How to Slow Life Down

It is easy to get caught up with the busy life and become overwhelmed with everything that “needs” to get done. It is also easy to live your life doing the same thing day in and day out and find yourself sucked into boredom, potentially leading you to depression. Learning how to slow life down is one way to start living your life again; enjoying life, building strong relationships, and truly be happy.

Boredom

Depression

Overwhelm

Anxiety

The mind is powerful and when we aren’t enjoying our life, any of these states of mind are very real. When we are in this whirlwind we aren’t living our life fully.

Relationships suffer.

Careers crumble.

Homelife sucks.

Darkness starts to consume everything.

Life becomes too complicated.

Life is too short to not find joy in little moments and to find ways to simplify our life. The only way to give yourself permission to do that is to learn how to slow life down. You see if you continue with the hectic lifestyle or mindlessly living every day you are missing the best parts of living this life.

Join the Hygge Challenge

Do me a favor. While you are reading this, I’d like you to find your pulse. Did you find your heartbeat? Good! You’re alive (and I don’t need to worry about a zombie apocalypse yet)!

Now take 3 deep breathes and while you are doing that think of a moment that makes you smile. It is these moments that we want more of.

There are 5 steps to slowing life down:

Add a little Hygge to your lifestyle
Self-reflection on your mindset
Find ways to clear the cluttered brain
Understanding that saying NO is okay
Saying YES to more Hygge

What is Hygge?

Hygge (pronounced hue-guh) is a Danish term that doesn’t have an exact translation. It describes the warm fuzzy feeling one might have when they are experiencing contentment, coziness, a special moment, comfort, a connection with someone, and enjoying a simple life.

There is no one way to create a Hygge lifestyle because it is unique to everyone. Hygge is how you are personally feeling and finding ways to make that happen frequently so that you can continue to enjoy your hygge lifestyle.

A hygge lifestyle will create simple routines throughout the day so that you can give yourself permission to enjoy a quiet moment. It is about finding small ways to reconnect with loved ones, or doing something that you love just to remove the “boring”.

The feeling of hygge is a welcoming home filled with comfort, joy, and true connection. It is taking the time to enjoy one another, be comfortable with quiet moments of reflection, and being more mindful of our surroundings taking in the beauty of our lives.

Breaking the Myths

Hygge lifestyle is more than just putting on the warm fuzzy socks and sweater. It is more than cuddling under a throw blanket to read a book or enjoy your favorite hot drink. Hygge is more than enjoying a long bubble bath by candlelight.

Those are possible hygge ideas if they appeal to you but hygge is about slowing life down to mindfully enjoy those little moments of a child’s laugh, a smile from a loved one, or catching that twinkle in someone’s eye before they tease you.

Now that you are starting to see what hygge is let’s go back to how to slow life down.

Step 1: Add a little Hygge to your lifestyle

Hygge is not about revamping your life completely. You don’t need to buy new furniture or learn to cook Danish meals. There is no right way of adding a little hygge to your lifestyle, but there is a wrong way. The wrong way of being hygge is letting life slip by you without enjoying the little moments.

My challenge to you is to add a small bit of hygge into your life so that you have a little bit of joy. I’ve compiled a list of Hygge Lifestyle Ideas and a Hygge Challenge and it is yours for Free; fill in the form below and it will be sent to your email today.

Join the Hygge Challenge

Step 2: Self-reflection on your mindset

Now that you have started adding some hygge in your lifestyle, it is time to spend a moment or two reflecting on you. How are you feeling? Why would you be feeling that way? Are you overwhelmed? Stressed? Depressed? Anxious?

One of the best ways I work through these feelings is through a self-reflection process. The process I use regularly is part of how I create work-life balance. I dig deep into what I’m feeling and find out why I could be feeling that way. Then I take action on simplifying life a little more (step 3).

Step 3: Find ways to clear the cluttered brain

When life is busy the cluttered brain is the worst source of stress and feelings of overwhelm for someone. Over the years I found simple solutions to simplifying my life bit by bit so that my brain wasn’t cluttered with constant activities on the mental to-do list. With each improvement, I was able to gain more time with my family and bring more into my life.

Step 4: Understanding that Saying NO is Okay

You might think that you need to go to every event you are invited to or be there for everyone that needs you. You don’t. In your self-reflection, you will discover that you have limits to what you are capable of doing, and what matters most for your priorities right now. Not over-committing is one of the best ways to simplify life, and not over-scheduling the kids.

Will people be upset? Maybe, but most will be in awe of your strength and courage to admit that you can’t add another activity into your life right now.

Step 5: Saying YES to More Hygge

Priorities! If anything should be prioritized it should be hygge activities. Anything that builds strong connections with your spouse and kids is a must.

Taking time for your self-care is also a must. Enjoy that perfect cup of coffee in your new favorite mug while listening to the birds sing their morning song.

Bringing more laughter, and joy into your life through friends and family is a perfect addition of hygge into your life. Saying Yes to hygge will bring more balance into your life.

I don’t want you to overdo things – keep it, simple sweetie! Big family events with days of prep aren’t necessary. A 10-course gourmet meal isn’t necessary either.

Perfection isn’t the goal here. Hygge is about creating a welcoming, comfortable home or atmosphere so you can enjoy friendships and family. Having trouble enjoying your home? Make small changes at a time, that will make your home more comfortable so you won’t feel the need to escape. Small improvements bit by bit is the key.

Learning how to slow life down is a lifestyle choice that takes a bit of work but is well worth it. It takes moving out of your comfort zone to make a positive impact on your life. Following these steps will help you learn how to slow life down: