“When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety; if I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without pain. From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me. There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it.”
– Rumi
Why Slow Living?
It’s 2021. I remember imagining 2021 would look like The Jetsons. There aren’t spaceships flying around (at least in my neighborhood) but there may as well be. We’re anxious when our packages don’t arrive in a few days. At a restaurant or bar we’re impatient when our food takes longer than expected. The thought of getting caught in traffic gives us a pang of anxiety. We communicate instantaneously with friends across the globe and expect a response right away. I try to look through the eyes of our ancestors who could not communicate by phone or email, who would have to meet their friends in person and consume news and information by reading the paper or going to the library. No texting, googling, snapping, swiping, liking, voting, or regram-ing. Communication, along with many day to day tasks in those days required a type of deliberation we lack. We do more and do it faster, and it makes for busy and sometimes stressful lives. The heart of the planet thumps faster than ever, yet the time in our days remains the same. It’s imperative that we slow down, or we forever hold our peace on our limited minutes on this planet.
Slow Living for a Meaningful Life
In a world where we are constantly tackling our endless to-do lists while being distracted by phone calls, texts, emails, and social media, it’s easy to forget to appreciate the here and now. When everything we do is so convenient and fast, we tend to go into auto-pilot mode making decisions without really thinking. Moving without really being present. Time flies and before we know it, what have we accomplished? What have we checked off our bucket list? Have we made time for the things that truly matter to us? Can we remember what we did last week, last month, last year? Was it meaningful? Slow living is taking time for ourselves and living with intention. It means opting for a simpler route which may require more time and work, but that allows us time to contemplate and unplug. A slow living lifestyle allows us to live meaningfully through making conscious decisions about how we spend our days, what we consume (food, shopping, information) and what types of environments and around what types of people we spend our limited hours of life.
The Slow Movement Toward Well Being
I’ve found myself being heavily attracted to the times of old, a slower paced and simpler life. Activities that require time and concentration, and even perhaps doing things in the old fashioned way instead of using the newest technology. Writing in a notebook rather than typing, reading a physical book rather than on an electronic device, or preparing something from scratch rather than using something store bought. These are just a few instances I’ve been drawn to slow living, and I discovered that I certainly wasn’t the only one! There has been a decades long movement toward slow living and a simple way of life to improve quality of life and general wellbeing. I was surprised to read about the origin of the movement beginning with slow food, and that there is an organization called The World Institute of Slowness. The creation of a counterculture to our crazy busy and fast paced lives must point to the inevitable – the rate at which we are living is not sustainable for our wellbeing nor is it sustainable for our planet. We are inherently built to be human BE-ings, not human DO-ings (as my favorite astrologer and life coach Kelley Rosano says). At least, not all the time.
Start Slow
Learning to slow down doesn’t always come easy, and takes adjusting to but it is so worthwhile for our health in every sense of the word. Stuck on how to begin? These are a few ways I started easing into this more intentional lifestyle.
- Wake up a little earlier than you need to, to allow yourself some time to live slow. This time can be spent enjoying some tea, reading a book, journaling, doing some yoga, meditating, or whatever it is that floats your boat and makes you feel good.
- Look over your to do list and remove unnecessary tasks. I’m not encouraging you to skip your least favorite chores and errands, but I am encouraging you to pare down the list you have and schedule in some time for you. You can’t take back the minutes in your day that you wished you’d spent on what’s important to you.
- If you’re stuck on how to slow down, a simple way is to simply unplug from all electronics for a while. Without the noise and distraction, and by listening to what you crave to do without it, you might just cultivate the mindful attitude you need to contemplate a slow living lifestyle and how this may benefit you.
- Figure out what energizes you, and what tires you. Being primarily an introvert, I am energized and inspired by my alone time, but this is unique to each individual. Be aware of the activities, social interactions that bring you joy and uplift you and whenever possible, and if it can’t be avoided find creative ways to find a reprieve. By being conscientious of what serves you, and what does not, we can begin to shift our lives by placing more importance on what we consider our priorities.
- Take time for some deep breaths and observation. Especially in situations where we begin to go into auto-pilot mode, try to train yourself to stop, breath and ground yourself. In these moments, you really have the magic of slowing time down!
