And hello to you and welcome to the Richard Nichols podcast, personal development podcast series that's here to help inspire, educate and motivate you to be the best you can be.

I'm psychotherapist Richard Nichols and this episode is all about slowing down.

And if you're ready, we'll start the show.

Happy April, everybody.

If you're listening to this as it comes out anyway, we've got a very late Easter this year,

much to my wife's annoyance, because this year

the bank holiday is on her birthday, and she likes to have a day off for a birthday, and now she's got

to share it with a load of other people, which is not her idea of a birthday treat. Go in places

where there are fewer people. That's her idea of a birthday treat, but places where there are fewer people.

That's her idea of a birthday treat.

But, hey, it's a bank holiday and everyone deserves some time off.

I just hope the people in the shops keep in places going,

so the ones having a day off I've got somewhere to go,

can still get their time away.

Because there have been some cultural shifts this last, what, probably decade or so.

It's not so bad when it's only one day off, but I do find that if people have a few days off, or they have a week's holiday, they end up working a ridiculous amount of overtime to compensate for it, which leads

people to then get knacket out and need another holiday. And we need to recognise that being behind

on our goals doesn't mean rushing to get everything finished. It doesn't mean disrespecting

yourself and not looking after yourself. Because one of the most important factors in getting through a busy life with a healthy and happy mindset

is the quality time that you put to one side that's just for you.

We're living in a society that feels like it runs at 100 miles an hour, and the more we see it, the more normal it becomes.

It becomes acceptable to work six days a week, 12 hours a day.

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