Interested in How To Integrate Slow Living Into Your Daily Routine?
Slow living is a movement that I have been intrigued by ever since the term started to pick up steam a few years back. But, as a late adopter to pretty much everything in life, it took awhile for me to start digging into what the lifestyle truly embodies. And, from what I have learned so far, slow living is a way to gain more control of your time, your home, and your life by simplifying, slowing down, and being present in your day to day.
Over the weekend, I finished Seeking Slow: Reclaim Moments of Calm in Your Day (Live Well) by Melanie Barnes. (Pssst…check your local library for this book!) Melanie also blogs over at Geoffrey and Grace if you want to dive into her content asap. Regardless, ever since I put this book down, I have been inspired to find ways to integrate living slowly into our routines here at home.
Let’s face it, we live in a culture that idolizes those who work long hours, and values those who seldom use their PTO. Simultaneously, weekends are a time to recover from the burnout dished out from the week before.
Comparatively, the Japanese have a term for individuals who die as a result of overworking,(I know I just took a big leap) It’s called karoshi. However, Japan is not the only country that suffers from the effects of overwork. In 2016, nearly 745,000 people died from working long hours.
And, I am sure the numbers have only grown but, we will have to wait until a new study is revealed. Until then, check out this article from the World Health Organization.
Truthfully, we can all benefit from searching for ways to reclaim our days, and slowing down a little bit. But, let me know in the comments, is this a plague that vexes only the major coastal cities? Or, has it hit smaller cities too? I’ll admit, living in New York puts you into a certain kind of bubble that’s hard to break through…
WAYS TO SCHEDULE MOMENTS OF CALM INTO YOUR DAY
- Connect with nature (walk, hike, bike ride, run, etc)
- Listen to your favorite music
- Earthing Exercise
- Read (an actual book, not digital copy) for at least 15 minutes
- Try Calm’s deep belly breathing exercise for anywhere from 1- 60 minutes
- Connect with a loved one
- Make a home cooked meal
- Take a yoga class
- Meditate
- Start a veggie garden, or pot a houseplant (tip: succulents are hard to kill)
- Unplug (yes, no screens…remember when?!)
SLOW LIVING GOODNESS
Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from Melanie’s book:
- If we want to live more slowly and simply, we must carefully examine and understand our consumer culture
- Study after study shows us that experiences, not things, make us happy.
- Living slowly becomes more of a challenge because of this digital age that we live in.
- If we want others to value our time, we must lead by example and commit to valuing our personal time too.
- Avoid hurrying and be intentional with your time.
- Slow moments are anything you do that help you to slow down and feel calm.
- Daydreaming mode…turns out to be restorative. It’s like hitting the reset button in your brain.
- Time is the real luxury of life today.
- Having clear boundaries is only going to become more essential as technology continues to develop and becomes even more entwined with our lifestyles.
