That I'm a slow and careful thinker who needs peaceful days and a slow life. Little things like looking at the sky, drinking coffee, writing in my journal, taking analog photos, these bring me a sense of self and calmness that I need in order to process life properly, and I shouldn't try to be anything else in order to fit in.
How do you manage to create this sort of time?
The more "self-made" answer is that I'm ruthless about cutting people out of my life who make me feel bad in ways that can't be solved through communication or a good heart-to-heart. I have a feeling that this puts me into better situations sometimes, because people recognise integrity/self-respect and want to be a part of that.
I also am a fanatic about spending at least 15 min every day in nature, which is where I drink my coffee. This is my morning routine, come rain or shine.
Other things I do to help this lifestyle:
- Wake up without alarm (unless I have a meeting)
- If I'm at parties, grab fresh air occasionally - sometimes you'll get good company out there too, and you can recalibrate
- Saying no to things that other people think are fun, but I don't
- I don't read for hours on end - 30 min at a time is enough, then reflect
- Wear clothes that don't feel modern and sophisticated, a vintage shirt can do a lot to your slow-life mentality
- I've never worked with anything that requires me to work overtime or be on-call
I think the point isn't to have hours and hours of unlimited time to think, but to take breaks in between activities, and carve out consistent 15-30 min slots for your brain to settle down again. Take as much stress out of your life as you can, without making that a stressful activity as well.