Why I’m Choosing Slower Living as a South Florida Mom
Hey, it's Jessie!!
A few months ago, I was convinced something was wrong with my heart.
The chest pain would show up unexpectedly and stop me in my tracks. At first, I tried to brush it off. Maybe I had slept wrong. Maybe I had pulled a muscle. Maybe it was something random that would go away on its own. But when it kept happening, my mind started going to all the worst-case scenarios.
Around that same time, I was also dealing with persistent back pain, anxiety that felt louder than usual, and an overall feeling of being constantly on edge. Even when everything in my life was technically fine, I never felt relaxed. My shoulders were tight. My jaw was clenched. My mind was always racing toward the next thing on my list.
When I finally talked to both my massage therapist and chiropractor about what was going on, they arrived at the same conclusion almost immediately. There was no structural reason for what I was experiencing. My body wasn't injured. Nothing was broken.
I was stressed.
Not just a little stressed, either. The kind of stressed that settles into your muscles and nervous system after years of operating in survival mode. The kind of stressed that becomes so normal you stop noticing it until your body finally decides it can't carry it anymore.
Looking back now, I don't think the chest pain was random at all. I think it was my body waving a giant red flag. More importantly, I think it was God trying to get my attention.
I've Always Been a Go-Getter
If you've known me for any length of time, this probably won't surprise you. I've always been someone who goes all in.
Growing up, sports were my entire world. I was constantly practicing, traveling, competing, and chasing the next goal. That drive eventually carried me all the way through college softball, where I learned how to push through discomfort, work hard, and perform under pressure.
The problem is that nobody really teaches you how to turn that mentality off.
When softball ended, I didn't suddenly become someone who enjoyed slowing down. Instead, I redirected all of that energy into my career. I went into public accounting, which is about as close to organized chaos as you can get. Long hours, deadlines, client expectations, and constant pressure became normal.
Then life kept moving.
I got married. We welcomed our first son. Then our second son just over a year later. I was working at my family's company while navigating some changes there that impacted my income. Like many young families, we had financial goals, responsibilities, and plenty of reasons to keep pushing forward.
So when I saw an opportunity to build something of my own, I jumped. I launched my bookkeeping business and then about a year later started selling website templates and poured everything I had into both.
I genuinely love what I do. I love helping business owners. I love creating systems. I love watching something grow. But when you're building a business while raising little kids, the lines between work and life can disappear very quickly.
There were days when I would answer emails while making lunch, brainstorm content ideas while pushing a stroller, and think about client projects while trying to be present during family time. Even when I wasn't actively working, my mind usually was.
The business was growing, which was exciting. But I was running at a pace that simply wasn't sustainable.
At the time, I didn't see it.
I thought I was being productive. I thought I was doing what successful people do.
In reality, I was slowly burning myself out.
When My Body Finally Said No
The anxiety was the first clue. I've dealt with anxiety for most of my life in one form or another, so it wasn't unfamiliar. But this felt different. It wasn't occasional. It wasn't tied to a specific event. It was a constant hum running in the background of every day.
I tried making small changes. I cut back on coffee and switched to a coffee alternative. I focused more on sleep. I looked for ways to manage the symptoms. Some of those things helped, but none of them addressed the root cause. The root cause was that I was exhausted.
Not physically exhausted from staying up too late. Emotionally exhausted. Mentally exhausted. Spiritually exhausted.
My body had been carrying stress for so long that it had stopped asking nicely for rest and started demanding it. That's when the chest pain became impossible to ignore. That's when the muscle tension reached a point where even professionals could immediately tell something was wrong. And that's when I finally had to confront a truth I had been avoiding for years.
Just because you're capable of carrying a heavy load doesn't mean you're supposed to.
For so much of my life, I had treated busyness as a badge of honor. If my schedule was packed and I was getting results, it meant I was productive. If I was juggling ten things at once, it meant I was succeeding. If I was tired, it meant I was working hard.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped asking whether any of it was actually making my life better.
I believe God was using that season to teach me something I had resisted for a very long time.
Rest isn't laziness. Slowing down isn't quitting. And constantly operating at maximum capacity isn't a requirement for a meaningful life.
The Weekend That Changed Everything
A few years ago, my husband attended an Emmaus retreat through our Catholic church. When he came home, I could tell something had changed.
