Slow Living: What It Is And What Habits This Lifestyle Poses
Doing things at full speed and wanting to do as many tasks as possible, even being able to do several at the same time, is not always the best way to act and live, since in the long term this is not sustainable because staying alive For a long time, enduring high levels of stress can be very harmful to your health.
The “slow living” movement consists of a philosophy of life, based on the way of living by paying full attention to the present moment, focusing the senses on what is being done or contemplated at that precise moment, thus trying to enjoy each moment and Dedicate to each task the time necessary to do it well.
In this article we will see what the slow living movement consists of and what are the different ways to put it into practice in everyday life.
The “slow living” movement emerged in the 80s and It consists of a philosophy of life based on the way of living paying full attention to the present moment focusing the senses on what is being done or contemplated at that precise moment, thus trying to enjoy each moment and dedicate to each task the time necessary to do it well.
Likewise, this does not mean that following this movement one lives in a bad way or irresponsibly, as it might seem that way because the word “slow” is often not well seen and could be related to the terms “lazy” or even “lazy”.
However, in this case the slow living movement does not have negative connotations, but just the opposite. In the times in which we live, in which things move very quickly, in order to adapt, people often have the feeling that they must rush through life, carrying more things at a time than they really want to cover, stretching their They try as hard as they can until there comes a time when they reach their limit and their body asks them to stop to recover.
Instead, The slow living movement goes in the opposite direction to that “fast track” in which many people live , without breaks and without dosing tasks. So those who follow slow living try to do a few things and really enjoy them (e.g., there are ‘slow food’ restaurants, where you can eat calmly for 3 hours).
This movement was very successful thanks to various authors who spoke of the benefits of slow living, compared to the chaotic, hurried and anxious way of life that has to combine a lot of activities from their ordinary life, thus appearing the slow way of life, where Each thing is given its time and a time is reserved for each thing. Therefore, Instead of doing various things at the same time, fewer are done, even if they are few, but done well
People who follow the slow living movement do not pretend to be 100 people at the same time: a nurse, a great mother, a paddle tennis player, a swimmer, a hiker, among other things, and by this we do not mean that one cannot have hobbies, manage one’s life well. work and motherhood; However, sometimes it is difficult to carry out various facets of life at the same time, so In certain cases it would be advisable to focus on what you like the most, in terms of hobbies or knowing how to dose and also knowing when it is necessary to rest because the body may not be able to withstand such a level of stress.
Problems and difficulties that arise
Many people have quite a difficult time following the slow living movement because they are subject to a fast-paced lifestyle, in which they live a kind of autonomic hyperactivation, so they have certain risks of experiencing some mental health problems such as stress, anxiety or depression. , among others, and this may be due to a real time war in which they constantly live, fighting against the time that we would like to have, and that is also there are moments too full and times too empty
Nowadays, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is difficult for us to get into the mentality of living fully in the present (“when I eat, eat and only eat”, “when I sleep, sleep and only sleep”, “when I study, study and I only study” and “when I work, I work and I only work”). But what really happens these days is this: when I’m eating, I think I want to laugh with my friends; When I’m with them, I’m thinking about the work I have to deliver; When I go to bed I am thinking about tomorrow’s tasks and when I wake up, I am thinking about how well I would be sleeping.
It is not a coincidence that there is a high percentage of people with anxiety, since today the stress levels due to the fast-paced lifestyle that a large part of the population leads ends up causing different types of emotional disorders such as anxiety or depression. depression; This may in part be because people who experience stress They try to withstand the pressure for a long period of time and do not seek help until their body and mind ask for a break Therefore, it would be important to implement some measures in order to prevent increased stress levels.
One of the ways to prevent these types of mental health problems that could end up developing due to the hustle and bustle of everyday life would be to reduce multitasking, so that we do not try to cover 100 facets. In other words, instead of wanting to do 10 things at a time, choose half or those that we can develop satisfactorily, choosing those that we consider would fulfill us and benefit us most in the long term, truly participating with our entire being in what we do..
Many times we associate progress with improvement, quantity and wealth, but quality should be related to a smaller number of activities that we enjoy and can make the most of
How to follow the slow living movement?
The slow living movement can be very beneficial for those people who live very busy lives and need to take a break from their lifestyle so that it does not end up causing serious health problems. By this we do not mean that you should be radical when practicing this movement, since there are many situations and many types of work that require agility and speed; however, We have to know when to stop, when to dose and plan our day to day well so that things don’t pile up and we try to do several at the same time.
There are also times when it might be advisable to make a list of priorities and, if necessary, set aside for a while some things that are not essential (for example, if at a certain time I have more work than usual, I have a partner and children with whom I want to enjoy my free time, I am practicing various types of sports and I am also learning to play the guitar; if I am suffering from high levels of stress, perhaps it would be advisable to put my priorities in order and not practice so many sports at the same time. once and set some aside for a while).
Besides, The slow living movement can be applied to almost all areas of our lives : in food (slow food), in education, in sex, in leisure, in travel and even at work. On the other hand, the slow living movement is also focused on leading a sustainable lifestyle, trying to reduce the pace of consumption, so that only what is essential or necessary is purchased, using new technologies rationally and encouraging purchases in local businesses.
Therefore, following slow living means living calmly, enjoying good things and giving each thing the attention it really deserves. Healthy living, sustainability and taking care of social relationships are also promoted.
Tips to practice slow living
As we have seen, there are times when it is not possible to put slow living into practice because our work may require us to be quick; However, it can be started at some times of the day, even if they are small, although it would be beneficial allocate a percentage of time to put it into practice, even if it is small, and to do this we can follow the following tips :
