The Ultimate Guide to Slow Living

Slow living has been a buzzword for quite some time now and with good reason! Living a slower lifestyle can help with lowering stress-levels, reduce anxiety and make us overall happier.

But now to the question "How do I live a slow life, especially when I'm just super busy!?" In this blogpost, I'll answer this question and show you how I personally live a slow life while being a busy woman myself, full-time job and all ^^

So, grab yourself a warm cup of coffee, or tea and your coziest blanket and let´s begin!:

1. Let go of the feeling that you have to be productive all the time.

This can be a tough one if you're anything like how I used to be and meassure your self-worth with how "busy" you are or how much you can do in any given day. The truth is that you don't have to do it all. Sometimes it's okay to just let things be the way they are without having to control them and instead, listen to your own needs first. I know this is definitely easier said than done, but what has helped me a lot is reminding myself that me burning myself out is not going to do anyone any good and that my well-being is just as important as anyone else´s, which brings me to point number two:

2. Do something just for you, every day.

I have mentioned this in my previous blogpost aswell because I believe it is sooo important.

The first step to living a slow life is to start listening to your own needs and make time to do something, anything that brings you either joy, or peace and relaxation. This can be something as simple as having a cup of coffee in your favorite mug, or putting on an outfit that makes you feel amazing, or reading a book on the couch, instead of having to do something "productive" after work. You are worthy of the same care and time you so freely give to others <3

3. Reevaluate your goals in life

Are the goals you have set for yourself really coming from you, or are they an expectation you have put on yourself in order to be able to "show" for yourself, or get the approval of others?

Maybe your goal is to buy a big house for example, or a nice car, or have a successful business, which is great! But try to ask yourself if these wants are truly coming from your own heart and if the lifestyle you are envisioning for yourself resonates with you deep down and isn´t something you have been told to want because that´s just what everyone else seems to strive for.

Of course it is okay to want nice things, but sometimes we might feel that we "need" something to be able to show for ourselves, instead of truly wanting it just for us and this might lead to us feeling stressed, or overworked in the pursuit of achieving this life we have invisioned, putting a lot of preassure on ourselves and feeling like we "need" to be at a certain place by a certain age. This can feel very stressful and it´s honestly quite a heavy burden to carry and definitely not very "soft life".

When my partner and I moved into the house we live in now, I quickly realized that, even though it felt more comfortable and we like having more space, I was able to be just as happy living in our tiny studio apartment in the city, as I am living in this much bigger house now. Don´t get me wrong, I love living in our cottage, but when I learned that I was able to be just as happy in our little appartment, it was somehow freeing to think that I don´t necessarily need all of these things to live a full life. I do have dreams, but I´m also putting less preassure on myself as I know that no matter what, I will be okay even if I wouldn´t end up having the life I envisioned for myself.

Of course that is not to say that you should give up on your dreams! Your dreams are valid and important, but when they come with a lot of preassure and timelines, maybe try to take a step back and reevaluate what those dreams are and if there´s a possibility to get rid of the preassure and have more fun along the way  instead!

4. Live in the moment

If you struggle with anxiety a lot, this is definitely easier said than done.

I recently heard about a grounding exercise that really helps with learning how to live in the moment and it´s been helping me a lot recently!:

I forgot what exactly it was called, but how it works is you listen to all of your senses one at a time. For example: When you´re doing the dishes, you first ask yourself "what do I see", then "what do I hear, feel and smell". That way, whenever you have a million different thoughts in your head, this exercise might help bring you back into the "now" and starting slow will prepare you for when you are doing activities you want to enjoy and be "in the moment" for, like a lunch with friends, or even a wedding, or simply an afternoon playing with your children, or pets for example...

What I love to do that always brings me back in the moment is doing something "frivolous" for fun! Something I would have done as a child, like jumping into puddles when it rains, or smelling flowers, doing cartwheels, climbing a tree, things I did when I was little but at some point in time stopped doing when I grew up. Whenever I do these things, my mind doesn´t even get the chance to worry about anything, because I´m too busy just having fun and it´s sooo freeing too!

When you see a puddle next time you take a walk, I encourage you to just jump in it! Watch the water splash up from under your feet and just forget about the world for a couple of seconds. It might surprise you (or maybe not, but it can´t hurt to try ^^)

5. Start a relaxing hobby

What´s more "slow living" than reading a good book with a warm cup of coffee or tea, maybe while wrapped in a cozy blanket?

Here are a couple of relaxing slow living hobbies for this season:

1. Watching low stress shows. Friends, Seinfeld and Gilmore Girls are some of my favorite fun, low-stress, feel good shows, especially after a stressful day ^^
   

2. Knitting. Probably one of the most slow living hobbies there is! I have tried it, but it´s definitely more complicated than I thought ^^ I´m always so impressed when I see skilled knitters making whole entire pieces of clothing!
   

3. Going for walks in nature.

4. Reading and writing. If you are looking for book recommendations, I would highly recommend Darling Desi on YouTube, especially if you´re interested in contemporary romance novels, fiction, or anything cottage-core. ^^
   

5. Painting. Even if you feel like you "can´t paint". If you´re having fun doing it, it doesn´t matter what the painting looks like, as long as you´re enjoying the process. <3
   

6. Gardening. Getting out into the garden and planting something new, or taking care of plants can be so therapeutic. I have a Pinterest board with lots of garden ideas for some inspo. There´s a lot of inspiration for small garden spaces and windowsill-gardens in the board aswell if you are looking for some ideas!
   

I hope you enjoyed reading this guide to slow living and found some helpful tips!

Sending lots of love and coziness your way.