Slow living simply means taking a slower approach to life to connect with everything around you. It can bebecause you want to enjoy nature, consume less, and to declutter your mind and be fully present in the moment.
Many people also check the approach of decluttering their lives, such as getting rid of things that no longer serve them. However, the kind of slow living I’m talking about is more directed towards your inner world. It is about recognizing that if our mind is cluttered, then that’s was going to color our experience the most.
What is Slow Living?
Slow living simply says that when we slow down, we enjoy life more. We connect more deeply with our loved ones. We feel more at ease within our body; therefore, we have a greater sense of overall well-being
Slow living is something that is not just to be thought about and considered. It requires true implementation in your life.
As you well know, we tend to glamorize being busy. We see it as a normal part of life and even as a status symbol for success. However, the truth is being busy does not mean that you are productive. It does not mean that you are happy and it does not mean that your life is fulfilled.
Hence, we must identify some of the beliefs that we’ve been told about what makes us successful and happy; and recognizing that living a full life does not mean that we are fulfilled.
The truth is the only way to deeply connect with our soul with a higher self is to slow down and be in the moment. Of course, this takes courage.
We’re so used to running from ourselves and not wanting to feel the feelings that are bubbling up from within us. When we choose a life that’s slower, we are choosing a more mindful present life. This means that we’re not always going to feel good. In fact we need to allow ourselves to just feel what we feel.
The following benefits outweigh it all:
- Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
- Feeling more connected to nature and to others
- Living a more authentic, purposeful, and meaningful life
Once we’ve made contact with our inner world, we are better able to tap into the courage within us to choose this path going forward.
Slow Living in Your Career
When it comes to slow living at work, it’s not about multitasking or how much you can get done in the short period of time. In fact, it is quite the opposite. You are focused on the most important tasks, leading to the most productive experiences and long lasting results.
This eliminates the need to work over the regular hours that you typically work. It helps you to stay present with each task.
It’s important to be mindful of each task so that you’re really present with what you’re doing instead of living your life on auto pilot.
Studies show that when we’re not present, we are simply unhappy. Hence, a present brain equals a happier life.
Slow Living in Your Daily Life
This means saying no when you would typically say yes. That way, you’re freeing up your time and not filling it with unnecessary obligations.
When you live a slow life, you are choosing to live more joyfully. Therefore, it’s important to know what brings you joy.
What are your hobbies?
What are things you would be doing if you were not bombarded with so many things on your to do list?
Slow living means that you’re being intentional about the way you want to live. This means that if family is a value of yours, you’re going to choose family over work if it comes down to it.
Slow living means decluttering your life, albeit it doesn’t necessarily mean getting rid of things. It could mean fixing your schedule in a way that would refrain you from consistently thinking about the things you need to do. Decluttering your mind means releasing all that doesn’t serve you.
Tools in Living an Intentional Life
When you adopt a slow living lifestyle, you are also adapting the perspective of anti-consumerism. You’re no longer buying things because that’s what you’re supposed to buy. You’re buying things because you find good use for them.
It’s important to start changing the beliefs you carry about the life you are “supposed to live.”
Now I’d like to share some tools to help you start living a slower, more mindful life:
Limit Your Screen Time
Limiting your time spent doing things that don’t truly make you happy are the first steps to living a simpler and slower life.
Can you cut back at least one hour of your screen time? Can you turn off your phone in the evenings after a certain time to spend with family?
Identify Essential Work
Take a look at your calendar from the last month. Get a red pen or something to cross off what wasn’t necessary.
What keeps you busy? Identify and cross our time-consuming tasks that are non-essential in the long run.
Schedule Slow Living Time
Do you have a hobby you want to spend more time on? Would you like to learn a new recipe and try it out at home? Would you like to meditate more or practice yoga?
Maybe you just want to simply take more technology-free walks with your partner or your dogs. Perhaps, you want to lay out on your back patio to hear the crickets at night, looking up at the moon, in awe of the mysteries of space.
Give yourself credit, and don’t be hard on yourself! It takes time to create new habits.
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