Modern life is feeling more rushed than ever before. With ever-changing technologies defining our personal lives and working patterns too, the daily routine often feels more like a challenge than something to enjoy. Slow living could boost your mental and physical well-being and lower your stress levels. If you’re ready to change your perspective and seek out more meaningful opportunities, we’ve explained more below.
No matter your current stage in life or the progress you’ve made in your career, learning how to live in the moment and pause the chaos can be instrumental for your health.
Redefine luxury
Your idea of luxury is always different from someone else’s.
By challenging your expectations and thinking differently about the finer things in life, you can start to feel more grateful for what you already have and worry less about the things you can’t control.
For example, seeing your warm, dry home and a comfy bedroom as a luxury could help you to start feeling more appreciative overall. If you’re able to meet your physical and emotional needs and have a comfortable place to call home, you’ve already got the fundamentals covered.
Curate your environment
Your surroundings play a greater role in your health than you might expect.
Recent studies have proven that a cluttered environment can contribute to stress. But if your space is conversely too empty, you might be subconsciously squashing your creativity and feeling uninspired too.
Take the time to adapt your surroundings in a way that reflects your current priorities, keeping the most appropriate resources and accessories around you. A methodical approach to your home ensures that you’ll both stay productive and harness every opportunity for self-improvement.
Make the everyday special
Finding joy in life’s smaller moments is a skill and virtue, particularly when it comes to slow living.
When you’re able to zoom out and look at the bigger picture, it’s less tempting to compare yourself to others or feel disheartened about slow progress when you’re trying your best.
Even if you’re experiencing some setbacks while working towards certain goals and finding little perks, you won’t be tempted to dwell on your failures. Keeping busy could help you combat negative thoughts too. For example, playing a quick game of Deal or No Deal bingo could bring some entertainment to your day.
From waking up and having that first sip of tea in the morning to settling down on the sofa with a good book, some of the best things in life come for free; you just need to take a minute to learn how to appreciate them.
Address your use of technology
Most of us spend too much time looking at a screen, with the average person in the UK spending at least 3 hours on their mobile devices.
Whether it’s scrolling aimlessly on your phone for hours or slouching behind the desk at your office job, the detrimental effect of excessive screen time shouldn’t be underestimated.
It can be hard to balance the time you spend away from the screens when you’re working, but it’s easy to find a better balance at home. Limiting your social media time is a fantastic place to start, and it’s likely that you’ll see benefits more quickly than you’d expect.
If you live with family or friends, you could suggest eating dinner around the table and chatting rather than watching television. Becoming less reliant on tech means appreciating your surroundings and connecting with yourself and each other.
Cultivate mindfulness
Finally, learning how to practice mindfulness with purpose means that despite the stress of daily life, you’ll know exactly how to switch off.
Mindfulness encourages us to live with purpose and create time to consolidate our most meaningful experiences. This leaves us with more room to grow and overcome challenges, especially during transitional periods in life.
With an open-minded approach to personal development, mastering the art of slow living comes much more naturally.
