Test: What stops you pressing pause?

For you, slowing down often feels impossible, because there’s always something more you could or should be doing. You thrive on achievement and a sense of progress but your inner perfectionist drives you to constantly stay busy, often at the expense of your wellbeing.

Even self-care and rest can become another area to ‘do right’ if you’re convinced you need to learn to meditate or do more yoga. There may be tangible benefits to filling every moment with productivity, and others may admire your motivation and high standards, but deep down you know that having little room to pause, breathe and step off the ‘what’s next?’ treadmill is taking its toll.

The truth is, making time to pause is not a reward for when you’ve ‘done enough’, it’s something you need right now – you don’t need to finish the list to deserve it. Next time you notice the voice that insists it’s not the right time to slow down, try to gently challenge it. If it helps, schedule in moments to pause throughout the day, such as sitting with a cup of tea or taking a slow walk somewhere green.

Creating space in your life for slowness is the opposite of giving up, it’s making a conscious and courageous choice to live differently, and trust that something good will emerge.