Slow down and reclaim your time!
Allow yourself to truly live the moment you are living
Living in an accelerated way leads us to act on autopilot, with no time to relax or think critically. This is particularly a problem for those of us with ADHD, and it brings a series of consequences for our lives and the people around us.
We need to try another ways of seeing life, respecting the time of things, living with presence, and reserving quality time for what really matters. Some time ago, there wasn’t this desperation for speed and connection. It’s an encouragement to reclaim something we once were.
It’s a message of peace and light.
But it's much easier than said, and you're probably already full of guidelines and methods to follow and make your 80th attempt of achieving a slower pace... Anyway let's try to organize this idea in six steps:
1. Set Time Limits
Reserve specific time for each activity and try to stick to it. This can help prevent you from stressing over multiple tasks at the same time.
2. More Touch, Less Screen
When it's a party, how about putting away your phones and being fully present with your friends?
Something important here: Being truly present requires active listening. And too much screen time is a harmful habit for our mental health, contributing a lot to symptoms like anxiety, for example. Think of an occasion when you spend many hours on your phone: by the end of the day, you’re probably so exhausted that it feels like you’ve been lifting a wall.
3. Prioritize Your Tasks
List your activities and prioritize what's most important. This can help reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and allow you to focus on what truly matters.
4. Take Breaks
Even on busy days, take small breaks to relax. This can be as short as a few minutes to take a quick walk or simply close your eyes for a moment.
5. Exercise
Physical exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety, as well as provide moments of relaxation.
6. Say No
Don’t overload yourself with more commitments than you can handle. Learn to say no when necessary to preserve your time and energy.
I know a good friend who has been experimenting with slowing down, recognizing its importance for my mental, physical, and spiritual health. She sought pleasures, changed habits, like limiting phone use, and learned to say no with compassion. She learned to value herself and understand her purposes.
She said her phone is no longer by her bedside: it “sleeps” in the bathroom!
Life is about choices, and I believe we can live without being swallowed up by an instant-gratification society that wants everything done yesterday. Which is something very critical for us with ADHD, for sure. But understanding the mechanism behind the problem is the first step towards the improvement we want and need.
That’s what it’s all about. About being here and now. Genuinely feeling, seeing, listening, and allowing ourselves to truly live the moment!
Wherever it may be, doing things in your own time, but without wasting time!
