In the previous blog post, we took a look at the slow living style of life and also a few tiny & doable ideas to ease into it or to simply get the feel of what it looks like to live slowly. If the concept of slow living has piqued your interest and you'd like to dip your toes into it, you're in the right place at the right time! In today's blog, I'm going to discuss how we can move (easily) from a rushed life or hustle culture toward a slow-paced life.
When we make a decision as big as wanting to change our lifestyle, we must understand that it isn't going to be an overnight process. It takes time, space, and consistency on our part for anything new to stick. And since we're talking about slow living, we're going to take it slow!
Before we get started with anything, there are a few questions that I'd like to ask. By now you know that I love to ask questions, so brace yourself dear reader and take your time to mull over them before answering:
- Why do you want to make this change?
- What brought you to the conclusion that your current way of living isn't sparking any joy?
- Are there any end goals/motives that you think you want to reach/attain by making this change?
The aim of answering these questions is to get clear on your "why". Why do you want to make a change? The moment you're clear on your why, the change, no matter how big, and in this case, a lifestyle change, seems both doable and reachable. Therefore, clarity is your BFF here.
The next step is to determine what kind of a person you are: are you a person who likes to follow a routine & plan things or are you a no-routine, spontaneous type of a person? The accurate answer to this (no matter what you say), lies in your current lifestyle.
Reflect on any regular day from your current lifestyle. What does your day look like? Describe it in detail. By the end of doing this, you'll recognize whether you function well with a routine or not. Once determined your functioning style, you can now begin to make a note of your ideal day. What does your ideal day look like? Describe it in as much detail as possible.
While you do want to adopt a slow life and also know what sort of a life you wish to live, which areas of your current life do you feel need the most slowing down? Is it that you begin your morning in a rush, on autopilot and it is a downward spiral from there every day? Or is it that you find almost no time for yourself during the day and by the end of it are too exhausted to make yourself a decent cup of tea let alone cook a meal or indulge in a hobby or self-care?
What are the areas that you could most benefit from by slowing down? Highlight them. From there, work your way towards your "ideal" slow life. The intention behind this is to gain a bit more clarity around what you are working & moving towards. At this point, it would be beneficial to ask yourself the following questions, the point being, to better understand the quality of your current lifestyle and what would you like to change or keep:
- What am I feeding myself?
- What am I surrounding myself with?
- What am I putting out into the world?
When you ask: "What am I feeding myself?" remember to include the food that you eat, how you entertain yourself, the news, shows, music, etc., you feed yourself with, the books you read, your hobbies, the people you associate with, the things you tell yourself, your beliefs, etc.
When you ask yourself: "What am I surrounding myself with?" remember to include your environment: home & workspace, the company you keep, your car's environment (if you own one), the type of conversations you get into, the places you usually visit, your closet, the clothes & accessories you wear, etc.
When you ask yourself: "What am I putting out into the world?" remember to include all of your intentions, what you speak for others, the job you do, your volunteer/charity work, the type of friend you are, your views about things and the world in general, etc.
With all this homework done, I'm sure by now you at least have an idea of which areas of your life to modify first. I'm still holding your hand here, reminding you to make an action plan and break it down into bite-sized bits as it is always better to start humble and work your way up.
To put you even more at ease, here's a list of simple things that you can do today to build a culture & lifestyle of slow living for yourself:
- Stop romanticizing being busy.
- Make time to spend time outdoors.
- Make time to spend time with your loved ones.
- Spend time alone.
- Get to know yourself better (your major three, MBTI type, what archetype you resonate with, which movie/fictional characters describe you best, etc.)
- Keep up with your boundaries. Say "no" more often.
- Avoid indulging in mindless chatter & gossip.
- Stop mindless complaining as conversation starters.
- Keep away from binge-watching tv.
- Declutter your home & surroundings.
- Adopt a minimalist way of life or simplify your life (if minimalism isn't your thing.)
- Associate with people, brands, products, etc. that are similar to your interests while also helping you to grow as an individual.
- Unsubscribe from the unnecessary (people, things, mailing lists, apps, etc.)
- Be mindful of who & what you support. For example, shopping locally, eating seasonal foods, shopping less (quality over quantity), etc.
These are a few things that I truly believe we can all get behind when it comes to cultivating any lifestyle- be it the questions asked or the time spent idealizing our lives to make it a reality. I hope that this piece of writing stays with you as you journey along and navigate a major life change. That's all for this one, I'll see you next time! :)
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xx,
Khushboo.