Let’s take a look at the characteristics of slow living as a philosophy of life and how to apply it to our routine.

Doing things at full speed and wanting to do as many tasks as possible, even doing several at the same time, is not always the best way to act and live, as this is not sustainable in the long term since living for a long time under high levels of stress can be very harmful to health.

The “slow living” movement is a philosophy of life-based on the way of living by paying full attention to the present moment, focusing the senses on what you are doing or contemplating at that precise moment, trying to enjoy every moment, and devote to each task the time necessary to do it well.

In this article, we will see what the slow living movement is and what are the different ways to put it into practice in everyday life.

What is the “slow living” movement?

The “slow living” movement emerged in the 80s and consists of a philosophy of life-based on the way of living, paying full attention to the present moment, focusing the senses on what is being done or contemplated at that precise moment, trying to enjoy every moment and devote to each task the time necessary to do it well.

Also, this does not mean that following this movement means living in a bad way or in an irresponsible way, as it may seem so because the word “slow” is often frowned upon and could be related to the terms “lazy” or even “idle.”

However, in this case, the slow living movement does not have negative connotations but just the opposite. In the times in which we live, in which things are moving very fast, people often have the feeling that they have to rush through life, carrying more things at once than they really want to cover, stretching their effort as much as they can until they reach their limit and their body asks them to stop to recover.

What is slow living

On the other hand, the slow living movement goes in the opposite direction to the “fast track” in which many people live, without pauses and without dosing the tasks. So those who follow slow living try to do a few things and really enjoy them (e.g., there are ‘slow food’ restaurants to eat calmly for 3 hours).

This movement was very successful thanks to several authors who talked about the benefits of slow living, as opposed to the chaotic, hurried and anxious way of life that has to combine a lot of activities of their current life, thus appearing the slow way of life, where each thing is given its time and a time is reserved for each thing. Therefore, instead of doing several things simultaneously, fewer things are done, even if they are few, but well done.

People who follow the slow living movement do not pretend to be 100 people at once: Nurse, great mother, paddle tennis player, swimmer, hiker, among other things, and this we do not mean that you can not have hobbies, carry well the work and motherhood; however, sometimes it is complicated to carry at once various aspects of life, so in some instances, it would be advisable to focus on the one you like most, in terms of hobbies, or know how to dose and also know when it is necessary to rest because the body may not be able to withstand so much stress level. A very helpful tip is to delegate some of your problems and work to someone else. That is, if you have a busy work schedule, then you should not waste your vacation time trying to fix the faucet in the kitchen. Just like if you need to write an essay, you use https://www.wowessays.com/, so here – just unload yourself.

Problems and difficulties

Many people have enough difficulties to follow the slow living movement because they are subjected to an accelerated lifestyle, living a kind of autonomic hyperactivation, so they have certain risks of experiencing some mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, or depression, among others, and this may be due to a real-time war in which they constantly live, fighting against the time we would like to have, and there are also moments too full and times too empty.

Nowadays, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we find it hard to get into the mindset of living fully in the present (“when I eat, I eat and only eat,” “when I sleep, I sleep and only sleep,” “when I study, I study and only study” and “when I work, I work and only work”). But what actually happens these days is the following: when I am eating, I think I want to laugh with my friends; when I am with them, I am thinking about the work I have to hand in; when I go to bed, I am thinking about tomorrow’s tasks, and when I wake up, I am thinking about how well I would be sleeping.

It is not a coincidence that there is a high percentage of people with anxiety, since nowadays, stress levels due to the fast-paced lifestyle that a large part of the population leads ends up causing different types of emotional disorders such as anxiety or depression; this may be partly due to the fact that people who suffer stress try to endure the pressure for a prolonged period of time and do not seek help until their body and mind ask for a break. Therefore, it would be important to put some measures in place in order to prevent increased stress levels.

One of the ways to prevent those kinds of mental health problems that could end up developing because of the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life would be to reduce multitasking so that we don’t try to cover 100 aspects. In other words, instead of wanting to do 10 things at once, choose half or as many as we can successfully do, choosing the ones that we feel would be most fulfilling and beneficial to us in the long run, really engaging with our whole being in what we do.

Many times we associate progress with improvement, quantity, and wealth, but we should relate quality with a smaller number of activities that we enjoy and can make the most of.

How to follow the slow living movement?

The slow living movement can be very beneficial for those people who live a very hectic day-to-day life and need to pause their lifestyle a bit so that it does not end up causing them serious health problems. This is not to say that we should be radical when practicing this movement since there are many situations and many types of work that require agility and speed; however, we must know when to stop, when to dose and plan our day-to-day so that we do not pile up things and try to do several at the same time.

There are also times when it might be advisable to make a list of priorities and, if necessary, set aside for a while some things that are not essential (e.g., if at a certain time I have more work than usual, I have a partner and children with whom I want to enjoy my free time, I am practicing various forms of sport and I am also learning to play the guitar; if I am suffering from high levels of stress, perhaps it would be advisable to prioritize and not practice so many sports at once and set aside some for a while).

Moreover, the slow living movement can be applied to almost all areas of our lives: in eating (slow food), in education, in sex, in leisure, in travel, and even at work. On the other hand, the slow living movement is also focused on leading a sustainable lifestyle, trying to reduce the pace of consumption so that only buy what is essential or necessary, use new technologies rationally, and encourage purchases in local stores.

Therefore, following slow living means living calmly, enjoying the good things, and giving each thing the attention it really deserves. It also promotes healthy living, sustainability, and caring for social relationships.

Tips for putting slow living into practice

As we have seen, there are times when it is not possible to practice slow living because our work may require us to be fast. However, it can be implemented in some moments of the day, even if they are small, although it would be beneficial to allocate a percentage of time to put it into practice, even if it is small, and for this, we can follow the following tips:

• Try to be aware of the present moment and do things as slowly and well done as possible.
• In your free time, make some trips outdoors and enjoy nature.
• Try to dedicate enough time calmly to our loved ones.
• Practice mindfulness, yoga, and meditation, or dedicate a few minutes a day to calm reflection.
• Decrease the time we spend in front of screens, as they keep us hyperactive all the time.
• Try to use technology only when it facilitates certain things (e.g., work, calling a loved one, etc.).
• Establish a limited time for social networks, trying to disconnect from them as much as possible.
• Avoid consumerism, get rid of what we do not need, and think if we really need something before buying it.
• Practice ‘slow food’, eating calmly and savoring every bite (similar to ‘mindful eating’).
• Try to prepare our food with fresh products and focus on cooking without distractions.
• Put our home and workplace in order to lead a more orderly life.
• Plan our daily tasks so that they do not pile up, and we can dedicate the necessary time to them.
• Avoid multitasking.
• Practice ‘slow tourism’, disconnecting from the cell phone and trying to enjoy the landscape and experiences fully.