Inside: What is Slow Living | Tips to live a slow lifestyle.
It seems to be a buzz phrase at the moment, doesn’t it? But perhaps that is because more and more people are tired of the overwhelm and burnout that comes from living a fast-paced lifestyle.
Slow living does not mean you live at a snail’s pace, but that you live with intention – taking the time to live in the present moment and appreciate the pockets of joy that fill each day.
If you are ready to prioritise the things that matter to you, to take time for yourself and those that you love, this is the post for you.
What is Slow Living?
When you say Slow Living, people tend to conjure up the image of someone living in the countryside, doing nothing much besides wandering through fields of flowers while having picnics every day. And whilst that would be completely glorious, that isn’t what Slow Living means at all. Well, not necessarily.
The concept of Slow Living is to “create a more meaningful and conscious lifestyle that’s in line with what you value most in life.”
Essentially, you make time for what is important to you.
Far from being a new idea, it was actually born from a movement in Italy during the 1980’s when Carlo Petrini and a group of activists campaigned against an opening of a McDonald’s restaurant opening in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome. I mean, can you imagine it?
From that point, the Slow Food movement was created and many more movements that fight against the consumer-driven culture that has taken hold of modern society. And now more and more people are wanting to fight against the stressors of everyday life.
So, if your family is important to you but you never have time to be with them, something has to change. If the climate crisis matters to you but you buy crap from B&M all the time and drive a fuel-guzzling car then something needs to change.
Sometimes we are so stuck in our habits and daily routine that we can’t see what is staring us right in the face. We are so busy rushing through life that we don’t realise that we have a choice, that we can change our lives to align with that we truly care about.
Is Slow Living realistic for everyone?
We can’t all quit our jobs and spend our days wandering through fields of flowers and having picnics for lunch. I know, it sucks. But Slow Living is for everyone, we just have to find a way to make it work for our circumstances.
It would be naive to assume that everyone can quit the job they hate to find one that allows them more time with their loved ones. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make the very most of the time you do have with them on your days off.
The problem with life is that we often get bogged down with our never ending to-do list and all of the little things that could be eliminated from our lives. Those are the things that need to get pushed aside in our daily life in favour of the important things and it is these things we will discuss later on in this post.
Slow Living in a fast-paced world
There are some aspects of everyday life that cannot be avoided, unless you win the lottery and can afford to have everything done for you.
You have to go to work, you have to take the kids to school, you have to do the laundry, you have to clean your house, you have to make meals each day. But even those things can be adjusted to allow for more time, you just have to realise it is possible.
It isn’t something that needs to be done all in one go, you don’t have to move house, get rid of your car, start homeschooling, or whatever else you want to do to live a slower way of life. Start small, take small steps towards your goal. The first step is to want to live a more intentional life and develop a slower mindset – everything else will flow from that point.
Tips for a slower lifestyle
Let’s start with the easier changes, the small things you can start doing right away. Then we will move towards the more difficult changes with some suggestions on how to go about it.
Breathe
I mean it sounds too simple doesn’t it? But taking 5 minutes to simply stop everything you are doing and focus on your breath can make such a difference. Take deep breaths and focus on each one as you breathe in, and then out again. This practice will help ground you in the present moment and stop you from rushing from one moment to the next without intention.
Get up early
I do not mean hours and hours earlier, I love my bed too much to suggest such a thing!
Eat slowly
Let’s honour where it all began and move away from fast food in favour of slow food. First of all, fast food isn’t good for you anyway so that’s a bonus there, but the main point is to slow down and enjoy the meal as an event. Instead of shovelling food in as quickly as possible before rushing to the next activity, make time to enjoy a meal, savouring each mouthful.
Not only will you enjoy your food, but slowing down to eat also brings the opportunity to connect with your loved ones. Enjoy sitting around the dinner table with your family, discussing your day and whatever else comes up in conversation. In a fast-paced world this is the perfect way to come together and reconnect each day.
Single task
Society always praises our ability to multi-task, but do we ever do a good job if we are trying to do 101 things at the same time? Our mental health has never been lower and is is partly due to the constant overwhelm we have to juggle so many things on a day to day basis.
