I so appreciate the calmness you bring to this space. You’re modeling a better way for so many of this. After a year of writing on Substack about a really unpopular topic, I had to pull back from the promotion side of Substack for my mental health. I’m finding my way back, but it’s on different terms now. Notes is not my space and feels to me a bit of a distraction from why I came here in the first place. Perhaps it will be some day, but for now, it’s not where I want to invest a ton of time.
Thank you so much Kristi for your kind words ❤️ It means a lot to me! Having a mental health setback is so hard, but it also sounds like now you have some clarity around what you want and what you don't want out of this space (although I absolutely don't mean to suggest 'a silver lining'). I am certain that there is a space here on this platform and generally in the world for those of us who want a slower, gentler space, so hang in there ✨
Needless to say, this is right up my alley! This year I pivoted my business to teaching "Calm Business" courses (I even changed my website to calmbusiness.com). It's so heartening to see more people talk about running calm and gentle businesses, away from hustle culture, and also managing them in a way that feels calm and is aligned with our energy levels. I also love your 30-minute breaks, I do that, too. If I know I am at my desk a lot I set my timer every 30 minutes to get up and do something for 5 minutes: walk around the house, chop vegetables, unload the dishwasher, or do a 5-minute stretching video on YouTube. Last year I read an article that recommended these 30/5 breaks to combat our sedentary lifestyles and it's made such a difference. Thanks so much for writing about having a calm business, and I loved reading your approach to it :) xo
Thank you for commenting Kerstin and for sharing about your business! I did not know that you are now teaching about calm business--your website looks very inviting and with such useful tools! Like you, it feels so inspiring to me to see that there's more of us desiring this way of doing business out there. Have a good rest of your week! ✨
I’ve learned that no matter how busy I am or urgent the deadlines, I will never sacrifice a few things that keep me grounded: an unrushed time of meditation and journaling in the morning, a run right before lunch, and down time in the evening for reading a book, smoking my pipe, and unwinding my brain. If I try to skip these things, I find that it only ends up sabotaging my productivity and eventually depressed.
This was so lovely to read, Astrid, and really refreshing in a world where I constantly feel like I’m not doing enough! I always feel really inspired after reading your newsletters that there’s a better way to work (and just be!) and I’m on the right path.
I work in a very similar way, so I don’t have any notifications on at all and I block time to do certain tasks at certain times which is so much calmer than constantly being ‘on’ and feeling like you have to respond to everything straight away.
I also deleted the Substack app and have newsletters go into an email folder now which is much quieter and I’m a lot more engaged with the writing that I love most now.
I am currently reading ‘Instructions for Traveling West’ by Joy Sullivan which is just the most gorgeous collection of poetry. Sometimes I don’t have the energy for novels but it’s lovely to still be able to dip into reading other things and this has been perfect this month.
Thank you for such a lovely newsletter, hope you’re having a wonderful May 😊
Thank you so much Allie for your comment! It's great having allies to working differently ✨ Reading poetry when you don't have the energy for a novel sounds like an excellent idea, I might need to pop a collection on my nightstand for tired evenings :) x
Leaning into allowing my body to lead in life and business is something that is becoming more and more important to me. After years of forcing and hustling, allowing more ease and flow felt almost counterintuitive. But now that I've collated some data on it, I find that I can actually trust my body to lead. It is rewiring the mind that is the tricky bit and not giving into its conditioning to be constantly on. But I'd say I've reached a point now where doing something against the body's will feels forceful and that's when I know I am going against my body. So I often coursecorrect there and then.
Starting my day slowly and allowing a lot of spaciousness is one of my absolute foundations. Like you, my mornings are mostly inward-focussed. I either read, journal or do something that fills up my own cup first. Then I tend to move my body after which my creative juices really pour out. I find I often write or create best after some form of movement. There's a point in the afternoon that my energy needs refuelling so I allow space for that as I know very often it'll lead to another burst of energy. As a Generator in Human Design, being told we have a lot of energy, I find there are some real nuances there depending on how much openness a BodyGraph has. Deconditioning from that, cultivating awareness and learning to honour my own inherent pace has been a truly valuable lesson, in life and in business.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom! Your writing always exudes calmness.
I so appreciate the calmness you bring to this space. You’re modeling a better way for so many of this. After a year of writing on Substack about a really unpopular topic, I had to pull back from the promotion side of Substack for my mental health. I’m finding my way back, but it’s on different terms now. Notes is not my space and feels to me a bit of a distraction from why I came here in the first place. Perhaps it will be some day, but for now, it’s not where I want to invest a ton of time.
