Slow Down

Or, working towards feelin' groovy

Apr 03, 2026

I am one of these people. I don’t want to be like the rest of the world, and no one can make me.

This has been a busy week. But then, I can’t remember a week lately that wasn’t. I don’t thrive this way. I am a naturally laid back person who does well taking things as they come and creating my own flow with little outside pressure. Fast-paced, high pressure environments are a giant NOPE for me—turns me into an anxiety-ridden wreck. Unfortunately, that seems to be how the world works now, and I don’t think any of us are better for it. I haven’t been able to be my natural, laid back self in years. I haven’t been handling it well. My counselor told me yesterday that I seem to always feel like I’m running behind, and she was spot on. I’ve got way too much cortisol running through me constantly, so lately I’ve been working on learning how to better regulate my nervous system.

The counselor wants me on an antidepressant, but I don’t want to go that route. So she suggested and I’ve started taking supplements with all the B vitamins and Ashwaganda and stuff like that, and that’s helped tremendously. (It’s super helpful having a husband that keeps all kinds of supplements around—he already had what I needed.) I’m trying to focus on doing things that make me feel more like me, like wearing clothes I genuinely love. I even got my hair cut and colored last week, and that feels sooo much better! But you know what? Simple things can go a long way. I’ve wanted to get back into grounding (I wrote a post or two about that last year, I’ll probably link one)—I was sleeping with a grounding sheet but somehow that practice fell through the cracks. I know I need that and sunlight and movement. The past few days as I’ve watched waited for my eldest to get on the school bus in the morning, I’ve kicked off my shoes in the front yard and stood there barefoot, even though it’s only a two or three minute wait. A few times lately when Betsy was upset in the morning and even putting on her favorite song (Can’t Stop the Feeling!) didn’t help, she did enjoy it if I picked her up and actually danced with her. Or even if I didn’t pick her up, she liked just seeing me dance.

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So today, like all the other days this week, I have a zillion things to do and probably not enough time to do them all. I woke up already feeling behind. But you know what? I was basically like, screw it. Certain things absolutely have to happen, and I’ll make sure they do, but I’m also going to make sure Betsy and I get what we truly, actually need. The world might pull me in a thousand directions, but I’ve gotta stay rooted and grounded in who I am and what’s important. So after we had breakfast, I got myself dressed but left her in her PJs, and we ran our quick bank errand, then I decided we were going to just take a few minutes. I dropped the diaper bag outside the kitchen door and took my pajama-clad child to the front yard and we just sat in the grass for like 25 minutes. The temperature was perfect, the grass was cool, the sun was slightly cloud-shrouded but still pleasantly warm. It was lovely. And you know what? She and I have both been so much calmer today. We came inside and I gave her a bath, then I took a shower, and I don’t feel nearly as stressed as I normally would. I don’t feel guilty about it, either.

Don’t forget to slow down a little sometimes. Not only will you get by, but you’ll probably even be better for it.

So what are you doing for yourself lately? What tips do you have for me or others looking to regulate our nervous systems? Let me know in the comments!

Kristen’s Upside Downs

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