Either the days are getting shorter, or I’m adding more and more to my plate so it only feels that way. I know that so many of you can relate to feeling the pressure of having more to do than what you have hours in the day to get done. We work and work and work some more. And we wonder why we’re so tired. Our lives are overflowing with tasks, and yet we still try to add more to them.

I know that when I lie awake at night thinking about the wonderful people I would like to interview, orders that need to be shipped, emails that still need to be written – it’s time to check in, slow down, and breathe. This is my warning call – my inner barometer is letting me know that I need to relax and recenter myself before taking anything else in.

And I just noticed that the times I feel most out of sync, overwhelmed, and scattered are on Mondays. I would’ve thought that this would be the opposite – after having a bit more time during the weekend to let go of some of the daily pressure I feel. And I just realized why that is – each day when I sit down to write my blog posts, it’s my time to go within, check in, slow down, and just be. It’s my form of meditation. I light a candle, put on some soothing music, and write from my soul. Because of the structure I have created for this blog, the posts every Friday and Saturday are meaningful and exciting to write, but they are a different type of writing. It’s not coming from this meditative space – this soul space. And Sunday’s post is written by one of you – shared wisdom from someone else’s soul.

So I just realized that I have been going three days each week without checking in – without taking time to listen to my soul. And boy can I feel the difference!

It’s a good lesson to learn – I’ll make sure to write every day from now on.

And it’s a good reminder to each of us that no matter how busy life can get – no matter how many things are piled up on your to-do list, taking time every single day to check in with yourself and go within is truly essential for your own well being.

If you aren’t sure if this really makes a difference, try it for a week and see how you feel. Set up a time and space each day where you go within – either through writing, reading, meditating, walking, etc. You’ll know what the right amount of time is – you’ll know how much you can comfortably allot. At the end of the week, write down how you are feeling. Calmer? More centered? Now go a week without this routine, and write down how you are feeling at the end of it. Are you feeling scattered, more irritable, and overwhelmed? Having a daily practice of going within really does make a positive difference.

Our souls are calling, and all they want is for us to simply slow down for long enough to listen. That’s it. I think we can all commit to doing that. We matter, and we are worth it.