Slow living is a movement that encourages people to slow down, be more mindful, and enjoy the little things in life.
It’s all about prioritizing what’s important to you.
It is making time for yourself and your loved ones and living with intention.
It’s also about self-care, slowing down, and enjoying the present moment instead of always looking forward to tomorrow or the next thing on your to-do list.
And it’s about finding joy in what you have right now.
The idea is that by slowing down, we can focus on what matters most.
It can be your health, relationships, hobbies, and passions.
Slow Living Means
Slow living is about slowing down and enjoying the little things in life.
It’s about making time to enjoy your family, friends, and community.
It’s about taking the time to discover what makes you happy and finding ways to make it happen.
That can mean anything from practicing better care of yourself like doing yoga every morning to volunteering at a soup kitchen once a week.
Slow living is about doing what makes you feel good!
Some define slow living as:
- Living in the moment and taking time to enjoy each and every moment;
- Being present with our loved ones, friends, and family;
- Knowing that slow living is not a race but a journey we take together with those we love;
- Taking care of our bodies, minds, and souls by eating healthy food, exercising regularly, and having fun; or
- Making time for ourselves so that we can focus on what is important in life: self-care, balance, and wellness!
5 Benefits Of Slow Living
Ever heard of slow living?
If you’re reading this, you probably have.
And if you haven’t, well, let’s just say that slow living is a thing.
Slow living is about taking your time and doing things at your own pace.
It’s about making decisions based on what’s important to you instead of what others want for you.
It’s about being mindful of the things that matter to you and making sure they come before everything else in your life.
If all this sounds good to you and why wouldn’t it?
Then let’s talk about the many ways slow living can improve your life.
1. More Mindful Living
Did you know that slow living is all about being more mindful?
It’s true!
When you’re not in such a rush, it’s easier to focus on the present moment and not let yourself get caught up in the past or future.
You can also be more aware of what’s going on around you, what other people are doing, how they’re feeling, and how their behavior is affecting others.
When you slow down, you’re able to take in everything around you.
And really focus on the little things, like the smell of your morning coffee or the sound of a bird singing as it flies overhead.
And when we do this, we feel a sense of gratitude for all that’s around us.
We’re not rushing through life and missing out on what makes it beautiful.
This is what we mean when we talk about “mindful living.”
It’s about taking time to notice everything around us so that we can be present in our lives, and enjoy them to the fullest!
2. Less Stress
With the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s hard to think about anything else.
But when you start living slowly, you’ll find that the world doesn’t need to be so fast-paced.
Slow living means more time to enjoy what’s around you.
That’s why people who are interested in this type of lifestyle are less stressed than those who aren’t.
When you slow down, you have more time for yourself and your loved ones.
You can look back on the day and feel good about the things that happened rather than feeling rushed through them all.
3. Helps You Live Longer
Slow living is the new way to live longer.
You might be surprised to hear that “slow living” has been proven to help you live longer.
In fact, studies have shown that it can add up to 14 years to your life!
Slow living is all about making time for what’s important in your life.
It can be friends, family, and staying healthy.
When you’re in a rush, it’s easy to forget that these things are what life is all about.
That they’re what make us happy.
And when you’re happy, you tend to live longer than those who aren’t so happy (or don’t have such great relationships with others).
4. Improves Your Relationships With Others And Yourself
Slow living improves your relationships with others and yourself.
When we’re rushed, we don’t have time to be fully present in our interactions with other people.
We’re often distracted by the tasks we feel we need to get done, so it’s hard for us to really listen and connect with others.
And when we’re rushed, we often resort to unhealthy behaviors like eating junk food or skipping gym sessions because we don’t have time for them.
And then feel bad about ourselves afterward.
Slow living helps you put down your phone, take a deep breath, and focus on what’s important.
This can be the people around you and your own health and well-being.
5. More Sustainable
I believe that slow living is the future of sustainable living.
Slow living is all about finding ways to live in a manner that’s more sustainable and it’s not just about how you live, but how you think.
I know that when you slow down and think about what you’re doing, it can really change your life for the better.
