“When everything is go, go, go, say hello to mindful mo…” a line from one of my favorite kids’ board books, Sloth and Smell the Roses by Sabrina and Eunice Moyle.
The art of slowing down, especially during this “go, go, go” time of the year…well, this is something I am actively trying to work on and embrace. It’s the holiday season, friends! It is my favorite time of year (minus the anxiety over elections next week…), but also the busiest. I’m looking forward to all the gatherings, the December birthdays, my kids’ school/daycare activities. It’s also the time I’ve allowed myself to vend at a select few craft fairs (and putting in a lot of thought to those I’ve turned down), the last push for more DTC sales, the wholesale orders that come in, putting out the last of my designs, and everything around it.
I’ve been the planner/organizer type my whole life. This year, I really tried to plan ahead to prevent the burnout that happened after last holiday season. Well, guess what. I’m already feeling the burnout creep up. I’ve found myself making more mistakes trying to dash from here to there.
Its a sign that I just need to slow the f*ck down. Here are a few things I am working on to pace myself better.
- Don’t add more to your/my plate. I am definitely that person that likes to do a little bit extra here and there when I don’t need to. For example, I see that my toddler’s costume isn’t holding its shape, so I want to make something for it. That’s extra, and I don’t need to do it.
- Slow breathing. Give yourself the 5 minutes of pause before diving into the next task. That could be sitting in my car for 5 minutes before I walk in the door (let go of the phone too).
- Put people first. Staying present for my loved ones, especially Stephen and the kids. There is nothing more important. I read in someone’s blog to “put people first.” That means, dropping that task [of dishwashing, for example] and talk to my family instead of saying, “give me 5 more minutes.”
- Stretch, exercise, dance, move. Every intentional movement helps me stay present, work through my breathing, think about my posture, all leading up to staying present. It’s also a helpful step towards my goal of getting back into the dance studio.
- Okay really, just putting the phone away. If there’s anything that serves as a reminder that I need to be moving at lightning speed, it’s all the social media.
- Mindful eating - I am a huge supporter of this way of eating in my 20s as a dietitian, and I’ve strayed away from it especially after becoming a mom. Mindful eating is a way of using all your senses when eating food that helps you be more aware of your hunger cues, how you feel when you eat, awareness of what you’re actually eating that ultimately translates into a healthful way of life.
If you have tips for me, I’d love to hear!
A quick reflection of my recent craft fair. I dusted off my card shelves and craft fair gear last weekend for a short event in Sunnyvale, hosted by Maum Market. I had wanted to do this event for a long time at ROW DTLA where it is usually held, so when I saw that they would be popping up in the Bay Area for the first time, I jumped on the chance. It was so, so, so, so nice to see and chat with people over my cards and products, to see customers I’ve chatted with online, retailers who’ve purchased in the past, talk about letterpress printing, identify over common sentiments shown on my cards, parents sharing white rabbit candies with their little ones. It means so much that what I’ve been churning out this year was all so worth it. I recognize my capacity for these events are limited, so I really cherish the moments when I get to do this.