9 reasons for you to start living slow today

What do you feel when you hear the term Slow Living? What comes to your mind?

Let me guess, those aesthetic pictures of steaming coffee in pastel cups with a book or some plants in a low-light setting you find on Instagram and Pinterest or a soothing warm home decor that makes you go- that gives me all the feels of slowness and calm!

Or some of you might just be thinking about a life on the countryside, raising your own chickens and all, away from what you perceive as a ‘real’ life. Well, I’m kinda into the idea of a farmhouse life on the countryside but Slow Living in actuality is not just that. It’s simply- living ‘slow’. Wherever you are and however you want to do it.

What is Slow Living exactly?

According to Wikipedia, Slow living is a lifestyle emphasizing slower approaches to aspects of everyday life. It has been defined as movement or action at a relaxed or leisurely pace.

Carl Honore, the bestselling author of In Praise of Slowness, which many consider the manifesto of the Slow Movement, says-

“The slow movement is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. Nor is it a Luddite attempt to drag the whole planet back to some pre-industrial utopia. The movement is made up of people who want to live better in a fast-paced, modern world. The slow philosophy can be summed up in a single word: balance.”

It is hard to go about adopting this lifestyle without understanding what it is NOT.

It is not something that should make you feel anxious at the very thought of it. It is not some home decor trend or a race to make everything look perfect, crispy clean with all the muted colour tones, and definitely not a pretension ride to seem at ultimate peace from inside-out.

It’s not a comparison game!

It’s okay if you like the aesthetic and if it helps you. I too love the whole calm vibe some of those carefully decorated pictures on Pinterest give me but then I don’t feel pressured about it everyday and sulk over how I have to turn my space into a slow-life stage set in order to be able to live a slower and simpler life. Know that your home can be just the way you want it to be- bright, colourful, deep shaded, no decor, too much decor… no one cares.

Slow living is all about how you live, how you do your every day basic stuff like breathing, eating, working- slowly, mindfully and with purpose. Nothing too crazy.

How did the slow movement originate?

The slow movement first grew from the slow food movement that began in the 1980s in Italy when the convenient yet unhealthy ‘fast food’ was gaining popularity worldwide. Slow food, on the other hand, is about cooking and eating slowly with an intention to be savored and enjoyed along with our close ones. That idea branched into several other aspects as the fast-paced, modern life began to pick up. From slow fashion to slow travel, slow parenting and now it’s all under one tree- Slow Living.

What are the benefits of practicing a slow lifestyle?

The reasons for why you should start living slow and simple are countless but here are a few to name:

1. You get to make the choice for yourself-

A fast life takes away the liberty of choice from us. You have to do things a certain way in a certain time so you can accomplish these many tasks to earn that much money. Then again you fall back into the cycle of your wants driving you to do and be in ways you don’t always get to make a choice about. And as time passes the cycle grows bigger and thicker with more wants and more money but little time for what’s truly important. There- You’ve lost your right to choose! But know that though it’s hard to get back from there, it’s not impossible. You don’t have to become the monk who sold his Ferrari. Just be the person that figured what matters and decided to put them first.

2. You will be able to refocus your attention-

You will find yourself being able to direct your attention and energy to what is truly important. The people in your life, the bond you have with them, the food you eat, the way it’s cooked, the habits you have, a vision for yourself and most importantly the person you are and the values you want to hone or create.

By living slow and simple you will stop worrying about how far you will get tomorrow and re-adjust your focus on how much you lived today.

3. You will become more productive-

Clearing up your unnecessarily busy life and going about it with ease day after day will help you get better at each task because you are not rushing. And in that way you finish more and even do it effectively.

4. You will save money-

Living slow also means living minimal. It’s a choice but putting your money into something of value, something you will use frequently because you absolutely NEED it, instead of wasting too much on temporary pleasures will help you feel clutter-free and be more present with only what matters in the true sense.

5. You will experience better concentration-

The slower you do things and the more intentional you are as you do them, the more you are going to be able to concentrate.

6. You can connect with yourself-

Just a bit of quiet and slowness will let you slip into a space that is devoid of all the noises and rush around. You will begin to feel more conscious of your being, see who you are and what are the things you have a real liking towards. In the process of noticing and knowing yourself a little at a time, you will reconnect with yourself.

7. You will be able to make better decisions-

A life that goes slower, with more time and space for your mind to form rational thoughts and arguments will only increase your ability of making better decisions for yourself. Your life is in your control and when there is not a lot driving you to make a decision or rushing you to come up with something in a limited time frame, you are at more freedom to make your decisions rightly.

8. You will develop a much needed clarity in various aspects of your life-

Letting yourself be open and free without hard confinements of time while living with intention will carve up clarity in your head about many things- your life, your relationships, your work, your ambition etc. Clarity is what you need to stay motivated to go on with your life and grow overtime.

9. Your overall health will improve by multiple folds-

A fast lifestyle so far has only resulted in more anxiety, high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart diseases among our generation. Stopping for a moment and just reflecting on how you lived so far and how you intend on living as you move on from here to avoid adverse health effects can really give you a much need perspective and maybe even a reality check. Tell me, is it really worth it to chase everything of materialistic importance for so long until you just can’t do anything anymore one day?

Conclusion-

I could go on and on about why you might need to slow down in life now more than ever but there is only so much I can say. I hope you understand early on that you don’t have to change your life significantly in order to be able to start living a slower life. Just make your choices right. Take a few things off your plate today and see how it goes. You don’t have to do or show up for everything and yes! That’s a possibility too. There is no point stressing for months at a stretch and taking a vacation to some place away from your regular life only to return and jump back into the chase. You are only testing your limits and that’s not very healthy for your mind or body in the long run. I hope you realize it soon and start acting on it.

Thanks for reading!