These days, everyone is moving fast. We live in a fast-paced world and it’s easy to get swept up in the rush of it all. This is where slow living can help.

Here’s the thing: in the long run, faster is not always better. Living too fast can lead to burnout and leave you feeling bored of life.

I’m not saying that you need to do everything in slow-motion. We still need to get things done, we just don’t want to damage out physical and mental health in the process.

What is slow living?

There’s not one single definition of slow living but the general idea remains the same with whatever definition you read. The idea is that you slow down your everyday life so that you can reach a higher quality of life.

Our lives can feel so chaotic with the fast-paced lives that we live. However, with slow living, we an take a step back and start to enjoy life more. Slow living allows us to be conscious and present in the moment, meaning that we get to enjoy more of the little things in life. It’s an idea that can be incorporated into many aspect of our lives, including food, homes and even fashion.

Why you should try slow living?

Reduced mental stress. When you start to be more present in the moment, you might find it easier to take note of what matters to you. It’s then easier to incorporate more of what makes you happy into your life. You may even find that you’re sleeping better due to your mind not racing all night.

Save money. Slow living puts the focus on experiences and relationships, not things. For example, instead of spending your money on the latest fashion trends, you can buy something second hand or homemade, or maybe even realise that you don’t actually need it. That money can then be saved for a great experience in the future. Maybe it will help you buy your dream home, travel somewhere new or save for your child’s future.

Discover more about yourself. The most important thing that you can invest in is yourself. When living slowly, you have time to focus on yourself and try new thing. You might find a new hobby that you enjoy or find a passion that you didn’t know you had. Try new things, visit new places and meet new people.

How to get started?

If you’ve read to this point and you’re thinking that it sounds like something you want to try, then here’s how you get take some steps to get started living slower:

Decide what is important to you. The answer to this question will be important in deciding how you move forward. The answer to this question could include things such as family, work, yourself, traveling, home life, etc. There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. As long as the answer suits you and your life, then it’s the right answer.

Remove extra distractions from your life. Learn how to say no to extra commitments. We all tend to fill out our days with unnecessary tasks because we feel good seeing tasks get ticked off the to-do list. But the problem with that is that we are taking time away from the things that we actually want to do in order to feel accomplished. Instead, try to assign more time to the things that make you feel good so you don’t have to rush those things.

Simplify Your Surroundings. If you spend a lot of your time in a cluttered environment, your mind is going to feel more chaotic. I’m not saying to turn into a minimalist, but some of their ideas really are great to incorporate into your life. Keep clutter to a minimum. Instead of having everything out on display, put things in cupboards or boxes. You can even declutter some items you have that don’t actually bring you as much happiness that you hoped that they would.

“Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.”
― Leo Babauta, The Effortless Life: A Manual for Contentment, Mindfulness, & Flow

Spend more time away from your phone. Our lives are going digital so it’s understandable that we spend a lot of time with our eyes glued to a screen. The problem with that though is that we are neglecting our real lives and spending more and more time in a digital life. I know that social media can addictive and it’s so easy to scroll through your feed for hours, but there’s a real world out there too. Slow living focuses on spending less time with your phone and more time living. I’m not saying that you can’t use your phone ever but be sure to not spend all of your life on it.

Live Consciously. Embracing slow living means that you are conscious of your actions. To do this, you can try to cook meals from scratch, buy quality clothes instead of a large quantity of clothing, spend time in the garden and make it a creature and critter friendly area, and consider sustainable home decor.

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What are some ways that you plan to incorporate slow living into your life? Comment below with your slow living ideas and tips for any beginners.