We could all do with slowing down our pace in life. Many of us rush to work, eat on the go, work through our lunch breaks and send scrambled emails with multiple typos! Imagine taking your time with the things that you do and just simply being. Stopping to watch the birds fly over head, enjoy watching your children run and play or getting engrossed for an hour in a great novel.
Some people find it very difficult to practise this way of living, to create the time to slow down and embrace a less rushed way of being. But slower living is more than just taking your time in life, it is about creating the space to enjoy your hobbies whilst being in a state of ‘flow’, being engrossed in what you love whilst the time ticks by without you noticing. It is also about being conscious of your surroundings, listening, discovering and taking it all in. Slow living is a mindset where you can take charge of a more meaningful and conscious lifestyle, a lifestyle that’s aligned with what you value most in life.
When we exhaust ourselves we end up running on empty which then has a knock on effect, impacting our energy and well-being and in turn damaging our sense of purpose and focus. We can begin to reverse this by introducing slower living little by little into our lives. Perhaps every hour we introduce a 15 minute window where we practise mindfulness or meditation, going for a leisurely walk around the block or simply sitting and watching the leaves fall from the trees. This all takes practise and it is about finding the head space to fully embrace life at a slower pace whilst giving you energy to perform your daily duties in a purposeful way.
In her book ‘Slow: Simple Living for a Frantic World' Brooke McAlary –creator and host of the extremely popular Slow Your Home blog & podcast, explores the path to slower living through discovering a simpler, more fulfilling existence. She shares her journey towards a slow and intentional life to help you discover what your ‘why’ is. Why does slow living appeal to you? What really matters to you? What do you want your legacy to be and why? The book is about delving deep into your psyche to discover your intensions for being.
To embrace slow living we must learn patience, step back from situations and reassess in a calm and collected way. We must take the time to appreciate and enjoy the little things in life, from the ritual of making the perfect cup of tea to reading your children a bed time story with love and joy. Slower living means encouraging mental well-being by having an outlook on life which fills you with positivity.
We need to spend time by ourselves in order to reconnect with who we are and the essence of what we want to achieve in life. Slow living is a way of life that allows you to be present, to experience your environment with more awareness, to live more consciously and to connect with people. Slowing down and enjoying each moment is the essence of life.
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