Slow Living for Beginners: Slow Down and Simplify Your Life
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“Slow living” is when you consciously choose to have a more grateful, intentional, and mindful life. People who embrace this lifestyle place their value on relationships, experiences, and passions instead of capitalistic goals (i.e. wealth, productivity, and status).
It’s a new way of living that focuses on appreciating everything life offers - including the ups and downs, the big and small.
Whether we admit it or not, many of us are burnt out or feeling weighed down from life. We’re bombarded with jarring news stories on TV and social media, not to mention the 2 years of a global pandemic we’ve lived through. Within our personal lives at work/school, we’re constantly expected to meet demands while maintaining composure and a cheery smile.
News flash: we aren’t robots that are happy 24/7.
However, we can slow down, shift our mindset, and learn to appreciate whatever life hurls at us. Fingers crossed it’s not another pandemic though. 🥲
Keep reading to learn how slow living will help you thrive - not survive - in today’s hectic world.
The History Behind the Slow Living Movement
Slow living has been advocated for since the 1980s in Italy. It originated as the slow food movement by Carlo Petrini and other passionate activists who wanted to preserve their culture of quality food, meaningful interactions, and a sustainable economy. Fast food threatened their way of life; Petrini and the people knew that, over time, people wouldn’t care about sitting down to connect with others over a well-cooked meal.
If we look around us today, it’s clear that fast-food chains have drastically changed the way we live - from the quality of the food we consume, to the lack of household connection during meals, to unsustainable and unethical farming and landfill waste.
The movement’s focus has evolved from just food; it now aims to change how we approach life in general. The slow lifestyle has picked up in popularity, and people are beginning to prioritize their mental health and well-being.
Now that you’ve got an idea of what slow living is all about, let’s explore the amazing benefits of embracing an intentional, slower lifestyle!
Slow Living Benefits
Eat Better
Following the theme of Petrini’s movement, a slow lifestyle can encourage you to be more mindful of what you eat. You enjoy food made from higher quality ingredients instead of cheap and processed meals. The more mindful you become, the healthier your nutrition becomes. If you think you have to sacrifice taste for nutrition, stop right there! There are tons of recipes out there to help those “boring meals” taste better. You may even find a new favorite dish! 😋
Understand Yourself Better
One of the biggest benefits of embracing a slower lifestyle is understanding yourself more. I used to feel like I needed people around me all the time to be happy. I’d become overly attached to others and had a hard time being alone. Eventually, I learned the difference between being alone and being lonely. Slow living taught me how to be comfortable by myself without feeling isolated. This became my secret weapon in life. It helped me get through the two years of the pandemic, moving out by myself, and living abroad for three months in a foreign country. I owe that crucial stage of self-development to practicing a slower lifestyle Slow living will help you explore yourself deeper and practice compassion with yourself. And when you learn how to accept the uglier or “lesser” parts of yourself, you can reflect that same compassion to others around you.
Deepen Your Connections With Others
Petroni’s movement highlighted that you can deepen your connections through slow intentional living. Make it a point to give others your undivided attention when you’re spending time, and truly engage in conversation or activities with them. We get caught up in our daily lives and tasks that we often forget about our loved ones. Slow living encourages you to actively listen and spend time with those closest to you. Relationships will flourish when you nurture them.
Become More Resilient
As I mentioned, we’ve all faced this pandemic. There are long-lasting effects on our lives, families, careers, and local economies. We’ve been through so much and yet we’re still here today. More importantly, we continue to face our own silent battles. When you embrace a slow lifestyle that focuses on the positives in life, it’s much easier to get through these problems. This optimism isn’t childish or foolish; in fact, it’s necessary to rebuild our lives after everything we’ve gone through. Slow living helps you become resilient to life’s challenges and feel confident that they will soon pass.
Alleviate Anxiety
Now I’ll be honest: slow living can’t cure or fix any mental health issues. However, the lifestyle has helped me control my anxiousness and overthinking. I enjoy many activities associated with slow living, such as journaling, yoga, and quiet walks. These have significantly calmed my nerves when I’m feeling scattered or upset. Following a slow lifestyle can equip you with tools to help manage your own anxiety or stress.
Boost Your Mood
One of my proudest moments when I first moved out was my manager thanking me for showing up with such a positive attitude - every day, towards each customer and team member. I didn’t work a fancy job. I was working 9 hour shifts at a car wash and crammed online school assignments between work and riding the bus. Usually on 3-4 hours of sleep. My manager couldn’t understand why I was so darn cheery all the time. At the time I didn’t know either, but I realize now that it came from practicing gratitude every day. I acknowledged how fortunate I was every morning before work, and that shift from my old mindset let me pass that positivity on to every person I met. Slow living emphasizes being comfortable and appreciative of where you currently are at in life before you level up. This is how you can be happy when it seems like you have nothing!
Prioritize Better
As I began my slow living journey, I had to ask myself: What matters most to me? What do I want more of in my life? What am I in control of? What does my ideal future look like?
These questions made me prioritize my life and habits.I realized I want a balanced life between my work, relationships, and school. I made my schedule work for me. I found a routine with enough hours at work to support myself, I carefully chose off days that honored my boundaries between a social and work life, and I called friends/family every Sunday. The old me would have caved in under pressure to maintain all three areas of my life. However, the mindful version of myself took it as a learning opportunity.
Embrace slow living and be intentional with your time so that it works in your favor. The problem is that you don’t know how to manage your priorities and free time. You’re stuck in a cycle of envisioning your dream life, but use your free time mindlessly without direction or motive. Sit down with yourself and figure out what is most important to you, build a schedule around that, and set boundaries so you don’t jeopardize what makes you truly happy. Take these steps one day at a time and try to enjoy the process of slowing your life down.
Save Money
Lastly, a more mindful lifestyle can help you save money. My friends used to drive around all night to listen to music and eat fast food. You definitely won’t catch me driving that much with these gas prices 🙄. Our idea of fun was spending tons of money on mediocre food, coffee, and energy drinks. While I do enjoy some fast food or a Redbull soda once in a while, I’d rather find healthier and less expensive things to do. Now my friends and I consider a potluck or picnic at the park, or an at-home paint night with our favorite music. Not only do these activities bring you closer to friends/family, but they save you money over time as well.
How Slow Can You Go?
Are you ready to start your journey towards a slow and intentional lifestyle? There are many ways you can practice slow living. You don’t have to wait until the end of the year to make resolutions - you can get started today! There’s no better time to start improving yourself. Live in the present moment and live intentionally; you’ll see your life change for the better in no time. All it takes is a little patience, gratitude, and an open mind.
How will you practice mindfulness? Let me know in the comments below!
