You may have realised that I haven’t been as active online in the past couple of weeks. And there’s been a number of reasons for this but mainly because I’ve been taking the time to slow down.

For the past couple of years I’ve been working really hard every day to record podcasts, make videos, post on instagram, write my ebook, write these think-pieces, work towards building my brand and more. And what I have recently realised is that I had driven myself into a bit of a hole.

I realised that I was doing these things because that is what I thought you were expecting of me, rather than doing them for myself. I’ve always been super hot on the importance of consistency, but where is the line drawn between consistency and creative freedom?

I had got to a point where I was feeling completely uninspired by work that I really enjoy doing. I have quite a few things on my mind at the moment and constantly ‘being on’ wasn’t allowing me the time to process everything.

So I decided to give myself some time away from social media, away from making content, away from writing, away from recording and instead focus on doing things for myself.

I’ve been fairly quiet with work, which means I’ve spent a lot of time at home recently so I’ve been trying to enjoy the time I have and appreciate every moment. I’ve spent more time reading, going for long walks in the park, extra time in the gym, more time meditating and really taking in each moment.

Usually during these quieter times, I make myself feel guilty for not getting much work done and almost force myself to sit at my laptop to make sure I am using my time productively. But this time round, I wanted to step away from that feeling of guilt and instead use the time to refocus and recalibrate my energy.

And so far it’s worked. I’m definitely feeling a bit more refreshed – not quite back to 100% if I’m completely honest as I have days where I feel like I am on top form, full of energy, full of love, full of abundance and other days where I still feel like I need the time for myself.

What I have found super important is to allow myself to feel however it is I am feeling, to sit with the feelings instead of fighting against them.

But, overall, it’s been a really nice couple of weeks. Finding more time for myself and for the simple things has been very comforting.

We live in a world where everything is at 100 mph all the time and we rarely allow ourselves the time to slow down, so I would like to encourage you to find more of these moments in your life. There’s no shame in admitting you may need to slow down a little, it isn’t a sign of weakness, it is in fact a sign of strength, a sign of self-awareness and understanding what is right for you.

There’s this amazing quote, which I’d like to end on:

“Once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed at how much more life she had time for”

So here’s to more slow moments, to taking life one step at a time and finding the joy in each moment.

Peace and love,

Alex