Slow Living is a lifestyle that allows us to live an intentional and fulfilling life. It can be especially satisfying if you are interested in living life at your pace while doing things that you feel are important.
“What is this life if, full of care,
–W.H. Davies, Common Joys and Other Poems
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows…”
I first came across the concept of slow living about five years ago in an innocuous blog post. The idea struck a chord, and I began reading more and more about the experiences of people practicing it.
Ultimately, I realized that this was the kind of life I wanted for myself and my family.
What is Slow Living?
The primary idea of slow living is to live a life of purpose. One where we intentionally distance ourselves from the never-ending race, take a step back and slow down to truly savor the things that matter. This can look different for each one of us. The ultimate goal, however, is to find a pace of life that agrees with us.
Now, we live in an apartment in the middle of a fairly large city. My husband’s job prevents us from uprooting ourselves and moving to the countryside (though as much as I would love to do that). Hence, slow living for my family is all about living as simply, mindfully, and sustainably as possible.
How Do I Practice Slow Living?
As I said, the idea of slow living looks different for each one of us in reality. So here are a few things that I do to practice this lifestyle.
- Minimalism- I try to lead a minimalist life as much as I can. That doesn’t mean I have been able to do it perfectly. I just try.
- Simple living- This is another thing that has helped me greatly in this journey. I live as simply as possible within my lifestyle.
- Having routines- I thrive in routines. It helps me to plan my days well in advance and prepare myself for tasks without being in a rush.
- Time out in nature- Regularly spending some time outside helps to ground me. I live in a city where it rains a lot. So every opportunity I get to go outside, I don’t let that pass.
- Taking time out for myself- I deliberately carve out time each week for myself. Sometimes I go out for coffee with my friends. Sometimes I paint. And at other times I just take a nap. It doesn’t matter. This is my time and I do whatever I wish during that. In the end, this practice helps fill my cup.
- Prioritizing family- This is something I have chosen to do, especially since the time I became a mother.
Related Read: Simplify Your Life- 6 Practices To Simple Living
Lessons Learned From Slow Living
1. Things mostly work out, in the end
I am an anxious person. Even when things are going smoothly, I can conjure up umpteen scenarios in my mind and worry about them needlessly.
However, practicing slow living has helped me overcome this habit quite a bit. This lifestyle has taught me that no matter what, things usually work out in the end. Maybe not the way I envisioned. But that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
Life has a way of finding its own path and we cannot control that.
2. Time is our most precious resource
Lost time is never found.
Time is the only thing that we can have in a limited supply. Hence we must use it judiciously.
However, this doesn’t mean I am hustling 24/7. It’s just that I make the most of it whenever I can.
3. Sometimes letting go is for the best
Learning to let go was not easy for me. I am someone who remembers stuff. And I have to tell you that it is not a great thing.
But, slow living taught me that it is necessary to let go of things. And sometimes people. Life is too short to fill our mental spaces with things that do not serve us anymore.
4. Having a purpose is important
Slow living itself sets a purpose for life. Before embarking on this journey, I had to ask myself why I wanted to do this. The answer, for me, was peace. I did not want to live a life always on the run.
Eventually, this idea of having purpose extended to other aspects of my life. I have now come to realize that having a purpose in anything we do is extremely necessary for seeing things through.
5. The joy of missing out is real
You have heard about FOMO- the fear of missing out on things. But what about JOMO- the joy of missing out?
Let me tell you that it is real. Once I started practicing living slowly, I began missing out on things. I learned not to say yes to every social invitation. I thought that this would affect me negatively. But, to my surprise, I found that I actually felt relieved. The joy of missing out helped me put things into perspective.
Peace.
Do you have any related experience or story to tell? Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.
Related Read: Unlocking Happiness: 10 Tips For a Happier Life
