What Keeps us from Slowing Down?

It's the holidays again, and I often think about slowing down at this time. It's this odd juxtaposition of everything speeding up around me-- shopping, parties, and traffic—while at the same time other things are slowing down: Less work comes my way between Christmas and New Year, and my husband and friends take off from work, giving the time a special feelig. This year, I experimented with making the holidays less stressful, and it worked! Here's what I did:

1. Ordered all of my presents online
2. When I went to visit family, I made sure that I got some exercise andnapped every day, even if it meant opting out of some activities.
3. Didn't check my email for a week.
4. Only went to holiday parties that I really wanted to go to.
5. Took an afternoon off to write meaningful cards to certain people in my life.

That's it. Pretty simple, but I feel relaxed and happy!

Nora on View From the Bay: January 10th on ABC7

Tune in for a segment on Women in Overdrive on January 10th; I'll be talking about slowing down and giving a few reasonable tips.

Go Slow essay/Diablo magazine

Keep an eye out for my essay called Go Slow in this month's Diablo magazine. It was fun to write, since it's written in the first-person and I tell the story of how I realized I had to slow down. I'll leave a little for the suspense factor, and then post it on my website. Happy New Year!