Slow Living: 17 Tips to Help You Slow Down and Enjoy Your Life

We live in a world that offers us more choices and more freedom than ever before. But a world where we are free to choose our own ways and every choice we make traces back to us can leave us feeling overwhelmed at the implications of all of our decisions. As Ezra Taft Benson said in his famous quote: “You are free to choose, but you are not free to alter the consequences of your decisions.” That’s why, sometimes, we just need to slow down and enjoy life.

We need to breathe, relax, and savor the moments that will soon disappear.

When you intentionally slow down your days and your life, it helps you become more present and mindful in your days. And even better, when you are not rushing from one thing to the next, struggling just to keep up, life can be a lot more enjoyable and peaceful!

What is Slow Living?

Slow living is a lifestyle choice that is conscious, intentional, mindful, and fulfilling. It is about intentionally negotiating our time in order to ensure we get the most out of every activity we engage in. This often means letting go of the pressure we feel to keep up with others and instead building a stronger conviction in the value of our own choices.

When we live this way, we make time for things with significance and meaning. Living more slowly in this sense is about living more deliberately; considering the meaning, pleasure, and purpose of everything we choose to give our time and attention to. Intentionally allocating our time ensures that more of it will be devoted to those things we truly value and not simply spent on those dictated by cultural trends.

Slow living makes simple pleasures of life more enjoyable. Seemingly ordinary moments of daily life like preparing a meal, having a conversation with our parents or spouse or friends, sitting on the porch and watching the sunset in the evening, or getting our children ready for school, or playing with them, can be so rich in value and meaning if we choose to engage with them more consciously.

When we look back at our lives, many of our sweetest and fondest memories are attached to what, at that time, seemed like ordinary, mundane moments.

“Slow Living means structuring your life around meaning and fulfillment. Similar to ‘voluntary simplicity’ and ‘downshifting,’ it emphasizes a less-is-more approach, focusing on the quality of your life…Slow Living addresses the desire to lead a more balanced life and to pursue a more holistic sense of well-being in the fullest sense of the word. In addition to the personal advantages, there are potential environmental benefits as well. When we slow down, we often use fewer resources and produce less waste, both of which have a lighter impact on the earth.” — Beth Meredith and Eric Storm

Unplug

In a world that is so connected and always available, it’s easy to be distracted. We are constantly connected to our devices, available at the touch of a button at any given moment. Unplugging regularly and not being open to all of the distractions our modern connectivity brings can really open up new avenues in your life.

A great way to practice slowing down is unplugging. When was the last time you disconnected from the Web and really connected with the people offline? When was the last time you sat and enjoyed a conversation over a meal with your loved ones without a device blaring somewhere in your reach?

Whether you engage in an activity that you love and enjoy or have an in-person conversation with a friend, turn down all the noise surrounding you. Turn off the TV, disconnect the Internet, and turn off the smartphone. And then be fully present and enjoy what you are trying to do.

Slow living requires you to disconnect yourself from all of your devices and take mindful breaks. This doesn’t mean you have to go offline for good; it just means you have to block off some personal time. Turn your phone off for an hour, a day, or a weekend. When you unplug, you get the chance to slow down and enjoy what is around you.

Technology can be a wonderful addition to our lives as long as it is adding value and making our lives easier, not becoming an unwanted distraction from the people and activities that matter most to us.

Take deep breaths

Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to slow down and relax. The brain then sends this message to your body. Those things that happen when you are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax.

When you find yourself speeding up and stressing out, pause, and take a deep breath. Take a couple more. Really feel the air coming into your body, and feel the stress going out. By fully focusing on each breath, you bring yourself back to the present, and slow yourself down.

Enjoy silence

If you want to slow down and enjoy life, you have to eliminate distractions. You have to cancel or at least reduce the noise and give yourself a breather. Have you ever noticed that stress feels worse when it is loud or chaotic in your environment? That is because the outside reflects the inside.

If you are feeling a little stressed, and then you throw yourself in the midst of something loud and rowdy, your body can’t relax enough to let that stress go, and so you wind up more stressed than ever. Allowing yourself a little silence can help calm the body, ease the stress in the mind, and before you know it, you are feeling peaceful despite the worries of the world.

Try turning off the tv, laptop, podcast, phone, etc. for a few minutes a day to give yourself some moments of silence. Take a moment to look around and pay attention to where you are, what you are doing, who you are with, and what is going on around you.

