Slowing down can — dare we say — change your life in more ways than one. Here are the benefits of it and tips on how to do it.
Like many people, “hustling” was ingrained into my way of being, especially throughout my twenties. I hustled through college while juggling a part-time job, an unpaid internship, working at my school’s newspaper, going out with my friends, and spending time with my boyfriend (now husband). That mentality followed me into my career, and that looked like spending most waking moments consumed with work.
In many ways, operating at full steam served me. I graduated college with honors at the top of my class. I started my own business as a freelance writer fresh out of school and am still succeeding at it a decade later. However, hustling took a major toll on my mental health and well-being. I was constantly mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. The anxiety I’ve dealt with since I was young went from an occasional blip to a black cloud over my head that followed me everywhere. And so many of my personal life goals were put on the back burner all of those years while I focused on getting things done. Suffice it to say, something needed to change.
The solution? Slowing down.
In a world where hustling is the norm, slowing down is much easier said than done. It takes time and effort, like breaking any habit, but trust me, it’s worth it. Personally, slowing down significantly reduced my stress, anxiety, and overwhelm levels; created more ease in my life; and provided more time for the things that bring me joy. So overall, I recommend it 10/10. I’ve since learned there’s a name for this concept: slow living.
While the concept of living at a slower pace isn’t new, it has become a hot social media topic in recent years as more people tire of trying to keep up with a fast-paced existence. Curious to learn how to live a slow life? Read what our experts have to say about slow living, the benefits of it, and how to practice it.
What Is Slow Living?
There are many components to practicing slow living, but it boils down to this: “Slow living is embracing a mindful, intentional way of living that emphasizes slowing down and being more present in your everyday life,” explains life and empowerment coach Laina Caltagirone. What Caltagirone is describing is a major departure from a culture that glorifies living a fast-paced, rushed lifestyle.
The term “slow living” was coined in the 1980s by Italian activist Carlo Petrini, who founded the “slow food” movement in protest of fast-food culture. “He believed that people should take the time to enjoy food and return to Italian culture and values, including a focus on family, community, and quality of life,” Caltagirone tells DailyOM. The movement later spread, she adds, and the idea of embracing slowness extended beyond food to include principles of mindfulness, simplicity, and sustainability.
With that in mind, Caltagirone emphasizes that slow living doesn’t mean living passively or being lazy. “Slowing down and being more present in everything you do actually makes you more effective,” she says. This is why when you try to multitask to get more done, your performance and productivity may suffer — and why many experts advise a “monotasking” approach of doing one thing at a time, with intention.
I can definitely attest to this. One of my fears of slowing down was that I wouldn’t reach my goals fast enough, which feels like the worst thing for a goal-oriented Type-A like me. However, once I embraced slow living, I learned that quite the opposite is true. The more I slowed down, the more I had to be intentional with my time and energy, which helped me achieve my goals sooner and more efficiently.
Interested in learning more? Check out Meditation for Anxiety
The Health Benefits of Slow Living
Practicing slow living has many physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Meghan Rose, an astrologer and spiritual mentor, says slowing down allows you to take in each moment. In other words: mindfulness, which can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, help improve sleep — even lower our blood pressure. Research has found that the psychological benefits of practicing mindfulness include an increase in overall well-being, a decrease in emotional reactivity, and improvement of behavioral regulation.
The results of a life that is slower and more intentional, Caltagirone says, are higher levels of happiness and well-being, more peace of mind and clarity, and less worrying about the future ... or dwelling on the past.
Furthermore, Rose says slow living can also support people in finding purpose and fulfillment in their lives by helping them better balance their work and personal lives, strengthening their relationships, and encouraging the enjoyment of “tedious” everyday tasks such as grocery shopping or walking the dog that people often rush through.
How to Practice Slow Living
To help you begin reaping the benefits of slow living, experts share their tips below on how to incorporate more slowness into your life.
1. Practice Time Management
Since slow living requires moving slower than you may be accustomed to, time management becomes crucial. The goal, however, is not to neatly fill up every available moment in your schedule, but rather to create more spaciousness. To put this into practice, Rose recommends making small shifts, such as leaving a few minutes early for your destination so you don’t feel rushed. In addition, Caltagirone suggests not booking back-to-back appointments and leaving some empty space in your day to just be and relax without an agenda.
Personally, time management was a pivotal tool in my slowing-down journey. It forced me to really look at how I was spending my time and energy. I had to take inventory of what actually mattered and would move the needle in my life, and what no longer served me and needed to be cut out.
Pro tip: I recommend time-tracking your tasks throughout the day to better understand where your time is going. You may be shocked to learn how much longer some tasks take to complete than you initially thought. I like to use an app called Toggl for this, but pen and paper (or a bullet journal) will also do the trick.
2. Make Unplugging a Priority
Using technology is one of those activites we don’t realize is sucking up so much of our time. For example, watching one TikTok video can quickly turn into 30 minutes of mindless scrolling — time you could have spent doing things that nourish you. For this reason, Caltagirone says one way to practice slow living is to disconnect from technology when you’re able to do so.
That said, everyone’s lifestyle is different. For instance, if you’re like me and use technology to make a living, this can be tough. The key, Caltagirone says, is to start by unplugging during small moments throughout the day, such as when you’re eating or during your morning rituals.
So what do you do with this newfound unplugged time? Caltagirone says rest and relaxation should be at the top of the list. This may look like taking walks, getting a massage, reading, journaling, or spending time in nature.
Rose adds that this unplugged time is also a great opportunity to reconnect with hobbies you enjoy, whether that’s painting, playing an instrument, or cooking — whatever helps you disconnect and be fully present.
3. Buy Sustainably and Locally When Possible
Beyond how you spend your time, the concept of slow living extends to how you consume things, which is why Rose advises buying sustainably and locally when possible. “Instead of keeping up with circulating trends, eating fast food, or ordering in one click from Amazon, try to slow down when it comes to consumerism,” she says. “This does not mean that you have to overextend yourself financially, but instead, take a pause before purchasing. Do you really need another new top, or could you spend the day shopping through your closet and reworking old pieces? If you took 10 minutes one day a week to plan out your meals and snacks, could you avoid becoming hangry later on and skip the drive-through?”
With that said, remember that it’s not about being perfect. Sometimes our busy schedules and tight budgets won’t allow for buying sustainably or shopping locally, and that’s okay, too.
4. Incorporate Mindfulness Practices
Being present in the moment is one of the big components of slow living, which is why Caltagirone recommends practicing present-moment awareness. For some people, moving at a slower pace and carving out free time on their calendar isn’t feasible due to life responsibilities and circumstances. However, practicing mindfulness doesn’t require much time at all. It is simply pausing for a few moments through the day to just … be.
“Make it a point to periodically breathe, check in, and take in the details of the moment with your senses,” Caltagirone says. “Notice what you are hearing, feeling, seeing, smelling, and experiencing, and it will ground you fully into the present moment.”
If you do have some additional time to spare, Caltagirone suggests practices such as meditation, gentle yoga, or simply doing things more slowly than you usually would (such as eating or drinking, for example) as great ways to incorporate more mindfulness into your life.
In my experience, I found that brief moments of mindfulness like these, such as savoring my homemade vanilla latte every morning, gave me a literal taste of how good it feels to slow down, which inspired me to bring that pace to other areas of life.
In other words, don’t underestimate the power of a mindful moment.
