VENI ETIAM PHOTOGRAPHY
  • Home
  • SHOP
  • SEASONAL DECOR
  • Blog
  • About me
  • About my shots
  • Français
    • Mes inspirations
    • Mon approche
    • Contact

Slow down and let go: 40 bits of advice to myself for a more mindful summer

15/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
That time of year has come. The time to pull myself away from to-do lists and into vacation mode. I recently mentioned on Instagram how I have been on the go for months now, with my mind in super overdrive to achieve my goals in business and in science. If you followed me last summer, you might remember how challenging it was for me to snap into mindfulness and to let go of anything that kept my mind from being still. It was one of my major resolutions this year to practice mindfulness in ways that felt reasonable and accessible to me – in other words, without having to dramatically change my lifestyle in a way that would be difficult to uphold. 
Picture
In the spirit of this resolution and to mentally prepare myself for my vacation so that I actually enjoy it when it comes, I made a list (of course!) of what I would like to consciously work on to slow down my pace.

Without further ado, here are the 40 pieces of advice I offered to myself to be less wrapped up in a hurried existence, and more peaceful this summer.
1. Wake up to a feeling, not a device. Take two minutes each morning to notice, breathe, visualize, stretch or cuddle, before you reach for any device.

2. Wait your turn. When sharing food or conversation, be aware of turn-taking.

3. Walk slowly. Leave earlier to get where you need to get, and don’t rush.

4. Accept what you are presently doing. Stop thinking of what you are not doing or where you think you should be instead.
Picture
5. Reflect on the silver lining. Every day has at least one.

6. Read, don’t skim. It becomes a tough habit to break and, before you know it, you won’t be an attentive reader anymore.

7. Write a handwritten letter. Pay attention to your handwriting. Don’t hurry.
Picture
8. Make a to-do list. Then make another one. Why? Because in the first one you mistook yourself for a superhero on steroids.

9. Pretend you’re retired for a day. What will you choose to do?

10. Stop yourself from getting annoyed by slow walkers or slow waiters. Why are you so impatient?! (If it's because you're in a rush, go back to #3)​​
Picture
11. Get some morning sun. No matter how busy you are, ten minutes of your face pointed to the sun is always worth it.

12. Have a to-be list. Think not only of what you want to do in a day, but also want you want to be.

13. Wait for the light to turn. In the grand scheme of things, waiting a few extra seconds for a green light won’t hurt.

14. Put your fork down between bites. Either that or use chopsticks to slow down your eating.

15. Remember that being busy is a choice and completely within your control.
Picture
16. Schedule a mid-day “check-in” with yourself. How are you feeling? How are you breathing? Have your priorities changed? Are you being kind to yourself?

17. There is no such thing as a wasted day. A different day than you planned, perhaps. But wasted – never.

18. Stop measuring your self-worth in “likes”. Be yourself and let go of all else, before you tumble into self-doubt.

19. Let the waiter come to you. Don’t call him/her over if it’s not urgent.

20. Buy yourself flowers. Then, stop to look at them.
Picture
21. Go to bed. When the thought crosses your mind, you are tired. Don’t cram anything else into your day.

22. Picture a place where you have been at peace. Lose yourself in that imagery while you are in bed in the morning or at night. While doing so, relax your eyebrows and jaw, unclench your fists.

23. Stay. If you can’t travel, book a “staycation” and pretend you’re away. It takes discipline but it is so rewarding to be off exploring your own city.

24. Stop checking the weather. It’s not a certainty anyway. Instead, be prepared to accept whatever comes.

25. Hear the birds. I mean, really hear them.
Picture
26. When you eat, eat. If you work or read while eating, you will gobble it up without even tasting it.

27. Tidy an area once a week. Whether it’s your desk, your clothes or that stash of receipts you keep in your wallet – going through a small area once a week helps feel lighter.

28. Swim. Inside, outside, in the tub – wherever. Just carve out time to be immersed in water.

29. Set boundaries. Don’t let your work expand to fill all the time you have.
Picture
30. Make a point to go to nature. It does so much good for the soul and puts everything into perspective.

31. Slow down your speech and the questions you ask. It will automatically slow down your mind.

32. Enjoy the silence. Don’t fill it with anything.

33. Say NO to notifications. Almost nothing is urgent enough to require you to know about it (and respond to it) in a fraction of a second. Especially not Facebook. Nope, not even Instagram.
Picture
34. Transition between work and home. Make time to slowly unwind between the two rather than rushing between them.

35. Tell yourself: “Everything is going as it should. I am happy”, and watch your reality follow.

36. Look up. Notice the sky or the leaves of a tree.

37. Sit quietly with a notebook in your hand. What will you write when your heart is still?
Picture
38. Lose track of time. Remove your watch, put away your devices and enjoy not caring what time it is for a day.

39. Save it for tomorrow. Truth is, sometimes our to-do lists are too ambitious. Transferring an item or two (or three) to another day won’t cause the Earth to implode.

​40. Watch your mouth. Cut out any negativity in the words you use, especially to talk about yourself. Be sure to balance complaints with gratitude, until positivity wins over.
Picture
It is my dream to be able to do all of these effortlessly, knowing that with a slower pace and increased patience comes a sense of acceptance and calm. Resistance and tension then dissipate to make room for clarity and inspiration, which unlocks so much of our potential. Our ability to cope with challenges strengthens and we begin to attract all sorts of good into our daily life.

TELL ME:
Which ONE of these do you swear by?
Which of these do you want to try?
I would love to know your thoughts. Don't forget to share this post if you think a friend could benefit from this list!

From my heart to yours!
Picture
Picture
You may also like:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Follow
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Kristina Kasparian

    Thanks for stopping by! #OnTheBlog are the stories behind my prints, posts about my travels, glimpses into my daily life, news about my shop, events in the Montreal community and tips on travel, home and photography. 

    Merci de visiter mon blogue! Vous y trouverez les histoires qui ont donné naissance à mes photographies, mes chroniques de voyage, un aperçu de ma vie quotidienne, des nouvelles sur ma boutique et mes conseils sur les voyages, sur la déco maison et sur la photographie. 

    Follow

    Categories

    All
    5 Photos
    Artisan Fairs
    Beginning
    Birthday Blog Series
    Boutiques
    Cards For A Cause
    Community
    Contests
    En Français
    En Français
    Feature Friday
    Fundraising
    Home Decor Tips
    Inspiration
    In The Community
    In The Maker Studio Series
    Last Weekend Series
    Made Me Look Series
    Mindfulness Monday
    Musings Series
    My Brand Story
    New In Shop Series
    News
    Nostalgia
    Photo Tips
    Press
    Products
    Promotions
    Rediscoveries
    Shopping
    Social Media
    This Is Me
    Tips
    Travel
    Travel Reviews
    Travel Tips
    What's In A Name Series
    Your Favorites Series

    Previous posts

    April 2024
    April 2023
    March 2023
    November 2022
    November 2021
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Picture
    Follow on Instagram!

    Upcoming events

    Marché de printemps Collectif Créatif Montréal
    April 26-27 avril
    May 3-4 mai

    Shop on Etsy!

    Special offers

    Don't miss out on any special offers.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

© 2025 | All Rights Reserved | Tous droits réservés
Kristina Kasparian, Veni Etiam Photographie
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Disclaimer
Newsletter | Infolettre
About | Reviews | FAQ | Contact & Wholesale | Etsy | Instagram
Découvrez ma boutique | Suivez mes aventures en français sur Facebook