Have you ever noticed how hard it is to just sit down and do nothing? I think of it like a backpack. Over the years we keep adding to it. The school runs, the meals, work, our parents, our partner, remembering everyone's birthdays. And then the heavier things too. Losing a parent, a marriage ending, illness, trauma, the hard seasons we just had to get through. Some of it was ours to carry, and a lot of it wasn't. Some of it we never got the chance to put down. Our body gets used to all that weight. It starts to believe that being busy keeps everything safe. So even when life gets a bit quieter, we sit down with a cup of tea and a few minutes later we're up again, doing something. The truth is, we can't control everything. But there are things we can control, like our breath, our next step, what we say yes and no to, and the way we talk to ourselves. Think of someone who led you well. Maybe a teacher, a boss, your gran or a good friend. When things got messy, she didn't have all the answers. She just said something like "we'll figure it out, one step at a time", and everyone calmed down a bit. We can do that for ourselves too. This week's worksheet, Why Is It So Hard to Slow Down?, helps you unpack your backpack and keep only what's yours. There are four steps: notice your first sign of stress, sort what's in your hands and what isn't, choose a kinder story to tell yourself, and a one minute reset for when you feel yourself rushing. It's below for you to download 📄 Vote in the poll below 👇 and then share in the comments: when you try to rest, what's the one thing that usually gets you up off the couch? Have a look at someone else's answer too and reply to her. Chances are you'll recognise yourself. 💛