Feel Like You’re Caving Into Pressure? Try Slowing Down Then

This is the kind of thing you might want to read with your morning coffee. I say this because if we’re alike in any way, this is probably the only time you have to yourself. While you let the coffee cool off for a little bit, I just want to tell you what’s been on my mind in the meantime.

You see, it appears that there really is a thin line between being ultra productive, and mindless activity. We’ve all been using a number of productivity hacks to essentially do more with the resources that we have, namely time and energy. We’ve even gone to the extent of considering the ideas of working out-of-office and shorter working days. In trying to cram as much work in as we can during usual office hours, we’ve fallen into the trap of automation. Unfortunately, in doing so, we lose control, even though we get everything done. From the moment we wake to the end of the day, we’re rushing to tick off all that we had planned for the day, every day.

What I’m trying to say is that it has become easier to work harder and faster on cue, but what about trying to slow down? Have you noticed how difficult it is to sit still, away from all the noise, and think of nothing? This has become another challenge all together.

One of the things I look forward to every morning is my time with my cup of coffee; its warmth, smell, taste, and nothing else. It’s one of the few things that I do consistently, in the same way, wherever I may be, and yet, it always feels just as good. This is probably the case because, at the time, I’d be focused on only one thing, and I’d be very mindful of it.

As an entrepreneur, established or up-and-coming, success is majorly associated with your resources and how you sustain them. That said, burnout is a lingering threat that’ll drain the core of your business– you. Knowing that, a great part of maintaining your energy is knowing how much effort is needed to put into given tasks, physical or otherwise. Another part of keeping that momentum is in routine self-evaluation, and in slowing down whenever you need to. This is where mindfulness comes in.

Being mindful is being present, and being present is slowing down and consciously understanding signals and their consequences, rather than being simply subjected to them. It is an art that you can only master through continuous practice, and just as it takes discipline to live an energy-efficient lifestyle, it takes just as much to live mindfully. The facts may show that you’re able to complete all the tasks you want to, but then lately, you’ve been feeling pressured, anxious, and have had difficulty sleeping. Before you know it, you’ll feel the tug and pull, and you will be dragged down, completely drained. It is for that reason that mindfulness should no longer be a luxury.

Mindfulness has been linked to reduced anxiety, and curbing unhealthy and debilitating habits. It has become more of a necessity now that the pace of life has become faster. It’s really the kind of thing you want to start your day with, and with an act as simple as having that regular cup of coffee in the morning.

Related: Going Against The Grain: Stress-Management Tactics That You Haven’t Tried