Slow living is definitely seeing an uptick in interest right now. If you aren’t sure what it is or why people are talking about it, read on.
What is “slow living”?
Slow living can be defined as a lifestyle that focuses on a more mindful and conscious approach. It is literally taking the time to slow down and appreciate your own life and the world around you. This lifestyle encourages you to take a step back from our super connected world and see the beauty of the natural world around you. It also focuses on finding the joy in small aspects of your own life. For example, your morning cup of coffee may be just a way to get your day going before heading off to a busy day ahead. A slow living approach would encourage you to really savor that cup of coffee. Take even a few moments to sit and enjoy it. Appreciate the joy and peace the coffee brings you.
While this movement has gained traction in recent years, it is by no means new. Slow living actually harkens back to a more “traditional” style of living. In fact, your grandparents or great grandparents were probably the champions of slow living. Imagine a grandparent sitting out on their porch, just watching the world go by. Maybe they have a glass of lemonade in their hand, or they greet their neighbors who go by. This is a small act of slowing down and enjoying life.
Why practice slow living?
In our modern era of constant contact, deadlines, and just a general sense of urgency, many people seek to find some peace. Despite all of the ways we have to connect to others, I found myself struggling to feel a connection to myself and my own life. The anxiety of getting ready for a busy day at work, and planning everything I had to do before and after, all the plans and appointments that needed to be made, etc. I felt like my life was an endless to do list. This only caused my anxiety to worsen. I was always stressed and worrying about what was coming next.
Slowing down my mind and body to focus on the here and now have helped with some of those stressors. It has not come easily every day, and certainly isn’t always successful. However, the important thing is to continue to try to slow down and practice good habits for a more peaceful day.
Where to start
Create a calm morning routine
Creating a peaceful morning routine is a way to ensure your day starts right. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t need to wake up a 5am. You could, if that is where you find peace. But what you do to start your morning is more important than when.
Let’s go back to the coffee example. Maybe part of your slow morning routine is sitting by a window and taking the time to really smell, taste, and enjoy your coffee. Even if you only take an extra 5 minutes to do this, it will improve your morning. Maybe you like to do a full face of makeup or skin care to start your day. Give yourself time to do what you need to do and enjoy it. Put on nice music and let yourself be fully present while you get ready for your day. Even cooking a wholesome breakfast can help you slow down and appreciate the small things.
Daily walks
Walking daily is a great way to bring yourself back into your body and appreciate the world around you. Maybe you want to walk in the morning as the sun is rising so you can appreciate any critters still out while you watch the day begin. Maybe a walk after work to decompress and calm yourself after your day is best. Even a (safe) night time stroll to slow your mind down and get ready for bed is a great option.
As you walk each day, take note of what you see. New flowers blooming in your neighbor’s yard, the local bunny population running around the park, the feel of the breeze as you walk. Find a way to appreciate and enjoy the world you encounter each day, and reflect on changes you see.
Start a cozy hobby
Making time for any hobby is highly recommended, but you get bonus points for something cozy. The important thing here is to take time for something you really want to do. Life is full of must do things, but reclaiming time for things you want to do will help you feel fulfilled. If you want recommendations for some comforting and slow paced hobbies, consider these:
- Reading
- Journaling
- Baking
- Coloring
- Gardening
- Making really specific playlists
Or if you want something extra hands on and creative, try a more art based hobby:
- Visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpting, pottery, etc.)
- Fiber arts (knitting, crocheting, embroidery, quilting, macramé, sewing, etc.)
- Paper crafts (scrap booking, origami, book binding, etc.)
- Wood burning or whittling
- Stamp making
- Candle making
- Any kind of creating you can think of!
If you don’t already have a cozy hobby you enjoy, I recommend trying out a few. For many of the more creative ones listed, you can buy starter kits for a relatively inexpensive. You may even be able to find classes in your area that provide materials. You may not enjoy every hobby you try, and you may not be “good” at it right away. Give yourself time to get to know the craft!
Plan downtime
If you are like me and need to have a timeline going in your brain at all times, consider scheduling breaks for yourself. I often set aside 10-20 minutes to sit outside with my dog or even scroll my phone. I find this to feel the most beneficial around doing something I don’t really want to do. For instance, after folding laundry I might go sit outside to break up the day. You don’t always have to be doing something. An essential part of slow living is actually taking it slow.
Meditate
While this is surely not a revolutionary suggestion, it can be incredibly beneficial. I would especially recommend mediating when you feel overwhelmed or if you are just trying to get into a slower frame of mind. I do best with a guided mediation to help calm my brain down. I use an app on my phone called “Insight Timer” that has hundreds of guided meditations, some only a few minutes long.
I do want to say, if you start meditating, you will not be very good at first. Allowing your brain to fully empty and not let in busy thoughts takes a lot of practice. I am not good at it. But the more you practice, the easier it will be.
Gratitude journal
I know I touched on journaling already, but I felt that this deserved a little more of a mention. I put off journaling for a long time because I felt like it was a big deal to write about my day, and there was too much to include. It just felt overwhelming. Gratitude/joy journaling has been much more digestible for me. An example of a day’s entry for me looks like this:
7:30 am – I saw two fawns while out walking today. I watched them for a bit before they ran away.
11:00 am – Walked into the kitchen and felt really proud that I cleaned up last night. It feels good to be in a tidy home.
6:00 pm – found a cute note from my husband.
I have found that the more little joys I write about, the more I notice them throughput the day. I use this type of journaling to try and focus on the positives. The whole rest of the day could be really unpleasant, but when I flip through my journal, I get to remember the things that made me smile.
I encourage you to try something that brings you into the present. Please share other ideas and thoughts so we can keep trying new things!