Dre’s Takes: Protecting My Peace in a Season That Moves Too Fast

Every year, the holidays used to drain me more than I even noticed. The pace, the buying, the planning, the constant sense that I needed to be “on” for everyone — it all added up. It felt like rush, rush, rush… then suddenly being overwhelmed.

But 2025 has been different.

Not because life magically slowed down.
But because I finally learned how to slow myself down when I needed it.

Somewhere along the way — especially during the eight weeks I spent in Italy — I realized something I should have known sooner: the world isn’t going to hand you peace. You have to choose it. You have to protect it. You have to nurture it like it’s something worth guarding.

And for me, that choice has looked like boundaries, saying no without guilt, and moving slower in a society that treats speed like a badge of honor.

Boundaries have become my superpower.
Protect what you don’t want people to taint.

I stopped automatically saying yes to every holiday event, every favor, every invitation. I stopped letting other people’s urgency dictate my pace. When something didn’t align, I simply didn’t go. And guess what? The world kept spinning — and I kept my energy. I kept my joy. I kept my peace.

I also learned to honor what fuels me.

Quiet mornings.
Movement.
Sun.
Rituals that bring me back to myself.
Creative work that feels like play.
Space to think. Space to breathe. Space to be.

I even canceled my gym membership — on purpose.

Those aren’t luxuries anymore. They’re non-negotiables.

And moving slow has become the intention I’m carrying into 2026.

Not because I’m tired — but because slow is where I feel clear.
Slow is where I can hear myself again.
Slow is where decisions feel aligned instead of pressured.

When the world is chasing “more” — more gifts, more plans, more noise — I’ve chosen to chase quality and clarity instead. That shift grounded me in a way I didn’t know I needed.

So here’s my take:

Protecting your peace isn’t passive. It’s active. It’s intentional.
And in a season that tries to pull us in a hundred directions, the strongest thing you can do is choose the direction that brings you home to yourself.

In 2025, I learned that moving slow isn’t falling behind.
It’s finally catching up — to your own life.