Thank you so much Kristi for your kind words ❤️ It means a lot to me! Having a mental health setback is so hard, but it also sounds like now you have some clarity around what you want and what you don't want out of this space (although I absolutely don't mean to suggest 'a silver lining'). I am certain that there is a space here on this platform and generally in the world for those of us who want a slower, gentler space, so hang in there ✨
Needless to say, this is right up my alley! This year I pivoted my business to teaching "Calm Business" courses (I even changed my website to calmbusiness.com). It's so heartening to see more people talk about running calm and gentle businesses, away from hustle culture, and also managing them in a way that feels calm and is aligned with our energy levels. I also love your 30-minute breaks, I do that, too. If I know I am at my desk a lot I set my timer every 30 minutes to get up and do something for 5 minutes: walk around the house, chop vegetables, unload the dishwasher, or do a 5-minute stretching video on YouTube. Last year I read an article that recommended these 30/5 breaks to combat our sedentary lifestyles and it's made such a difference. Thanks so much for writing about having a calm business, and I loved reading your approach to it :) xo
Thank you for commenting Kerstin and for sharing about your business! I did not know that you are now teaching about calm business--your website looks very inviting and with such useful tools! Like you, it feels so inspiring to me to see that there's more of us desiring this way of doing business out there. Have a good rest of your week! ✨
I love the idea of dissociating success with hustle. I love calm, and this approach to growing one's livelihood.
Thank you Merril for commenting and I'm happy to hear that this post resonates with you!
I’ve learned that no matter how busy I am or urgent the deadlines, I will never sacrifice a few things that keep me grounded: an unrushed time of meditation and journaling in the morning, a run right before lunch, and down time in the evening for reading a book, smoking my pipe, and unwinding my brain. If I try to skip these things, I find that it only ends up sabotaging my productivity and eventually depressed.
Thank you for your comment Zach! It's great to hear that you have non-negotiables too, they make live so much better :)
This was so lovely to read, Astrid, and really refreshing in a world where I constantly feel like I’m not doing enough! I always feel really inspired after reading your newsletters that there’s a better way to work (and just be!) and I’m on the right path.
I work in a very similar way, so I don’t have any notifications on at all and I block time to do certain tasks at certain times which is so much calmer than constantly being ‘on’ and feeling like you have to respond to everything straight away.
I also deleted the Substack app and have newsletters go into an email folder now which is much quieter and I’m a lot more engaged with the writing that I love most now.
I am currently reading ‘Instructions for Traveling West’ by Joy Sullivan which is just the most gorgeous collection of poetry. Sometimes I don’t have the energy for novels but it’s lovely to still be able to dip into reading other things and this has been perfect this month.
Thank you for such a lovely newsletter, hope you’re having a wonderful May 😊
Thank you so much Allie for your comment! It's great having allies to working differently ✨ Reading poetry when you don't have the energy for a novel sounds like an excellent idea, I might need to pop a collection on my nightstand for tired evenings :) x
Thanks for your reminder of 'calm' and 'gentle' I'm really loving your information - as a new subscriber it's been a breath of fresh air thank you!
Thank you for commenting Tanya, and for your kind words! They mean a lot to me and I'm happy to hear my writing resonates with you ❤️
Leaning into allowing my body to lead in life and business is something that is becoming more and more important to me. After years of forcing and hustling, allowing more ease and flow felt almost counterintuitive. But now that I've collated some data on it, I find that I can actually trust my body to lead. It is rewiring the mind that is the tricky bit and not giving into its conditioning to be constantly on. But I'd say I've reached a point now where doing something against the body's will feels forceful and that's when I know I am going against my body. So I often coursecorrect there and then.
Starting my day slowly and allowing a lot of spaciousness is one of my absolute foundations. Like you, my mornings are mostly inward-focussed. I either read, journal or do something that fills up my own cup first. Then I tend to move my body after which my creative juices really pour out. I find I often write or create best after some form of movement. There's a point in the afternoon that my energy needs refuelling so I allow space for that as I know very often it'll lead to another burst of energy. As a Generator in Human Design, being told we have a lot of energy, I find there are some real nuances there depending on how much openness a BodyGraph has. Deconditioning from that, cultivating awareness and learning to honour my own inherent pace has been a truly valuable lesson, in life and in business.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom! Your writing always exudes calmness.