Slowing Down and Full-Time Work

Many of the blogs I read about living simply speak of 'slowing down' but when you work full time in a job which feels like a pressure cooker of souls, slowing down can be a hard ask if you don't do anything to make it happen.

So I thought I'd share with others some ways that I've found I slow down and bring peace to myself before, during and after work.

Before Work

Wake up early
Though it's getting harder to do when the Winter mornings are longer and colder, I get myself out of bed two hours earlier than used to. This allows me time to have breakfast, make a cup of tea, sit and read my blogroll before getting ready for work. It means that I am not rushing to work, feeling hurried and harried.

Commute in a stress free & productive way
I live a good 20 min drive from the nearest train station. My fiance, Rhys, has a motorcycle which he rides when the weather is good. On those days I drive to the train station and walk through the city to work. Whilst on the train I knit, hand sew, embroider, read, learn Japanese through my headphones and ipod... but mostly I use the time to write letters to friends. On my walk through the city I follow a path that passes beautiful buildings I admire and gardens. I get to work having already done something productive and calming.

On rainy days Rhys and I drive together to his work and then I catch the bus into the city to my work. On these days I get to my office desk worked up and anxious - bad drivers on the roads, poor traffic conditions, poor choices for roadwork times and the general angst of driving at peak hour. Though I (always passenger) use the time to do something productive, it's not as calming when all those stressors are present.

The choice of how you get to work and whether you spend the time wisely, doing things you enjoy, can help you slow down or can stress you up.

At Work

Avoid office politics

Take lunch breaks
It's simple. How can you slow down if you don't give yourself any time at all? At least once I week I make sure I have lunch somewhere outside the office. If it's in the sunlight, all the better.

Take the time for...
Find what calms you at work, what brings a touch of peace to you. Then make sure you take the time to do it. For myself, a cup of tea made from fresh tea leaves is the thing. Drinking tea soothes and the ritual of making tea is calming in itself and takes me from my desk for just a few minutes while I regain a sense of breathing above water. I also listen to music through headphones and occasionally do some work-station yoga with a coworker, which also doubles as a healthy preventative to back and shoulder aches.

After Work

Don't bring it home
I know this rule isn't applicable to every job but where it is possible, don't bring work or work issues home with you. It is hard, I know, because often work troubles prey on your mind and you have no one at work to vent to as freely as you can with your partner or family.

Something Rhys and I used to do is to park just outside the city limits and walk to the car together. While we walked we were allowed to vent on the day. As soon as we got to the car we had to leave it behind and not a word of work was allowed from that point onwards. That way the drive home was spent talking on interesting, more peaceful things and we arrive home with a clear division between work and home.

Have a slow-down ritual
When you get home, or even on the way home, do one thing - or a pattern of things - that calm you down and signal to your brain that it's time to slow down now. Maybe this is to make a cup of tea and sit on the front porch to drink it, admiring the sounds and smells around you. Maybe it's to sit and read your blog-roll. Watch TV. Meditate or pray. Slowly and deliberately get out of your work clothes and into your PJs and slippers. Whatever it is, it needs to be a clear message to yourself that "work's over, slow-down, peace-up".

I recognise this is much easier for a DINK than a parent of a young family but consider what things you can do on the way home from work that will serve you the same way.