Find pleasures in small things

Slow living is intentional and mindful. It means you notice everything around you, and enjoy simple, ordinary moments. So, learn to do little things that bring you joy in every day, and take the time to appreciate them.

It could be playing a game with your kids, watching an interesting documentary or your favorite TV show with your whole family, gardening, having a piece of homemade chocolate cake, or enjoying a cup of tea/coffee in a nice, quiet corner of your home. Whatever you are doing, be fully present and enjoy the process. Life can be so much more enjoyable if you learn this simple habit.

Say “no” to the non-essentials

Learning to say “no” can be difficult at first, especially if you are a kind-hearted person, or don’t want to feel like you are letting people down. But learning to say “no” to the non-essentials is an important way to set boundaries to protect your time and well-being. It’s necessary, because it helps you slow down and focus on what is most important to you and your family.

By doing more than you should, you complicate your life. If you say “yes” to every request, you will spend all your free time and energy by keeping busy with the things or people that will not leave any quality time in your schedule for rest or other things that matter most to you.

Remember that every time you say “yes” to something you don’t like to do or don’t have time to do, you are saying “no” to something else that you truly want/need to do. It means you have less time, energy, and attention for the meaningful and important things in your life. Make sure when you say “yes”, it aligns with your priorities and what you value. If it doesn’t, say “no” instead.

Related post: 6 Tips for Saying No to People Without Feeling Guilty

Add some white space to your schedule

If life is feeling hectic, stressful, or overwhelming, a great way to slow down is by removing some of the activities and commitments from your schedule. Do less. 

Appreciating, enjoying, and savoring life doesn’t just happen. You must first have the clarity of focus to pay attention to what could be making you happy in the moment — something you can’t have if you are constantly worrying about what else needs to be done next. But, if you cram less in your day, allowing for some white, empty spaces, then you will find that you no longer feel dizzy from constant running. You can slow down and pay attention to positives in the moment, which just might make you happy.

So, take a critical look at your daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. Look for activities or commitments that you don’t enjoy, or things that are simply adding more stress than value to your life. Try to eliminate or at least reduce those kinds of activities and commitments so you can slow down and relax.

Don’t compare

There is a popular saying: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Live your life on your own terms. You and your journey – both are unique. Your values, goals, dreams, and priorities are different than others. Everyone has their own shares of failures, struggles, and accomplishments.

Everybody you know is dealing with their own challenges and setbacks. Things are not always what they seem. That friend who just got married to an awesome guy may not be happy in her career. That couple that just moved into a bigger and fancier house might be feeling trapped financially. There are ups and downs to every situation.

Comparisons are unhealthy and detrimental to your own self-esteem. Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus your energy on being the very best version of yourself. Try to be better than what you were yesterday. Focus all your energy and attention on your own goals and dreams. Do what is required to achieve them. When you don’t compare yourself to others, you don’t feel the pressure to keep up with them. You can slow down and enjoy your own accomplishments, and be happy with that.

You may also like: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others—and Feel Happier!

Count your blessings and stay focused

Simple, slow living requires you to focus on all the good things in your life, count all your blessings, and express gratitude for those. Make your own gratitude list and read them often. Every day find at least 3 reasons/things to be thankful for. Just by doing that consistently, you will notice a significant increase in your happiness and overall well-being.

Count your blessings today. It’s important to constantly remind yourself of all the blessings you should be grateful for – your breaths, a healthy family, a caring friend, a job to support yourself and your family, a place to call home, good food, a warm sunny day, a special talent etc. Make a list of all the things you are grateful for, and go through that list often. You will soon notice your days becoming brighter and happier.

Gratitude makes what you have enough and more.

Related post: How Gratitude Can Help You Live a Simple Life

Spend your time with the people you love

Spending quality time with the people you love and really being present during that time is a great way to practice slowing down. When you spend time with those who you love and care about, it helps to remind you of what matters most in life.

Being with the people who are special to you makes it easier to step away from some of the busyness and embrace a slower life focused on spending your time doing things that make life more meaningful and enjoyable.

Savor your food

With the speed at which we do most things today, eating can easily become just another thing to cross off your to-do list. The next time you eat, try slowing down. You will pull more enjoyment out of your food, feel more satisfied, and your digestive system will thank you.

