pig-dog, a mythical, procrastinating creature (called innerer Schweinehund in German) that tells you “now” is never a good idea.
10. Embrace time abundance, a notion of having more than enough time to do what is required to fulfill your ultimate purpose.
If you do even one thing on this list, your life will change for the better. It doesn't take much to make the shift from stressed to blessed. Now is always a great time to begin the rest of your life!
