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Reduce your feelings of rush and trying to fit it all in. Initiate your self love process instead! 

Does that sentence give you goosebumps? Maybe it sounds like an impossible? Perhaps your mind simply wanders there in gentle curiosity, as a nudge to you to start thinking about concentrating more on yourself? A possible? 

Being a mother, we know it can be easy to slip into a space where you hardly get time for you as an individual. Not to negate the role of motherhood one bit, but some days it feels like we are living a life as a mum to our children only, not meeting those inner needs of our own. We can feel chronically stressed, and chances are high that our attention is limited too, because we are being pulled in a multitude of directions all at the same time. It can seem like our single selfless being has so many tasks dependant on us, that giving time to lingering thought will be too interrupting to the ticking off of all of today’s to dos.

Ask yourself though –  When will you slow down mama to allow a little physical and mental health self love? Hopefully not when you drop entirely in an exhausted heap onto the floor? Existing in the race of being the mother who is most thorough and wishes to be utmost productive is not necessary, regardless of what anything out there might suggest. The constant mental involvement and physical multitasking can become so monotonous that we can easily, quickly and constantly feel like the mouse on the wheel as mums. Why don’t you start to work toward adapting to a new lifestyle in which you don’t have to hurry and instead, create some time for you and your self care? 

It is all a matter of your mindset and your deep core beliefs about how you should be and what you should be doing. This means you can leave that thinking behind which is persuading you to speed up … if you dare!

The more full and stressful we have allowed our lives to become,  the more we are seeking the escape with phones, tablets and other technology devices. Imagine a world without these distractions, where you allow yourself  to feel those innermost emotions, dreams and desires again! That place is possible to achieve and that place and that world is called your soul. It connects with the spirit of who you are. 

Here are some ways for simple escape while experiencing minimalist living …

  1. A little delay in your day to dream and visualise before some work can be a very simple and effective approach. It can give you time for meditation every day. 
  2. Read a novel instead of a personal development or business book or even flick through a magazine. Read for leisure, instead of reading your to dos and tasks for a change.
  3. Put your feet up and rest to relax for a few minutes everyday.
  4. Don’t always feel the need to stay connected. Turn off your device. Constantly connected means we are exposed to immediate interference and we continue to emphasize the information we meet because we are sent to other people’s requirements. This takes us out of our now. Focus on staying in yours instead.
  5. Drive your car and ride your bike a little more slowly. If you feel yourself moving fast, stop, breathe deeply and concentrate on slowing down your movements.
  6. Exercise outside when you can, or find other open air exercises to appreciate for example nature strolls, climbing and swimming. Feel the vibes of water, wind and earth against your skin somewhere somehow each day if you can.

We have to learn to be really aware of whatever we are doing right now. When we begin contemplating something we have to do in the future, we should tenderly take ourselves back to the present minute. Concentrate on what’s happening at the present time. Be there and think of where you are at right now! We cannot be thinking and be present in the moment at the same time. It’s impossible.

Many of us are finding ourselves closed in our homes and workplaces more and more each day, while on autopilot to get through our huge list of tasks. We are not finding, let alone, making  the opportunity to head outside. What’s more, regularly when individuals are outside, most are often found chatting on or doing other things on their mobile phones! Setting aside the effort to head outside and truly watch nature, taking a full much needed refresher and appreciating the quietness of water and greenery can easily aid in your inner joy which leads to self love.

You do not always need to be available and switched on. Whatever you’re doing, be completely present and furthermore value each part of it, locate the agreeable angles. When washing dishes, rather than hurrying through it as a task rapidly needing to be done, truly feel the vibes of the water, suds and the dishes. It can be a pleasant errand given the chance that you figure out how to see it as such!

When was the last time you took a long stroll along the beach, washed the dishes slowly feeling gratitude for your recent meal, got a back rub or simply spent the entire weekend resting and unwinding? 

Backing off yourself and setting aside effort for you isn’t apathetic, egotistical or lazy. It is necessary to regularly do so,  to revive your batteries with the goal in mind that you are doing so, to be the best version of you that you can be! Consider the principal thing of dietary patterns for a moment. Scoffing down your nourishment on the run, in front of the TV or with stresses at the forefront of your thoughts,  ruins your capacity to be in contact with your body and means you will be considerably more liable to indulge later. When this continues for a really long time, your prosperity begins to endure and the pressures of daily life can start to increase. This makes us less ready to adapt to life’s requests as they naturally unfold.

Many people have been molded to look for bliss outside of themselves, regardless of whether that is through achieving a certain financial earning, having the correct relationship, looking great or progressing in their professions etc. In the event that we seldom permit ourselves an opportunity to watch a sunset,  gradually taste some tea or contact a dear loved one just because we truly are denying ourselves some of the simple pleasures in life, because we are simply allowing ourselves to be too busy.

Here are a couple of  lifestyle changes you will experience after slowing down …

Frequently  taking small breaks from life can inspire new considerations and thoughts – giving you considerably more lucidity about your present circumstance. This could mean having a peaceful evening in a restaurant on your own, with a scratch pad and pen and your own musings, or going on an end of the week mini retreat.

