31 Days of Slowing Down

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Practice Gratitude

The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.

Douglas Wood

“Thank you.”

“I’m grateful.”

“I feel blessed.”

Try saying these words of gratitude meaningfully. How does it feel? To me, if feels like great ol’ hug. And when I’m getting a great ol’ hug, time slows, everything is right, and I want for nothing. It’s a great feeling. To feel like you need nothing else. That you are happy as you are, and thankful for all that you have. It feels amazing to appreciate even the little things. And feeling good is the whole point, isn’t it?

Today, let’s feel and express gratitude for every part of your day. If it’s easier to write things down, by all means. We all have days when it’s more difficult to be grateful in the present. If this is today, try reflecting on times or people you are grateful for instead to kickstart your thankfulness! We have much to be thankful for, and many benefits to reap from practicing gratitude.

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Daydream

Give yourself time to drift away. I’ve found myself visualizing my goals, imagining faraway places I want to visit, or observing my mind as I let it wander. I think of this as the opposite of meditation where the aim is to focus our attention in clearing our minds. We are so often forced to focus on the task at hand, often making mental lists of the next thing and the next after that. Taking a break from focus is beneficial in making us aware of how we’re feeling, and noticing what our thoughts gravitate toward.

What comes to mind when we’re daydreaming can be a great tool to assess our current mental state and wellbeing. Are you regretting something you said last week? Are you reminiscing a fond memory? Are you building the house of our dreams and deciding on the living room wall color? Take as little as 5 minute to see where your daydream takes you!

Slow Living Practice of the Day – Engross Yourself in Every Meal

We spend lots of hours eating, but if you’re like me, you’ve experienced a hurried life where your food is scarfed down in a few large mouthfuls to make time for the next thing. Or maybe you’ve missed or delayed a meal significantly because you were busy. Or maybe you had plenty of time to eat, but found yourself barely tasting anything before your bowl was empty because you were engrossed in a show or scrolling your phone.

Our nervous system is made up of two parts, one of them being the Parasympathetic Nervous System. When we eat while feeling stressed, angry, nervous, or rushed, our bodies do not properly digest our food, making little use of the nutrients (which is the main reason we’re eating in the first place). So turn off the phone, chew slowly, savor each bite with all the senses. Take in the atmosphere, sight, smells and flavors. Enjoy every part of this daily ritual and nourish your body and spirit!

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Meditate

Mindfulness requires quieting the chatter in our minds. Take time to be present, ground, and connect with yourself and the world. If you need a reminder, you can find out about the benefits of meditation here. I personally love using Headspace (I’m not sponsored, just a fan!) which is a lovely subscription service with training and guided meditations and even sections for sleep and exercise. If a paid subscription isn’t for you, there are wonderful free guided meditations all over the internet to help you get started.

Find a peaceful spot whether at home or outdoors. If you’re new to meditating and the thought of sitting alone with your thoughts terrifies you, it’s ok. That’s where I started too! But as you go along, maybe one minute today, and two minutes the next, you can slowly become used to stillness. Before you know it, you’ll start craving the sensation of peace it gives you. Practice with kindness, and without judgment. If your mind wanders don’t beat yourself up! It’s human nature. Just continue the practice. Maybe once a day, maybe once a week. It’s more important that you continue to practice rather than being judgmental of the progress you’ve made.

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Immerse Yourself in a Hobby

Maybe you like to hike, bake, run, weave, make ceramics, take a class, play card games, play an instrument, sing, learn calligraphy, paint pour, swing dance, learn a new language, make soap, garden, journal, clean, play chess, learn acrobatics, make miniatures, write to penpals, build human pyramids, and the list goes on and on. Whatever it is, if it brings you joy, you deserve to have it be a part of your life.

Whatever your hobby might be, make time for it today. It may be challenging to find time and space for the things we enjoy doing, but let it be a challenge. Figure out what needs to be done to allow you to the time and resources to make it happen. Then enjoy!

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Schedule Time To Do Absolutely Nothing

It sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? But we schedule time for everything else. Like work, time spent with friends, a visit to the doctor, a date, school, hair and nails, playdates, grocery shopping and so many more essential and non-essential events. It’s natural that in our slow living journey, we should schedule time to slow down and do nothing. Your “doing nothing” may look different to mine, because doing nothing can mean different things depending on your personality.

While I’ve written a separate post on the art of doing nothing, right now, let’s focus on making some breathing room in our schedules for whatever it is you want more time for. Not everyone is afforded a lot of down time, but everyone has SOME time. And if you can’t afford any time for nothing, this is a time to consider whether you are happy living with a full schedule or if you could benefit from a reprieve. How can you rearrange, declutter, omit from your schedule so you can afford time for your priorities? For today, use whatever time you have to do absolutely nothing. You may end up just where you belong.

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Read a Book

Yes, a real physical book, preferably. If you can, avoid reading on an electronic device or multitasking while listening to Audible. As much as these forms of reading certainly serve their purpose, there’s a reason reading a physical book can be beneficial in slowing down. You can read about the pros of reading a physical book on Scientific American.

Reading a book encourages us to practice our mental focus – the same focus needed to live intentionally and mindfully. And reading a physical book as opposed to on an electronic device has the added benefit of omitting radio waves and blue light radiation from the equation, which your body will thank you for. Two birds!

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Say No

Sometimes it’s as simple as saying no to make room for the things that matter. While I’m not suggesting giving up all your undesired responsibilities, it’s important to take a moment before you agree to do something that doesn’t align with what you value. As an example, if you don’t actually enjoy wearing makeup, don’t spend an hour of your day putting makeup on, and taking it off! Say no! Assuming that you live the human average of 78.93 years and you are 30 years old, you just earned yourself an extra 17,859 hours of life. Go crazy.

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Savor Every Moment

I’ve encountered many moments in life where I realized I had done something on auto-pilot, finished a meal hardly tasting any of the food, or forgotten to take in the view and fresh air while taking a walk. I’ve been working on slowing down and being present. Whether we’re enjoying a cup of tea, having a conversation with a friend, or admiring artwork at a museum, we can all gain by developing a deeper appreciation for all the small things in life. Try to move slower and savor every moment. Savor with all your available senses, we are blessed to have them.

Slow Living Practice of the Day: Immerse Yourself in Nature

I came across a beautiful concept while living in Japan called Shinrinyoku which literally translates to “forest bathing”. It really is as simple as it sounds. “Bathing” in the energy of nature brings calm and a quality of awareness that is incomparable to anything else.

Spend some or all of your day out in nature. Spend time in a park, the woods, the ocean, if you can. Take in the experience will all the senses. Being in nature has been proven to boost your immune system and reduce stress. It’s impossible not to slow down when you’re immersed in nature! If you can’t physically be outdoors, open the windows and look out, tend to plants, or meditate while listening to forest or ocean sounds. The point of this is practice is to become in tune with Mother Nature. She knows to be efficient, but also to take her time.