Technology has made our world connected and fast-paced as ever, impacting our quality and speed of life. Conversations, information, and news travels faster than ever before. People are expected to be connected 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Working after leaving the office has become the norm. “Hustle culture” has caused many people to experience extreme points of burnout. Our fast-paced lifestyles take their toll on our mind, body, and spirit. Everything, from our health and diet to our relationships, families, communities, and schools is suffering from busyness and it’s also hurting our ability to think, link, innovate, create work, be productive, and be creative. But the faster things become, the more our subconsciousness rebels wanting to slow us down.
Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slowness: How A Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed says that:
“I think of slow [living] as more of a mindset than anything else, it’s quality over quantity. It’s doing things with presence, being in the moment. Ultimately, it’s about doing everything as well as possible instead of as fast as possible.”
The movement resonates with so many because people are sick of fast-forwarding through their lives—and the consequences that go along with that lifestyle. “We’re racing through our lives instead of actually living them,” says Honoré. “Turning every moment of the day into a dash takes a toll, and it’s hurting us in so many ways.”
“Slow living is just living slowly, in whatever and however way that means to you. It’s about knowing and passionately loving the things we value, and designing our lives to spend the most time possible enjoying them. It’s about having intentionality and consciousness in our activities, about escaping the mindless scrolling and unproductive multi-tasking and focusing on purposeful action. It’s about embracing the fact that you’re not doing it all – it’s about doing less, but better.”— Kayte Ferris
“Slow Living means structuring your life around meaning and fulfilment. Similar to ‘voluntary simplicity‘ and ‘downshifting,’ it emphasizes a less-is-more approach, focusing on the quality of your life…Slow Living addresses the desire to lead a more balanced life and to pursue a more holistic sense of well-being in the fullest sense of the word. In addition to the personal advantages, there are potential environmental benefits as well. When we slow down, we often use fewer resources and produce less waste, both of which have a lighter impact on the earth.”— Beth Meredith and Eric Storm
The world has been longing to slow down and it’s finally happening. It seems people are becoming more conscious and strive for a simpler and more meaningful life. The push is towards simplicity, whether that’s decluttering or avoiding tourist traps. The joy of presence has been long practiced by ancient cultures of Japan and other Asian countries. Now, this philosophy is taking off mainstream. There are thousands of Instagram photos of people sharing their way of #slowliving. They are proud of their imperfections and embrace everything which stands against senseless busyness. The pictures depict ruffled linen sheets and steaming cups of tea. Pleasures to be savoured and enjoyed slowly. Inspiration to put down our phones and be present in the moment.
While adjusting to the ultimate slower lifestyle of your dreams may take some time, you can start enjoying your life more this very moment. Every little step counts. Because guess what, your life isn’t waiting for you — it’s happening right now, and it’s entirely up to you to take a moment. So take a deep breathe, slow down, and relish in just how wonderful it is to be alive today.
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