When you live life on the run, simple things can also turn out badly, because of the constant mental and physical bustle. Perhaps you speed, and get a ticket – or have a mishap. Possibly you trip while hustling through the house, and sprain your ankle.  In your work, a little internal blunder could cause huge issues with a client. Maybe you complete that enormous report, yet totally neglect to email it to your manager by the due date. Perhaps a significant customer meeting escapes your attention since you wrote it on a Post-it note, while in a rush, and it never made it into your calendar.

Slowing down a little will enable you to be progressively present and mindful – making the most of both your personal and professional time and connections. Remaining constantly occupied is quite possibly on the grounds that we need to test the broadness of what life brings to the table during the span of time that we are here.  It’s somewhat similar to examining a smorgasbord without completely tasting any one dish. It might engage the sense of taste, however it’s not fulfilling over the long haul. 

In the event that your psyche is always assaulted with new data and business, it will be an elusive space for inventiveness to be able to occur. Our inspired personality streams when we are relaxed, quiet and focused. Being in nature is additionally an extraordinary method to receive our imaginative personality streaming. 

When we’re constantly surging on, cortisol and adrenaline pour through our bodies. The ongoing effects of this on our bodies can be horrendous. Reflection is an extraordinary beginning spot, and there are innumerable care techniques that nearly anybody can incorporate into their everyday.  Discovering the one or ones that work best for you can mean that in a matter of moments you can begin feeling increasingly relaxed, settled and present.

Make better connections – Simply sit down and start a face to face conversation today with friends and family, instead of being in a race and not allowing time for it in the first place. Or what about going for a long walk or hike and doing something that brings tranquility along? These things  will all go a long way to creating a new perspective in your life. Perhaps, you feel like you have lost the real you somewhere along the way while being everything you possibly can for your little ones in your life? And coupled with the current pace of life it’s surely not sane, especially topped with the constant newsfeeds, multimedia and multitasking if you’re not switching off from those either! You do need to slow down for your own self and fulfill the responsibility of you as an individual and quite possibly, the first conversation you need to have, is with you too.

Everything in life is tied in with timing, it will happen when and if it’s intended to occur. In the event that we are driving something, we have to stop and think, for what reason would we say we are attempting to compel this to occur? Backing off ourselves will enable us to understand, that more often than not the significant things, don’t occur rapidly. 

When we are so occupied, we risk winding up physically and genuinely depleted, which causes elevated amounts of nervousness and stress. By slowing and halting, taking some full breaths, eating gradually, talking and driving the car slower – quieting the body and discharging some pressure will occur.

Want a simple slowing down introduction? Want to know where and how you can start to slow in your life, while still being productive?

#hiddysslowdowndare is the result of sudden, horrific changes in both my personal and professional lives during 2013-2017, how I have processed, navigated and grown from that grief, loss and pain to gain clarity in my direction and mission in my new life forward. 

It is about encouraging ourselves to step out of our fears, haul ourselves out of overwhelm, shed our silly long lists of TO DO’s and spice things up by making time for ourselves once and for all!

Why #hiddysslowdowndare? 

For a very long time, “Hiddy, slow down” has been (one of) my mantras to remind me as I find my focuses again, that …

  • Calm is trust in action
  • Calm, is not speed and 
  • Beautiful calm is what I want in my life. EVERYDAY! 

It is also my own health reminder that the rush out there is very real. I believe that there has never been a time before now, when there are so many women in such an intense rush to do everything, and be all things to all people. 

The idea is simple … to experiment with slowing down in life (because you can!) by changing your language and bringing grace and ease into your life with beautiful daily moments of joy and self love (that don’t cost a cent, but have huge amounts of value and reward!)

With or without massive adversity and major setbacks in our lives I believe this to be true. I used to be one of them until I catastrophically realised that I could not be all things to all people all at the very same time! 

My own healing journey has proven it to be so. Regardless of what has or hasn’t happened in our lives, we all have the opportunity to progress positively forward and to feel fulfilled every single day. The ability to slow and connect with the slower, is integral to that.

Life is fast and it’s getting faster, but guess what? 

You were not born into this rushing state. The rush has been learned my darling friend.  “Your perception of how you need to be and what you need to do in a day is influenced by both your biochemistry and your beliefs.” says Dr Libby Weaver. 

Slowing down IS NOT lazy. Slowing down doesn’t mean not having goals and not achieving things.

In my climb back from the rock hard bottom, I have had to get to the core of my health and my beliefs, and constantly reminding myself to slow down was cornerstone to my mission. 

In actual fact, it means having amazing goals and achieving shit loads more value. It means that you are in tune with your deep beliefs about you, what you do and how you live your life.

Experiment in Slowing Down BECAUSE YOU CAN!


If you are keen to slow down, not sure where to start but ready to experiment with it (because you can!) join in with my free challenge here This is an opportunity for you to experiment and find your most suitable way for regularly initiating self care into your life. I know and understand it is not at all easy to slow down in life, especially when you have a lot of mama responsibilities as well as all the others! So, tune into my challenge, because it also gives you some insight into minimalist living too.

Make slowing no longer a hassle for you, but rather, part of your everyday.

Blessings, Hiddy xx

P.S. Please share this email with a friend so they can sign up here for some intentional home and life inspo stuff PLUS some slowing down fun too. It might be just what they and you need to today! Sharing is caring and REMEMBER that you can xx