I’ve long unsubscribed from the hustle and bustle culture that’s plaguing this world. Everyday does not need to be a productivity sprint. It’s time we as a society learns to slow down and take it one day at a time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for being productive but sometimes we need to ask ourselves at what cost? I’m hearing way too many instances of people not taking a break, vacation, time off, sick etc while working only to die as soon as they retire. This is heartbreaking.

While I understand wanting to work hard and achieve certain things in life, you also need to take care of yourself and know when to rest. Matter of fact, I’ll say it again: rest is a priority and not an option.

I recently came across this picture and it literally has everything I’ve been and still am incorporating into my daily life. I’d like to share how I’m doing so with each and perhaps you can take one or two things from it and apply to your own life.

• Rest: I don’t think I need to say it again but just in case you forgot: it’s a priority and not an option. Your body and mind need ample rest in order to function properly. Take it from someone who used to be a night owl in my teens and 20s. I do NOT play about my sleep now and have an established night time routine to catch those zzz’s.
• Coziness: I’m the (self-proclaimed) queen of coziness. This world has so much chaos and harshness, I don’t need those things anywhere near my life. I infuse coziness in every area possible, especially our home. When you step in, the weight of the outside world is left outside the door.
• Belly laughs: I don’t know about you but I love a good belly laugh and being married to my husband provides those every single day without fail. I love it here. There’s something cathartic about laughing so deeply, clutching your stomach, tears rolling down your cheeks, cathartic- those are the best ones.
• Self-compassion: we all need to give ourselves grace. The same way we extend grace to ithers, we need to do so for ourselves.
• Analog creativity: If you’re not living under a rock, you’ve probably seen an explosion of posts, videos etc talking about “analog living”. It’s funny how back then, we came to the internet to escape reality but now we’re running to reality to escape the internet. How times have changed. Giving up social media a couple years ago was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Getting back to physical creativity and hobbies has been wonderful. Besides my obvious love for reading, I’ve added back physical colouring books, crochet and needlepoint kits, physical journaling, puzzles etc and are living my best granny life!
• Curiosity: I feel like as time goes and the biker we get, if not careful, the woes of this world can and has snuffed out that childlike curiosity we all had as kids. Friend, the state of the world is bleak enough, it’ll do you well to hold on to and find that child like wonder you once possessed.
• Spontaneity: It’s easy to get caught up in routine, especially as an adult. This year, I want to venture a little bit more into the unknown and just randomly try new things. Spice up life a little bit more.
• Letting go: A lot of times we don’t realize we’re carrying burdens, sometimes not even our own, trauma, pain etc. Let me encourage you to take a deeper dive and see if there’s anything that you’re holding on to. Holding on to things can be an anchor in our lives, so in 2026, decide to disconnect from it and float to the top, friend.

This year, is simply to be at ease, by the grace of God.

Until next time, Abi🤎