We’re caught up in life’s daily grind, running around, chasing. We keep pushing forward, hustling, and juggling because that’s what we are told to do in social media, books, public talks, and so on and so forth. We move so fast that we fail to pause and notice our surroundings and how we feel, and even if we do, we feel guilty and feel dragged back from the track we have to pursue.
But recently, the narrative is changing, disfavoring the whole 24/7 hustle concept with all the craze around it and approaching a simpler, less hectic life, or in other words, slow living. At first glance, when you come across this word, you might think that you need to move far away from the city to the countryside switch your phone and just throw it in a pond, but no, that is not what slow living is about.
What is slow living?
To put it simply, slow living is doing things at the right pace, meaning understanding that there will be times when you will need to go at a fast speed to cope with life’s pace but at the same time slow down in between to take care of important aspects in your life such as health, family, and wellbeing. It is about ridding yourself of excess unnecessary commitments in favor of other things that matter more. As a result, you end up more content and grateful for your life and cherish more quality time and memorable moments.
How to practice slow living?
1. A slower approach to life. Yes, you can work hard, but taking time for yourself to spend with friends, family, or on things you love shouldn’t feel to you like a guilty pleasure.
2. Embrace simplicity and minimalism. An increasing number of people are now embracing minimalism and simplicity after understanding that the constant pursuit of material possessions can lead to emptiness and unhappiness because of overconsumption and spending too much money and getting in debt for things you don’t need.
3. Say no to unnecessary plans and activities. Modern life has hit us with FOMO (fear of missing out) and so we sometimes tend to say yes to plans that we are not really interested in but fear that we are going to miss out on something if we weren’t part of that party or gathering.
4. Be more mindful and present in the moment. Engage all your senses in the here and now. If you are more present in every moment of your life, you then learn to appreciate more things that you might have failed to notice earlier.
5. Do everything with joy. When you slow down you will find happiness in the little things and will appreciate life’s simple pleasures like a walk in nature, the smell of fresh air, a nice cup of coffee, or the feel of a book between your hands. Eventually, you will have a positive attitude towards everything in your life.
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