By slowing down, I mean taking your time with things like food and exercise making sure they’re delicious and fulfilling so that you enjoy them!
I also mean taking time to be present in the moment and appreciate what’s around you.
5 Steps To Achieve Slow Living
Slow living is a lifestyle choice that’s all about moving at a leisurely pace.
It is about taking time to enjoy the little things in life, and doing what you love.
If you’re looking for a way to slow down and enjoy life more, try these 5 steps!
1. Identify What Makes You Happy
Slow living is about finding a balance between the things that make you feel good and those that don’t.
So how do you get started?
Start your slow-living lifestyle by identifying what makes you happy.
It could be something as simple as watching a movie.
Or it could be something more involved, like starting a new business or taking up a new hobby.
If you know what makes you happy, then keep doing it!
If there are parts of your life that aren’t making you happy (like going to work), then stop doing them!
You don’t have to quit your job.
You just have to stop going in every day when there are other things out there that would make you happier.
A big part of slow living is realizing that life is too short to spend time on things that don’t make us happy!
2. Identify Your Values
Identifying your values is one of the essentials to achieving slow living.
You’ll never be able to truly live in a way that’s true to your values if you don’t know what they are.
So take some time to reflect on the things that are most important to you.
How do you want to spend your time?
Are there certain activities or experiences that make you feel most alive?
If so, these may be signs that that activity is actually part of your life’s mission.
If not, maybe it’s time to rethink how you’re spending your days and weeks!
Take time each day to reflect on what makes you happy and why.
Write down ideas and feelings as they come up.
You might find it useful later when deciding what activities truly align with your values.
3. Create Time For Yourself
There are many ways to slow down, but the most important is to create time for yourself.
If you don’t take care of yourself first, it will be impossible to slow down.
Spend time doing what you enjoy.
If you love reading, read for an hour every day.
If you love cooking, try a new recipe or two each week.
Do whatever makes you happy!
Do less and feel more accomplished.
You could spend all day long trying to get everything done.
But if you don’t take care of yourself first, nothing will get done anyway.
So instead of over-committing yourself or trying to do everything at once, focus on what matters most right now and then let go of everything else.
This can be difficult at first because we often think that if we don’t do something now then it will never get done but that’s just not true!
Your priorities will always change throughout your life.
So instead of fighting against those changes by trying to keep things exactly as they were when they worked for us before, find peace within yourself by taking time.
4. Be Mindful Of Your Bad Habits
Slow living means being mindful of your bad habits.
If you are trying to slow down, it’s important to make sure that you’re not just slowing down in one area of your life.
Instead, you should be making sure that you slow down in all areas of your life including the bad ones.
If you’re trying to achieve slow living and feel like you’re failing at it, then it is possible that one or more of your bad habits is getting in the way.
It’s easy to think that we have no bad habits, especially when we’re trying to find ways to slow down.
But if you’re honest with yourself about what your life looks like and how much time you spend doing things that aren’t conducive to slowing down.
Then it becomes easier for you to identify those habits so that they can be worked on next time.
5. De-stress Regularly
Stress is one of the biggest impediments to a life of slow living.
It’s an insidious, sneaky thing that can creep up on you at any time.
And once it does, it can be hard to shake.
One of the best ways to combat stress is by practicing mindfulness, which means being fully aware of what you’re doing at the moment without judgment.
Try taking 10 minutes out of each day to sit quietly and focus on your breathing.
This will help you stay centered and calm throughout the day.
You can also try meditating for 5 minutes every morning or evening before bedtime.
If you find yourself feeling stressed often, try setting aside some time each week for activities that help de-stress such as yoga or writing in a journal.
Take Better Care Of Yourself
Slow living is taking better care of yourself.
I know you’re busy.
I am, too.
But if there’s one thing that’ll make your life easier and better, it’s taking better care of yourself despite the busyness.
We all have our own ways of doing this.
From getting enough sleep to eating healthier or finding time for a hobby.
But whatever your approach is, I encourage you to take this seriously!
Download my self-care toolkit below for your guide.
Alison’s Notebook
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