Sometimes I find myself just sat in silence enjoying the calm. I don’t mean meditate, I just mean that 5 minutes of calm before the storm has to start again. Have you ever just sat there for 5 minutes and enjoyed the silence – no tv, no podcast, no audiobook, no toddlers, no partners, nothing to do for just 5 minutes of brain relaxing space with the madness of every day life. I am a firm believer that from time to time you need to just STOP and enjoy the bubble of nothing.
Also in this weeks podcast I share my thoughts and feelings on where YouTube have been for the last 1-2 years and where I predict it will go in the coming weeks, months and years in the future.
Our lives are non-stop. Whether that’s when we’re working or even when we’re travelling. Combine that with the time spent on the internet or social media, and we barely have enough time to take a few minutes to relax and breathe. Living life at 100 miles per hour can not only be exhausting; it can be damaging to our health. Life is happening right now, as we speak. Have you taken the time to stop and appreciate just being alive and living in the moment today?
Here are five reasons why you should take a few minutes today to slow down and enjoy life.
1. Say Goodbye to Stress
Relaxing and slowing down will help decrease your heightened stress levels. Trying to cram everything on our impossible to-do lists in one measly day adds to our stress levels significantly. With stress comes higher blood pressure, higher heart rates, exhaustion and a whole slew of other physical and mental ailments. Make time for you! Taking the time to eat slower, move slower or sit still, if only for a few minutes, can give your mind and body a much-needed rest.
2. Say Hello to Enjoyment
Are you rushing through the day but aren’t feeling happy? When you live in and are aware of the present moment, you feel happier and connected. Slowing down can improve your focus whether it be the task at hand or just appreciating and enjoying life. When you slow down, your relationships become better as well as your general outlook on life. All in all, settling for a few minutes will improve your overall happiness.
3. Say Goodbye to Close-mindedness
Creating time for things you enjoy such as travel, can open your mind and let you explore the world. So don’t forget why you got your working holiday visa, always make time to visit the country you’re in, don’t let it all be about work. Never allowing time to slow down stifles your cognitive abilities. This world was made to be explored, and with that, you can see and learn amazing things. This too, creates a feeling of wonder and happiness as you appreciate other cultures, new sights and sounds, and new faces. Try a massage or something new to eat. Take the time to relax and discover the world around you.
4. Say Hello to Creativity
Rushing around all day or all week weakens your creativity. By the end of the day, you are too tired to do anything but lay there in a vegetative state. Do you like to read, write, blog, draw or anything else? These are hobbies that you enjoy doing, which you won’t have time for. Take a few minutes to do what you love to do. This not only creates feelings of enjoyment but it lowers your heart rate, washes away anxiety, and lets you be happy in the moment.
5. Say Goodbye to Poor Quality
Taking a moment to slow your pace increases the quality of anything you are doing. Working faster does not necessarily mean better. Slowing down allows your focus to centre which improves the quality of your work, of your enjoyment, and in your relationships. Allow yourself some time to accomplish what you need to instead of racing through life. You will see better quality which increases self-happiness.
We do have things to get done, places to go and people to see, but slowing down for a bit improves the quality of life. Traveling, doing something you enjoy, appreciating the great outdoors and more boosts your happiness and gets rid of the constant nag of stress and rushing through life. Not only will taking it easy for five minutes improve your mood, but it will also improve your health. Your mind and body need a break too from running at breakneck speed.
Take a break, and enjoy the moment, you deserve it.
