Does your daily life make you feel like you’re running a nonstop race? You wake up, dash to get the kids breakfast and packed for school, fight rush-hour traffic, dart about all day to meet your supervisor’s every demand, and arrive home only to cook dinner, do chores, help with homework, and finally collapse into bed.

If you feel burnt out from the grind, why not try slow living? This lifestyle gained popularity during the pandemic — so much so that many prefer it over returning to a hectic, but ultimately unsatisfying schedule.

Slow living revolves around mindfulness, relishing each task instead of rushing through every activity only to proceed to the next. It’s not about laziness, but rather attentiveness and quality over quantity. Here’s what you should know about the benefits of slow living and some simple ways you can try it.

The Benefits of Slow Living in a Fast-Paced World

Slow living has countless benefits in today’s hectic world. It can be hard to keep up with the demands of society. Social media puts pressure on us to live a perfect, aesthetically pleasing life. Ads try to influence us to buy into the latest trends. Inflation increases the prices of groceries, gas and other essentials.

However, slow living techniques can make these challenges more manageable. It promotes minimalism and self-sufficiency, which can benefit your mental, physical and financial health. This mindset shift can also help you adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Slow living encourages you to evaluate the consequences of your choices and make those that are better for you and the planet.

For example, taking a reusable bag to the grocery store is the most energy-efficient way to carry home your groceries and prevents your eggs from breaking when flimsy plastic ones rip. You might not feel like running back to your car if you feel rushed, but embracing slow living helps you make the responsible choice.

5 Ways to Practice Slow Living

How can you implement slow living into your modern life? Here are five techniques that can help.

1. Live Minimally

Slow living focuses on living with only the essentials. Start by decluttering your home and parting with anything that doesn’t serve a purpose. You can start small and work your way up to bigger items — like selling your car if you live in a walkable area, or going a whole year without buying new clothes.

2. Engage with Nature

Slow living is strongly tied to living naturally, or making use of natural resources. For example, many advocates of the lifestyle garden to grow their own food, rather than shop at grocery stores. Even if you don’t have access to green space, you can start a garden on a balcony or patio, or even in your kitchen, with proper research and materials.

3. Eliminate Distractions

It takes the average person more than 20 minutes to get back on task after an interruption. Turn off your phone and TV while diving into deep work or silence everything but emergency calls. Take breaks from social media, and see how long you can go without feeling the need to check it.

4. Attend to Self-Care

Living simply doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself of self-care. The goal is to reduce your stress and live more peacefully. Taking care of yourself is an essential part of that. Replace expensive or wasteful habits, like retail therapy, with more restful actions, like taking a walk in nature or making a nutritious meal from scratch.

5. Practice Daily Mindfulness

Humans are hardwired to respond to environmental stimuli – it’s crucial to staying alive. However, it’s easy to get swept away in the external world. A daily yoga or meditation practice redirects your attention.

What Is Slow Living?

Slow living offers the antidote to the hectic modern world. It can help you ease stress, save money, and live more sustainably. The tips above can help you get started with slow living. You’ll enjoy the journey more when you take the time to smell the roses!

What Is Slow Living? Simple Ways to Try It.