Single-tasking is simple, you just have to do one thing at a time and give it your all. Really lean into the moment to embrace it fully. So if you are cooking dinner, really emerse yourself into the event and enjoy the process. If you are playing with your child, do so with your entire being. If you are watching tv, do it without looking at your phone every 5 minutes.
Do each thing well, without any distractions or attempts to “just do this while I’m at it”. If you don’t get everything done, that’s ok, but at least you know the jobs you have done have been done with intention.
Digital detox
Social media and the internet as a whole have increased the pace at which we move through life. But how? Well, when you are constantly switched on, always the click of a button away from checking your emails or texting a friend, and able to tap your favourite app to while away some time when you’re waiting in line for something, you never experience the quiet.
Quiet time is when time seems to stand still, having to wait for something without anything to occupy your mind can feel like a lifetime. Having to wait a week to receive a letter from a friend, treasuring the words when you finally open up the envelope. Watching live TV rather than having instant access to an entire series, so that you experience the joy of finally sitting down to enjoy the next episode.
There is so little quiet now. Each moment is full and leaves us always feeling like we are running on a treadmill. We just can’t keep up.
A digital detox is a great way to say no more, enough of the racing through life. Put away your phone, turn off all of the other devices and allow life to go at its own pace. Stand in line at the groecary store and watch the world go by. Sit in the car waiting for the kids to finish their clubs and enjoy the peace. If there’s nothing good on live tv, do something else instead of scrolling for something on Netflix. Play a game, read a book, use the house phone to call your friend.
Make time for free time
How often do you sit and enjoy a cup of coffee? And I mean truly sit and enjoy it, not make yourself one in a hurry and gulp a couple of sips before you rush on to the next thing.
A slow living lifestyle calls for plenty of time set aside for doing …. well nothing much. Sit and enjoy the peace and quiet, read a book, enjoy a cup of something, go for a walk… anything that brings you inner peace in a world that so often promotes a busy life.
By making time for a slower pace of life, even if it is just 10 minutes a day, it will lead to a more balanced life with all of the other commitments that you have to make time for.
Declutter for a simple life
Part of the slow movement calls for simple living too. Because if our lives are simpler, with less stuff to manage and fewer things to do, then we can make more time for free time and for eating slowly etc…
If slow living is making time for the things that are important to you, then constantly tidying and cleaning your house is most definitely stopping you from doing that. Right? I certainly would rather read a book than clean my house.
Small changes are key here, nobody is asking you to declutter your entire house in one go. Start small and work your way from space to space, gradually clearing the things that take up precious space and time in your life.
It’s not just your home that needs decluttering either – spend time unsubscribing from unwanted emails, delate apps that no longer serve you and only spend time with friends that lift you up. It’s your life, your mind, your home, only allow the best things to stay.
Say no to consumerism
There’s no point decluttering if you’re just going to go and buy more stuff again, is there? Social media, TV ads, magazines, all of them are constantly telling us we need this and that … and we fall for it! I mean it’s a running joke that you go to IKEA for a spatula and end up coming home with new drawers, a colander, and a giant fluffy dinosaur – but it’s true. We get sucked in and the shop owners are laughing all the way to the bank while we live in homes that are suffocating us.
You don’t need that stuff. You don’t need a brand new sofa just because your favourite Instagrammer says it will change your life. You don’t need to redecorate to “have the perfect home”. You don’t need a new outfit “to make you feel good” – you’re being lied to. But no more!
If you need a new sofa because the other one is in bits, fine. If you need to redecorate because the old decor is tatty, go ahead. If you need new clothes because your existing pieces no longer fit or they are simply falling apart, go buy all the lovely things. But otherwise, you have everything you need already.
At the end of the day, it is your life and you can do what you like. But I’m guessing by the fact you’ve found this post that you’re ready to make a change. You want more quality time spent with loved ones, you want less stress in your life, you want to feel the benefits of slow living and are ready to do what needs to be done.
You won’t regret it, I promise.