You feel like you’re always moving, you’re constantly obsessing, you have never-ending to-do lists. Oh, to be able to slow down, be more laid-back, and less driven without having to get stoned or drunk.

You can. Generally, there are two sources for your too-driven life: anxiety and going on auto-pilot. Anxiety is the constant looking ahead to the future, the what-ifs, the worries that propel you endlessly forward and keep you from appreciating the present.

Autopilot is when you’re doing what you do because you do it. Your habits and routines and the demands of others remove any conscious decision-making. Instead, you go on autopilot.

Time to Slow It Down

Here are some tips to help you regain control and move at a better pace.

1. Have a vision.

Before actively embarking on this new adventure, step back and think about how you ideally would like your everyday pace of life to be different. Maybe less hectic overall, feeling less anxious. Building in time during the day for you to just take a breather or some quiet time by yourself. Or something even more simple, like being able to stand in a line without getting irritated.