Restless in Quarantine? Here’s How Adopting Slow Living Can Help.
Before COVID-19 and the global efforts to contain it completely transformed normal life as we know it, most of us were used to a fast-paced day, jam-packed with work, travel, and other responsibilities. Suddenly there’s nowhere to go and nothing to do. This drastic change of pace is difficult for many of us, triggering anxiety, restlessness, and in some cases depression.
While slamming on the brakes of life isn’t recommended, many experts consider slowing down to be a healthier and better alternative to the fast-paced lifestyle we miss so much. In fact, there’s an entire movement dedicated to this slow living lifestyle, which has been gaining traction as an alternative way of living over the past decade. The overarching philosophy has permeated into all spheres of modern life, ranging from daily activities like cooking to entire fashion trends.
Proponents of slow living have challenged the notion that in order to have a good life we have to be busy and productive all the time. Instead, they argue that taking a step back and being conscious and deliberate in all aspects of life, opens us up to a more engaged, sensory experience. Slow is actually an acronym, standing for sustainable, local, organic, and whole. And many of these principles make a lot of sense from a health and well-being perspective.
What Is Slow Living?
In the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, many scientists and experts thought the following century would be that of leisure. Technological advancements would allow us to do things far more quickly and efficiently, thereby freeing up time for other things in life.
But that didn’t happen. If anything, life got busier––and faster. There’s a psychological element at play here. Hedonic adaptation and essentially, the more things we have, the more we want. This is why when we found we had our time freed up courtesy of technological advancements, the more we wanted to do in that extra time. And we have yet to slow down. One of the most damaging consequences in our constant pursuit of productivity, is we often forget to listen to our body, leading to serious physical and mental health issues.
The slow living philosophy aims to counteract these detrimental effects by deliberately slowing down the pace of everyday life and changing our mindset from result-oriented to process-oriented. It’s a philosophy for living a better, cleaner, and healthier life at a pace that is suited to the natural rhythm of the human body. It can teach us life skills that come especially useful in a stressful time like this, such as patience, resilience, focus, and enhanced attention to detail.
How To Adopt Slow Living Principles
Do one thing at a time
While many of us think we can multitask, the truth is we can’t. Which makes multitasking a big no. Spread your chores throughout the day and give each of them single-minded attention. If you find yourself having to juggle things, always prioritize ruthlessly and do the most important task first.
Take your time
Complete each chore, each item on our to-do list, every task at work, slowly and deliberately. This means taking a little more time than we normally would, even the tasks we are accustomed to performing every day. Be present and mindful of the process, noticing every step, and thinking about them individually as we engage in completing them.
Pick a hobby that does not have immediate results
Start learning a new language. Read a physical book with a dictionary on hand; taking notes and looking up difficult words, phrases, or concepts. Deliberately choose a complicated sewing pattern that will take a lot of time to complete. Start learning a new skill from the very basics, forgetting whether we think we know a bit about them. Plant a seed and tend to it every day. When we commit to a long-term hobby, we learn patience, resilience, and how to be present in the moment.
Do things you are bad at
Scared of math? Solve a number-puzzle every day. Can’t play the guitar at all but always wanted to? Pick an online lesson and strum through the lessons dutifully. Do that dance move everybody laughed at in front of the mirror. Get accustomed to failure because that’s where we learn to worry less about the results and start enjoying the process.
Embrace more digital detox time
Go offline whenever possible. Staying away from news and social media helps lessen anxiety. Also, it helps in cutting down the expectation of getting instant solutions to every problem. Consult a book. Ask a neighbor, from a safe distance of course. Call grandma. Often, when we do something other than scrolling on our phone, we engage our minds more fully, reducing the feeling of boredom for longer periods of time. And we end up being more productive too.
Change the music
Deliberately pick slower, more meditative music to listen to throughout the day. What we listen to has a significant impact on our minds and moods. When we listen to calm sounds, we find ourselves in a calmer mindset. Instrumental and classical music can be our new friend, and don’t be afraid to explore natural sounds, like rainforests and seascapes, which can also be relaxing and refreshing.
Practice Yoga
Yoga is a fitness regime for the mind as well as the body. It doesn’t promise the fast or drastic results other workouts do, like losing belly fat in 10 days. But, if practiced consistently, it teaches us how to better align our mind and body for inner strength and long-lasting overall fitness.
Conclusion
Fully embracing and adjusting to a slow life takes time. Especially if we want to turn short-term forced changes into long-term chosen habits. But that’s exactly how it works: slow living is not supposed to show magical or instant results. It is a deliberate, focused philosophy where the goal is a long-term sustained way of life. Instant gratification is traded in favor of a better, healthier process. So take a deep breath and enjoy slowing down. It’s the perfect time to embrace change, and discover newer, healthier habits along the way.
