What is slow living and how to start doing this?
Working more and harder is not always very effective. For this reason alone we are increasingly seeing the slow living trend around us. Okay, let us be honest: this doesn’t sound very sexy. But maybe it is just what we need. And it is probably very healthy for all of us humans too!
What is Slow Living?
No, you suddenly don’t have to take half an hour to make yourself a cup of coffee like a sloth. Slowing down your life does not mean that everything becomes time-consuming from now on. But slow living means living as much as possible with your attention in the here and now. It means that you mainly slow down your thoughts and have less noise in your head.
This kind of lifestyle makes you notice that your life feels a lot calmer. Less rushed. You’ll see more clearly that life is made up of a series of moments that follow one another. And that the past and the future seem very real in your mind, but never actually exist.
This immediately makes life a lot easier. Because all there is to know is right in front of you. This can be a conversation with your child, the washing machine that needs emptying, the food you eat, the amazing sunset you enjoy. And nothing else! Living slower makes your life more qualitative, calmer and (believe it or not!) more fun. The following practical tips can help you achieve it.
Do one thing at a time
The more you would want to do at once, the more your attention gets into your head. By fully focusing your attention on what you have in front of you now, will make your life simpler and better.
Why? Mainly because it makes it easier to stay in the moment with your attention. This automatically makes your experience more peace and happiness. And even then you can still get a lot done by completing your tasks one at a time!
Notice how you drive yourself crazy
Haste is a reaction to what is happening in your head. It has little to do with the moment you are actually in. Since the busier your mind is – and the more attention you pay to it – the more rushed you feel and the faster you start to live. This makes life feel like a chronic emergency. Or like you’re always have a feeling you’re running out of times.
Becoming aware of your busy thoughts can help you take them less seriously. These thoughts will still be there, but you let them pass quietly like clouds in the sky!
Having a lack of time is just an idea in your head
Don’t worry, you have more than enough time. Time is not your problem, so there is no need to rush. What you actually want to work on is your own sense of dissatisfaction.
This is the constant nagging feeling that your life isn’t good enough yet. That you’ll finally be happy when something changes in your environment. If only you would have a little more success, slightly nicer clothes, some more money in the bank, and a little bit less fat around your stomach. By then you’ll finally and forever be happy!
But do you want to know the truth about this feeling? You’ve told yourself so many times that this would happen, and you’ve gotten so much of what you wanted so many times in your life. But you’re still not permanently happy. Obviously it just doesn’t work that way!
Just remember: contentment has nothing to do with what is happening around you. It has more to do with your personal view of your environment. When you are getting better at accepting and appreciating the moment as it comes, then the less rush you will feel.
Then suddenly you’ll no longer feel the urge to constantly change everything. There’s no need to get an approval, nor the need to worry so much about what others think of you!
No, by then you’ll feel comfortable in your own skin and are satisfied with your personal life. Now you’ll be able to focus on those few things that are really important to you. With a feeling of love and not the fear of not having enough or not being enough. That will make your live so much more relaxing!
Do less, but achieve more!
If you are always very busy in your head and live in a hurry. Then it seems to the outside world that you are getting a lot done. But in practice, this is often quite disappointing.
Why is that? Because truly meaningful work requires focus. This is really difficult to achieve when you are so very busy in your head. In this hectic state we do run around a lot, and preoccupy ourselves with all kinds of unimportant things.
Then we just make up how important this all is in our heads, so that we feel good about ourselves being busy. Meanwhile, it mainly produces a lot of stress and a mountain of drama!
But do you really want to be effective? Then only do the things that really matter. Do all of those things with love and attention. And cut the rest out of your work and life as much as possible!
So constantly ask yourself: “What’s really important here?” And make more room for that. And let the rest fall off your back, just like a heavy backpack after a long walk!
Live slow and experience minimal stress
Are you ready for an uncomplicated, loving and conscious life too? Then get started immediately with a roadmap to more peace and simplicity. Because the simpler you’ll make your life, the more space there will be for the things that really make you happy!
