Tread with life

 Tread With Life

By Daniel Ferguson


Have you ever felt like things are moving too quickly? You're always caught up in work and can't switch off? I know personally I can feel guilty for relaxing and I can also struggle to switch off too. I study psychology at Northumbria University and have a big aspiration of becoming a sports psychologist. I'm now in my second year of uni and I've been given this fantastic opportunity of being a football coach intern. So I'm here with opportunities around me and it makes me feel guilty when I'm not working towards the goals or tasks surrounding these things. But my mum once said to me, it's okay to "tread with life." 


If you haven't heard of the story of the hare and the tortoise, then I'm quite surprised. If you haven't, click here. The moral of the story is that the tortoise wins the race by taking things slow, even though the hare is so fast and expected to win the race. Something we can all take from this story is that things don't always have to be moving fast. I know how it feels, when you aren't working towards your goals or working at all in general, it can feel like you're falling behind. How can we productively slow things down?

How to slow things down productively

  • Sleep: ensure you're getting enough sleep, this is the physical switch off you can't avoid, put sleep on a pedestal, click here to read on its importance
  • Turn off distractions: it's very difficult, I know, especially in this society with modern technology, turning off distractions (especially notifications) can be a tough task, I still struggle with this, but what I say to myself is, okay I'm chilling now, or having some time off, if I get a buzz on the phone or a thought about something I need to get done, it's okay if I'm not doing it right this second, there's time later
  • Your thoughts aren't always you: we all have those thoughts nagging us to get things done, even if we have got everything done that day, there still feels like there's more to do, embrace this voice, use this voice in the right way, but understand, that voice isn't you, you don't always have to take those thoughts seriously, maybe have a joke with it, "bloomin hec brain, give me a rest, I'm going to enjoy this chill time, I've done plenty today."

Final Words

It's difficult, I'm still on a journey of working out how to slow things down. I've been saying to myself that I don't need to feel guilty for doing nothing or relaxing, it's needed. Listen, if it's all you do, then possibly start taking some action in your life, but if you do take action, it's okay to switch off sometimes and "tread with life."

Let me know your thoughts, my socials are below. Feel free to let me know how you slow things down.



Find Daniel Ferguson on:
LinkedIn: Daniel Ferguson
Instagram: @danferguson_sp
Twitter: @DanFergusonSP




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