27/08/2025
What if summer wasn’t about doing more, but doing less with more presence?
Did you slow down?
As we ease towards autumn can you give yourself the gift of slowing your pace little?
Here are tools to help slow down:
🧰 1. The 3-Minute Pause
What it is: A short, structured mindfulness practice between activities.
Why it helps: Slows mental momentum, reduces overwhelm, fosters presence.
Sit or stand still.
Breathe deeply and ask, “What am I feeling right now?”
Notice physical sensations. Let them exist without judgment.
🌿 2. Grounding in Nature
What it is: Using the sensory elements of nature to regulate and calm the body.
Why it helps: Being in nature slows brainwave activity, reduces cortisol, and invites parasympathetic (rest & digest) activation.
Barefoot walking (“earthing”)
Watching trees or clouds for 5 minutes
Listening to birds or water sounds without distraction
Touching different textures (grass, bark, flowers)
📅 3. “Less but Better” Planning
What it is: A scheduling method to avoid burnout from overcommitting.
Why it helps: Encourages intentional time use aligned with what matters, not what fills time.
“If you did 20% less this week, what would improve in your mood or relationships?”
“What’s one thing you can say no to, and one thing you can say yes to for your wellbeing?”
✍️ 4. Reflective Journaling
Why it helps: Journaling externalizes thoughts, increases self-awareness, and invites reflection instead of reaction.
“What does slowing down mean to me right now?”
“Where am I rushing unnecessarily?”
“What does my body need this season?”
“What would a slow, nourishing day look like for me?”
💤 5. Permission to Rest
Why it helps: Many clients internalize guilt around “doing nothing.” Therapy reframes rest as a form of emotional and cognitive maintenance.
Affirmation:
“I don’t need to earn rest. I need to honuor it.”
🧠 6. Slow Movement Practices
Why it helps: Movement that’s slow, intentional, and connected to breath helps settle the mind through the body.
yoga/stretching / Tai Chi
