Call it what you want. We prefer to call it soft girl, self love, slow down, take a moment for yourself and bask in the sun while becoming your best self summer. In an era where hustle is praised and productivity is put on a pedestal, slowing down can seem radical. And the thing is, it is. It’s a radical act of self care and self love to slow down. It means you’re prioritizing you. 

We also believe it’s necessary for your mental, emotional, and aspirational health. Did you know, you can have more peace when you do less, but better?

Shift Your Mindset

I read a book recently called Subtract. The author, Leidy Klotz, shares why it is that humans generally tend to default to addition when solving problems. He goes into lots of detail about all the science and research behind this. Suffice it to say, a lot of our problems can be better solved by subtraction than addition, even though this is not usually where your mind goes first. 

Here’s a few mindset shifts you can make to get in the swing of things. 

Try to…

🤍 subtract instead of add

🤍 let go instead of hold on

🤍 declutter instead of hoard

The bonus? When your mind, environment, and life in general is less cluttered, you can also hear your own thoughts and insights a whole lot better.

Tangible Steps You Can Take Today

1.   Put some “white space” in your calendar

• even just 5-10 minutes of unscheduled time between other things in your day

2. Do a mental detox 

• unfollow or mute accounts on social media that don’t inspire you
• unsubscribe from all those emails you’re getting for the coupons you never use
• assess how you feel when you listen to certain music or podcasts

3.  Spend a little time literally doing *nothing*  

We see you, and we know this is hard! But we promise it’s actually good for you.

• start with even 30 seconds and work your way up to 5 or 10 minutes 
• sit or lay down, get comfy, close your eyes if you want to, and literally just BE

On Letting Go

Slowing down and doing less, but better, inevitably means you’re going to have to let go of some things. Saying yes to the things you want also means saying no to the things you don’t want. 

As we talked about already, your mindset is key here. Remember your why, and what’s really important to you. In this case it might be creating more peace in your life and more space in your day. You might be letting go of things you do to stay busy, aka distract yourself, from the things you actually want to avoid. 

Whatever it is, it’s important to get clear on what this is for you on a practical level and beneath the surface. You can do this by reflecting, journaling, and seeking the support of a therapist or coach. You can also start a mindfulness or breath work practice. Overall, be gentle with yourself and prioritize self love and self care.

Embrace It

Consider this all the permission you don’t need, but we’re gladly giving, for you to become your most European, sipping an espresso at an outdoor cafe, sitting in the sunshine, savoring life self. 

We PROMISE you’ll feel better if you can embrace this even just a little! Stay tuned for another article about the real reason why it’s hard to slow down. Spoiler alert – it’s all the thoughts you’re afraid will bubble to the surface and you’re not ready to deal with. In the meantime, let’s start small and try these exercises on for size. We would LOVE to know what you think if you do. Feel free to slide into our DMs on instagram @saraandstacy or send us an email at hello@livewellandwhole.com 

And as always, yes, it’s called “the inner work,” but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Want some support creating an action plan to work with your fears? It’s our honor to be your guides in this journey. Book a free session here!