When my husband finally caught on that I was truly exasperated beyond repair, and I appeared incapable of slowing down on my own, he “mandated” that I slow down by cutting back my work schedule. Since we need both our incomes to survive in today’s economy, I honestly didn’t see how this was going to work out. Yet, I reluctantly agreed.

To my surprise, we’re holding steady on the financial end and this week I’ve noticed that I am laughing more than I have in years. In fact, I feel so good emotionally that I have to force myself to write in my journal—which was once solely used as a therapeutic way to work out my emotional battles.

Here are a few things that I’ve learned over the last three weeks:

• Slowing down requires us to pace ourselves.
  We need to stop being in such a rush to get things done and start enjoying the process more—and that means no more multi-tasking.
  
  
• Get rid of the clutter.
  Whether it is emotional baggage, physical crap, or financial woes, clutter can stifle and suck the life right out of us.
  
  
• Simplify life.
  The truth is that we sometimes make things more complicated and more hectic than they have to be.
  
  If we hate dusting, why do we keep shelves upon shelves of knick knacks that need monthly—if not weekly—dusting? Sell them, give them away, or put them in storage so you can alternate them each season.
  
  If we hate all the obligations we have, why do we keep saying yes? Find someone to take over a task you no longer want to do, say no the next time you’re asked to volunteer for something you really don’t want to do, and hire help when things get too chaotic.
  
  If we hate watching our paycheck disappear within an hour of receiving it, why do we keep buying the things we do or signing up for service contracts? Sell the stuff you don’t use and pay down those credit cards, cancel memberships to programs you don’t use, say goodbye to services you can do yourself, and learn to ask, “Do I really need or want this or is it an impulse buy?”
  
  
• Just walk away.
  There are times when we simply must walk away from a situation to get a better handle on it and then there are times when we must walk away from a relationship because it’s detrimental to our health, our job, or our family.
  
  
• Let go of the small, insignificant things.
  It’s amazing how mountains can be made out of molehills simply because we refuse to let things go or believe that we deserve better or feel that our rights have been violated when they really haven’t. We need to learn to pick our battles more wisely. When we feel like blowing up, we need to take ten and ask ourselves, “Is it really something worth fighting over or obsessing about? Or is it something that won’t even matter in a day—or an hour—from now?”
  
  
• Carve out a little private time.
  It’s easy to feel guilty for needing a little “me” time, but without it we can fall apart. Whether it’s a hobby, a night out with friends, a date with your spouse, or simply curling up under the covers watching your favorite movie with the family nearby, it’s important to do something just because you want to—not because you have to.