Slow down, chill out

I’m sure we’ve all been there, the beginning of a new year, the end of a degree, or a relationship; the beginning of a new chapter, it’s scary and oh so easy to get caught up in that moment. I’ve recently been in Venice, Italy, and what I admired so much about the people and the place was the innate sense of calm. I’m sure, as everywhere in the world, there are a great deal of stresses felt by Venetians, however each person seemed inherently care-free, and relaxed, something quite different to a city as bustling as London. This made me think that what a lot of us forget is that it is completely ok to have absolutely no clue of where we are going, or how we are going to get there. I am approaching not only the end of my time living in the UK, but also the end of my undergraduate degree, and I have no idea where my life is leading, and you know what? THAT’S FINE.

I’m not going to pretend that I am always fine when I think about the future, but what I always try to remind myself is that being a bit clueless about the future, doesn’t necessarily mean that we are unmotivated, but rather that we are yet to channel our passion. Some of the most ambitious people I know have absolutely no clue where they’re headed, and I LOVE THAT. Claim the uncertainty, hold on to it, celebrate it, cherish the unpredictability of life. Excuse my being so unbelievably cliché, but the journey may be much better than the destination so I think that it is time that we all slow down and enjoy the ride.

We live in an age of immediacy; many of us have access to an array of information instantaneously, 24 hours a day, and although there are many positives to this fact, it has also warped our ideas of relaxation. ‘Turning off,’ is no longer a process of simply switching off our minds and finding a quiet space to relax and recuperate before continuing on with our busy lives but, rather entails physically turning off our many gadgets and devices in order to find some much needed tech-free time. Information may be at our fingertips, but sometimes relaxation isn’t. This same rule can be applied to the cluelessness many of us are feeling; we receive information instantly, why can’t we get our perfect job instantly? Why can’t we know exactly what we want to do for the rest of our lives instantly? The simple answer is that life doesn’t work like that, we are learning every single day; we are experiencing and growing in every moment, so it’s time that we learn to slow down and be curious.

At the end of my study abroad year in the UK the only thing set in stone is that I am moving back to Melbourne, Australia. The rest of the plan is completely unwritten and I am so excited to see where this crazy world is going to take me next. It’s scary but what I encourage myself to do, every single day, is to hold onto and build my current relationships, engage in new ones and perhaps even refresh older ones. The world can be amazing, scary, challenging and incredible all at once, but what I know for certain is that taking it one day at a time, and holding onto all the beautiful people in your life, makes the crazy ride far better. So every morning I remind myself to slow down, and to chill out and remember that the world can be so fast-paced, but putting one foot in front of the other, working hard, and trying your best to take in the essence of each and every day, can result in something so very beautiful.