Pay attention to what you are eating. Be mindful of each bite – the act of chewing, the taste of the food, the temperature. Appreciate the flavors and textures. Don’t eat while driving or watching TV. Instead, make your whole family sit down and enjoy meals together. Don’t forget to turn off all of the gadgets while you eat.

Live in the present moment

When did you just stop and enjoy the present moment without judgment or reflection towards the past or fretting about the future? It’s hard to slow down and enjoy life when we are constantly living in the past or worrying about the future. We have to be present if we want to get any joy out of life.

Being present can also be achieved through things like exercise, yoga, and meditation. Physical activity has a way of jolting you into the present moment. It also helps you take back control of your health and fitness, resulting in a happier and healthier you.

Get in the nature

It’s amazing how much being in nature can help you slow down and relax. Many of us are shut in our homes and offices, and rarely do we get the chance to go outside. Even if we do, we are almost always on our phones.

Instead, get outside whenever possible and enjoy a walk through your neighborhood, go to the country and walk down a country road, take a hike in the woods. Do something that brings you in touch with nature every day. You can simply sit outside, admire the beauty of nature around you, enjoy the warmth of sunshine, and take in fresh air. And when you do that, leave your phone at home.

Get rid of the distractions

Life can become cluttered with too many things. With so many things going on in our lives, and with the accumulation of so much unnecessary “stuff,” how are we ever expected to slow down? When we are racing from one transaction to another, never really reaping the benefits of happiness, how can we ever enjoy life?

Declutter. Organize, and simplify. Purge the unnecessary, excess things from your home, your office, and your life. Create a set of SMART goals and a mission statement for what you want to achieve out of life. Every day remind yourself of those, and in the evening before you go to sleep, ask yourself if you came any closer to attaining those.

Removing non-essential things from your to-do list can help you slow down. Declutter your to-do list and only make time for the tasks that are important and add value to your life. Take pleasure from the things in life that really matter: family, relationships, and health & well-being. We are only here for a very brief time. We must not clutter that time with too many things.

Do one thing at a time

Instead of multi-tasking, try to do one single task at a time and enjoy what you are doing, because this is one of the essential habits to slow down and make life peaceful. That way you won’t have to rush, and you can accomplish more things in a productive manner. Doing two or more things at a time can be overwhelming and very stressful. Multi-tasking doesn’t always increase your productivity either. While you focus on more than one task at a time, you usually accomplish less and feel more stressed in the process.

When you find the desire to do many things at once, pause and breathe for a moment. Take a mental step backwards and refocus your efforts. Hone your skill and commit to doing and completing that one task to the best of your ability.

Leave 5-10 minutes earlier and take the slower route

One of the reasons we can feel so rushed is because we are often running behind. If you have somewhere you need to be at a particular time, plan on leaving the house 5-10 minutes earlier.

Just because everyone else breaks the speed limit in their frenzied race to the next place, doesn’t mean you must, too. Instead, make it a habit to slow down when you drive. Appreciate your surroundings. Choose the slow lane, take the scenic route, or try a less traveled course. It might take 10 minutes more, but driving will be more enjoyable, and much safer. Also, won’t it be better to arrive more relaxed?

Find a new hobby

Learn something new. Do something that you have always wanted to do. Explore new things. Develop a new skill. The idea is to try a new activity that’s exciting for you. Make more time for the things you love and enjoy. That will work as a stress-reliever and anti-depressant, and will give new meaning to your life, and help you slow down.

Give yourself more time to do things

We often underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete any given task in a proper manner. 

We tend to finish it up in a hurry, and that leads to frustration, pressure, and stress. Double the amount of time for every single task on your list. If you finish a task early, use the time to relax or enjoy a tiny pleasure.

Plan more downtime

Schedule at least 30 minutes of downtime each day. If you don’t schedule it in your planner, it probably won’t happen. 

During your downtime, allow yourself to sit quietly and gaze out a window, get lost in a good book, ask a question and listen to the whispers of your heart, take a bath, swing in a hammock, take a short, peaceful nap, watch a movie, or simply enjoy your favorite drink. Make your own ‘favorites do nothing’ list so you won’t get trapped when your mind pulls you toward busyness.

Parting Words

These are some simple ways you can slow down so you can enjoy your life more. If you want to keep your sanity, sometimes you have to learn how to slow down and live mindfully. So, whenever you are feeling rushed, overly busy, or simply overwhelmed, try some of these tips to help you slow down, and enjoy life!

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