If you are worn out from the go, go, go, running late and no time to breathe in between things, it’s time to hush the rush. I used to rush myself and everyone around me. “Hurry up!” “Let’s go.” “We are going to be late!” No matter how much I hurried, I still ran late, fell behind and exhausted myself trying to catch up. I’d laugh at the stop and smell the roses advice because who has time for that?! It wasn’t advice or a meme or my own self-awareness that finally got me to slow down. It took getting really sick and spending lots of time healing, removing stress and figuring out what actually mattered to me and how I wanted to show up in the world.
To hush the rush, you may want to explore things like time scarcity, simplifying your life and letting go with less fuss. These suggestions won’t always feel like the easy choice but sometimes making the hard choice invites ease in. For instance, it might feel hard to declutter your kitchen but after you do, making meals and cleaning up will be easier than it is now. Letting go of a grudge is hard but when you do a relationship may become easier.
Slow Down and Thrive: 10 Ways to Hush the Rush in Your Daily Life
I used to equate thriving and rising with rushing and busyness. I thought the more I did and the faster I did it, the more I would succeed. Wow, I got that wrong. Doing more things doesn’t make you a better person or a more successful person. Doing more things makes you a tired person. Once I understood this, I started to create ways to slow down so that I had time to not only enjoy my successes but to really show up and be in my life. If some of these suggestions to hush the rush resonate with you, give them a try. If you are too busy to do them all, try one of them. If one of them is too much, try a modified version of one. It’s how you’ll begin to make time and space to make, well … more time and space.
1. Say no more than you say yes.
We give bits of our time and energy away when we say “yes” so make sure you are agreeing to things worth your time and energy. Maybe we can do it all but do we really want to? You are allowed to say no even when you aren’t busy. You can stay home instead of going to an event that sounds dreadful. You can say no when your heart says no. You can say no when you need to take care of yourself. You can say no when you crave more peace, quiet, or anything else you want for your life. If you don’t, you’ll likely regret all of those moments when you really wanted to say yes but didn’t have the energy or time.
2. Limit your information intake.
Hush the rush by letting less in. Set boundaries around how and when you consume the news, social media and other information. To start, track your daily information intake. How many minutes a day include taking in outside information vs. the minutes for tapping into you own inner information or no information at all. Don’t just include stressful information but good information too like listening to a great audiobook or podcast or chatting with a great friend. Once information overload hits, it’s all the same. When it feels like too much, it’s too much. Schedule small blocks of time away from the internet each day and a full day every week. You’ll be surprised how unplugging slows everything down. Read this book for more on the power of unplugging one day a week.
3. Spend time with people who make you laugh.
At the top of my what matters most list, it’s the people I love who support me, love me for me and make me laugh. Think about the people you want to spend time with and reach out. From long, lingering phone calls to taking a walk or enjoying a meal, prioritize your people. Have fun, embrace Microjoys and appreciate the Glimmers in your life and don’t forget to share them.
4. Let your senses hush the rush.
Turn to your five senses to help you slow down. Wrap yourself in a soft blanket or sweater and let your sense of touch encourage you to slow down. Savor a small piece of dark chocolate and let your sense of taste slow you down. Count on your sense of smell to help you hush the rush by lighting a scented candle. Looking at images from your favorite artist, read a book, or walk through a museum or even scroll your camera roll, choosing an “image of the week” to slow down with your sense of sight. Beautiful music, birds singing and time with a friend who just needs you to listen and comfort them gives your sense of hearing an invitation to slow down and really be there..
5. Hushing your home can hush the rush.
Slowing down your surroundings and what’s around you will help you feel less rushed within you. Take author, Myquillyn Smith’s advice and hush your house. Smith says, “At times I’ve felt like my stuff is yelling at me and that’s not how I want to feel in my home.” She suggests finding a room or area in your home to serve as a 24-hour holding space. She says, “Then you simply remove all the smalls, gee-gaw, tchotchkes and decor and stash it in your holding area. It’s like a cleanse for your surfaces. A home reset. And the best part is you experience no decision fatigue because you are not making decisions. You’re just temporarily moving stuff out.” Read more about hushing your home here or watch this video.
6. Do nothing at all.
If you are thinking, “I don’t have time to do nothing,” remind yourself that you’ll spend less time doing other things if you approach them with ease and clarity. You can’t do that when you are worn out. Good work doesn’t come from someone who is overworked. By taking time to do nothing, you’ll be more present for the people you love and more engaged in work you care about. Put a block of time to “do nothing” on your calendar every single day. Sometimes it might be a tiny block and that’s ok. You don’t have to determine how you’ll spend your do nothing time in advance. This “do nothing” time will look different for everyone. Read a book, take a bath, stare at the stars, or simply rest. Do what helps you refuel and recover.
7. Embrace rituals that make you feel more calm.
Feeling calm will help you hush the rush more consistently. Routine and simple rituals can help us create healthy habits and let go of stress. Create rituals that are small enough to practice daily so they are easier to stick with. Consider a morning routine, a gratitude practice, taking silent walks, or whatever helps you come back to you.
8. Go to bed on time.
Sleep researcher and author of Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker says, “Sleep is probably the single most effective thing that you can do to reset both your brain [and] your body’s health. I don’t say that flippantly against the notions of diet and exercise — both of those are fundamentally critical — but if I were to deprive you of sleep for 24 hours, deprive you of food for 24 hours, or deprive you of water or exercise for 24 hours, and then I were to map the brain and body impairment you would suffer after each one of those three — hands down a lack of sleep will implode your brain and body far more significantly.” You’ll feel less stressed, rushed and overwhelmed with the sleep you need each night. Sleep well by letting go of these 7 things.
9. Grow, make or nurture something that can’t be rushed.
Make a beautiful meal (something slow like pasta or a soup with lots of vegetable chopping required) or create a piece of art, grow a plant or teach someone what you know. Engage in activities that encourage you to slow down, take your time and enjoy the journey. I love spending time taking care of my plants, watering them and washing the dust off each leaf. Likewise, while I don’t enjoy cooking in a rush, I love a slow afternoon in the kitchen, slowly preparing a delicious meal. Linger, savor, fall in love with the time you are intentionally spending on something that thrives with a slower pace.
10. Plan to arrive ten minutes early for everything.
Take it from someone who prefers to arrive right on time (which often means a little late), running late is the opposite of hushing the rush. It’s so stressful! Instead, showing up ten minutes early with a book gives me space and time to be ready for my appointment or meeting. I don’t have to worry about traffic or anything else that may slow me down because I give myself a ten minute buffer. On a good day, I have ten minutes to read or prepare! Cutting it close is a hard habit to break but once you experience little pockets of extra time during your day, you’ll look forward to them.
Noticing how I thrive when I slow down inspires me to smell the flowers, to gaze at the stars and to take time to enjoy simple pleasures and small moments. If you are a busy parent or low on energy due to chronic illness, these suggestions won’t all work for you as they are. If you make them a little smaller though, you can start practicing and as you hush the rush, you’ll create more time and energy no matter what your situation is. Begin to slow down and be gentle with yourself along the way. Learn how to embrace slowing down with the free Tiny Step Simplicity Challenge.
