03/09/2026
Trying to learn how to slow down… and discovering I’m really quite bad at it.
After what feels like eight years of literally never stopping, I’ve had a bit of time off recently and a lot of time to think.
I’ve realised I don’t actually want to live at that pace anymore.
I want to keep my mornings mostly clear of work. Have time for things like walking Willow, drinking coffee while it’s still hot, exercising, seeing my family — or occasionally doing absolutely nothing useful. Then I can fit the admin, planning and other work into my afternoons around my teaching.
And I’m trying to accept that my priority doesn’t have to be earning enough to maintain the lifestyle that came with working every available hour. Family and health need to come first.
It all sounds very sensible.
The problem is… I’m finding it really hard.
My brain goes straight to work almost as soon as I’m awake. I’m so used to “the chase” — staying ahead, anticipating everything that might happen, making sure nothing gets dropped. Maybe it’s the teacher training still ingrained in me: always prepared, always organised, everything has to be right. Or maybe I’m just a genuine workaholic. 😬
When I do something that isn’t productive, I feel guilty. There’s this nagging feeling that instead of resting, I’m just storing up problems for Future Jeni to deal with.
So apparently learning to slow down is going to take some practice.
(Case in point, on walk and posting to social media. 🤦🏻♀️😫😱)
Anyone else find that resting is actually much harder than working?