He seemed lighter. Calmer. More grounded. The stress of everyday life hadn't magically disappeared, but he carried himself differently. He kept encouraging me to go, and for a long time I politely brushed the idea aside.
Part of it was logistics. Being away for an entire weekend as a mom of young kids feels like a big deal. A lot of it was uncertainty.
At that point in my life, my faith was growing, but I still felt like I was figuring things out. I wasn't sure what to expect, and if I'm being honest, I wasn't completely convinced that spending a weekend away would make much of a difference.
Eventually, I signed up anyway.
One of the first things that struck me about Emmaus was how quiet it was.
No phone. No social media. No constant notifications. No checking email. No endless stream of information competing for my attention.
At first, it felt strange. We've become so accustomed to constant connection that silence can actually feel uncomfortable. My instinct was to reach for my phone whenever there was a spare moment, only to remember it wasn't there.
But as the weekend went on, something shifted.
For the first time in a very long time, I wasn't thinking about what needed to happen next. I was simply present.
That weekend gave me space to hear myself think again. More importantly, it gave me space to hear God. I came home feeling refreshed, but refreshed doesn't even feel like the right word. It felt more like clarity. The kind of clarity that arrives when the noise finally quiets down.
I realized that the life I wanted wasn't actually the life I had been building. Not because there was anything wrong with my goals or ambitions. I still love working. I still love building businesses. I still enjoy creating things and pursuing growth. But I wanted those things to fit into my life, not consume it.
I wanted more walks, more conversations, more family dinners, more afternoons outside, and more moments where I wasn't thinking about what came next. I wanted a life that felt slower, simpler, and more intentional.
What Slower Living Actually Looks Like for Me
When people hear the phrase "slow living," they often imagine a picture-perfect life with unlimited free time and no responsibilities. That isn't my reality. I still run a business. I still have deadlines. I still have two little boys who can turn a quiet house upside down in approximately thirty seconds. Life is still busy.
The difference is that I'm trying to be more intentional about how I spend my time.
One of the biggest changes I made was investing in childcare a few days a week so I could work with focus. Financially, that decision felt scary at first. There was a season where it genuinely didn't feel like something we could afford.
But I also knew that trying to work and parent simultaneously wasn't serving anyone well.
Now, when I sit down to work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I can give my business my full attention. I can focus on client work, tackle projects, and move things forward without constantly switching between roles.
That change alone has made me a better business owner and a better mom. Friday to Monday have become something entirely different.
Those are the days I spend with my sons, and they have become some of my favorite days of the week.
We go on long walks around the neighborhood. We visit parks. We spend time outside. Sometimes we work out together in the garage. Sometimes we simply enjoy a slow morning without rushing anywhere. What I've learned is that the moments I treasure most are rarely the big ones.
They're the ordinary ones. Watching my boys splash in our blow-up pool, planting flowers together, taking a family bike ride, spreading mulch on a Saturday afternoon, and sitting outside after dinner while the sun starts to go down.
For years, I thought happiness lived somewhere in the future. Somewhere beyond the next goal, the next milestone, or the next accomplishment.
Now I'm realizing that a lot of it has been sitting right in front of me all along.
Why I'm Sharing All of This
I started Hey It's Jessie because I have a feeling I'm not the only one searching for a slower way to live.
So many of us feel overwhelmed by the pace of modern life. We're constantly connected, constantly consuming information, and constantly feeling pressure to do more. Even when we're resting, we're often scrolling. Even when we're with our families, part of our attention is somewhere else.
I know because I've lived it.
This space isn't about perfection. It isn't about moving to a farm, throwing away your phone, or pretending life is always peaceful.
It's about finding small ways to create a more intentional life right where you are.
Here on the blog, I'll be sharing everything from gardening projects and South Florida outdoor living to motherhood, faith, wellness, family life, and the little habits that have helped me slow down. Some posts will be practical. Some will be personal. Some will probably be a little messy.
But my hope is that all of them feel honest and that maybe you too feel the inspiration to start living a slower lifestyle in a busy, modern world.
Because at the end of the day, that's what I'm really chasing… a life that's fully lived.
Welcome to Hey It's Jessie
If you've been craving slower mornings, more presence, and a little less noise, I hope you'll feel at home here.
Thank you for being here at the very beginning. I'm excited to share this journey, and I'd love to hear what intentional living looks like in your season of life.
Welcome to Hey It's Jessie. I'm so glad you're here.