Life is getting more convenient every day. You can order almost anything right to your door, on-demand, with a few taps on your screen. While there’s no denying that these conveniences are lovely, our patience is almost non-existent.
Our lives are jam-packed and always in motion. If you’re constantly feeling burnt out it might be time to take on a new approach to life.
Slow living entails slowing down and appreciating life’s simple pleasures, without focusing so much on speed and convenience. Activities like walking instead of driving, cooking a meal from scratch, painting, or playing a long board game with friends. Minimizing the rush and chaos and incorporating more ease, flow, and contentment.
Slow Living is a term coined in the 1980s in Italy by Carlo Petrini when a McDonald’s was scheduled to set up shop in Rome’s famous Piazza di Spagna. Carlo and a group of activists formed the slow movement as a rebuttal against the fast food industry.
You might think that slow living will require you to quit your job and move off the grid. Wake up at the crack of dawn every day to milk cows and churn butter. Don’t worry, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can gradually implement slow living practices and incorporate them for a more balanced and harmonious life.
Digital Detox-
It’s no secret that almost everyone is plagued with anxiety. We have so much stimulation literally at our fingertips 24/7. Everyone’s thoughts, opinions, and how well they seem to be doing are right in our faces.
Raise your hand if you check your phone right when you wake up, and/or right before you dooze off. We don’t give ourselves a second to process how we think and feel before we hop online to see the hot mess of social media.
Our limited free time is spent mindlessly scrolling various apps, while the hours zoom past us. Then we wonder why we never have time for things we REALLY want to do.
A digital detox can not only free up your precious headspace but can free up a ton of your time. You’ll become more intentional about how you wish to spend your free time. Whether it’s being more present with your loved ones, picking up a new hobby or side hustle, or getting your physical and mental health in order.
Of course, you’ll still use your phone but become more mindful about the times and duration you use it. Maybe wait an hour after you wake up before you check it, put it in another room during dinner time, ditch it an hour before bed, and/or toss it aside on Sundays.
Figure out a method that works for you that you can realistically stick to.
Learn to Cook/Eat Seasonally-
Some people are naturally more gifted than others in the kitchen, however anyone can learn a few skills. There’s no denying that fast food and delivery services come in clutch from time to time. However, these services are more expensive and the delivery fee and tip can add up when used frequently.
Regarding your health, when ordering from restaurants you never know how much salt, sugar, or other additives they’ve included.
By learning to cook your food, you’ll know exactly what ingredients are in it. You can also save yourself a ton of money in the long run. You might be one to burn toast but the more you practice the better you’ll become.
Learn to perfect a few simple and healthy recipes you can rely on and enjoy. The more you test out recipes and spend time in the kitchen, honing your craft, the better and more comfortable you’ll be to try new things.
Aim to use seasonal ingredients that are more nutritionally beneficial and taste better. Be mindful when in the kitchen, slow down, and learn to enjoy the process of cooking a meal from scratch. Chopping vegetables can be very therapeutic.
Get Creative-
Have you always wanted to paint, bake, garden, knit, do pottery, write, etc? Or maybe there’s another type of hobby that’s more your speed not listed here. All that time we spend scrolling or going through the motions leaves us with no time to explore creative pursuits.
By slow living, you’ll learn to make time for the things and activities that bring you joy and force you to be present. You’ll explore your creative talents and use another part of your brain you might not use as often as you’d like.
Find a skill you’d like to enhance and carve out 1-2 hours a week dedicated to improving your talents.
Silence-
When was the last time you indulged in complete and total silence? We seem to have a hard time being left alone with our thoughts since there’s so much noise going on up there. We’ll distract ourselves with music, a podcast, or a phone call.
Getting comfortable with silence might seem eery and strange at first but it can help you to slow down and get anchored to the present moment. Slow living is not about worrying about the past or the future but about being present in the here and now.
Meditate-
What better way to get quiet, attempt to turn off the chatter in your mind, and become more present than to meditate? Meditating seems intimidating but is fantastic once you get the hang of it. Use complete silence, chant, listen to a guided meditation, or listen to soft music.
Start with 5 minutes a day, and then gradually increase that number as you get more comfortable with the practice. Slow living can be tough when we’re on autopilot and our minds are running 100 miles per minute.
By focusing on our breath and connecting to our brains and bodies, we can learn to live in the present moment which is what slow living is all about.
Nature-
Immersing yourself in nature is the perfect example of slow living. Nature doesn’t rush the seasons to adjust to the human timeline. In spring the flowers bloom, in summer it’s hot, in fall the leaves change colour and float to the ground, and in winter it’s cold and possibly snowing.
Nature is in zero rush and takes all the time it needs to fully complete its cycle.
Spend more time in nature, regardless of the weather to fully embrace how slow living and nature go hand in hand. Going out into nature is extremely beneficial for your physical and mental well-being. Ditch the electronics and get grounded with Mother Earth as often as possible.
Consumption-
Society as a whole loves to consume. Unfortunately, many of our shopping sprees end up in the bins and landfills as a result of wanting the latest, newest thing.
We’re all going to consume items whether that’s technology, clothing, or other products but by slow living, we can become more mindful of our purchases.
Avoid impulse spending and buying things on a whim without thinking through whether you need or want them. When you see something you’re interested in purchasing, wait a few weeks before checking out. If it’s still on your mind a couple of weeks down the line then the chances are good that you’ll get a lot of use out of it.
Clothing-
Trends change faster than the seasons. One second your brand new wardrobe is in fashion and in the blink of an eye it’s not.
Fashion is fun and it’s fine to want to keep up with current trends. It’s also good to be mindful that this is ultimately a marketing and excess consumption tactic. The quicker trends change the more you’ll have to purchase to keep up. Fast fashion, while more affordable is causing havoc on our environment.
Slow living is becoming more intentional about the way you spend money and fall victim to consumerism. If you can afford it, invest in higher quality, clothing staples that will last you for years and will go with any trend that passes by.
If your budget is tight and you need to purchase fast fashion, aim to do it once in a while instead of every single time a new trend pops up.
Learn to Say No-
Implementing boundaries for yourself is an important step to slow living. If you’re trying to slow down but keep agreeing to things you feel obligated to do it’s not going to work.
Remember that you’re human and there’s only so much time in the day. If volunteering for your kid’s soccer team brings you joy then by all means go for it.
Avoid saying yes to things that you don’t care about. No one wants your help if it’ll be half-assed. Save your energy and efforts for things that you want to show up for. Otherwise, save your time for yourself, your family, or other hobbies/ventures you’re interested in.
Conclusion-
Our world seems to be going faster than ever yet we humans are becoming less and less fulfilled. By learning to incorporate slow living practices into our lives, we can focus on the things that bring us joy and ditch what doesn’t.
Although living slowly relinquishes quickness and convenience, you’ll feel like you’ve gained so much more free time.
Begin your slow-living journey by doing a digital detox, eating and cooking seasonally, practicing creative pursuits, meditating, and learning to enjoy silence. Spend more time in nature, be mindful of your consumption, and learn to practice boundaries.
Maybe there are some other slow-living practices not listed here. Test out what living a slower life and making it realistic looks like for you. Comment down below what your favourite slow living practice is or what you’re most looking forward to trying out.
