What Is Slow Living? | Slow Living For Beginners

What is slow living?

You may have heard the term in the media recently. It’s a movement that is quickly gaining in popularity, alongside the minimalist movement. But what does it stand for?

For many, the word “slow” has mostly negative connotations. In today’s fast paced world, it’s all about efficiency, getting things done quicker and living life to the max. Surely you’ll get left behind when you take things more slowly, right?

In this video, I explain how the goal of slow living is to find balance. Slow living is really about doing everything at the right pace. Some things require speed. But other things benefit from taking it slow.

In this video, we will first discuss the basics of slow living: what is it? Then I’ll debunk 3 common slow living myths. Then, I’ll give you 5 slow living for beginners tips. Practical advice to start living slowly yourself, today.

Let me know in the comments below: what does slow living mean to you?

0:00 – Introduction
1:11 – What Is Slow Living?
6:23 – 3 Slow Living Myths
12:46 – How You Can Live More Slowly (5 Tips)

– BOOKS MENTIONED IN VIDEO –

– LINKS –

📚 Interesting books to read:

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.

[quicktoevil]

I reside near a large Amish community. One morning I drove to a popular Amish bakery and arrived too early. I had a half hour wait until they opened so I sat on the tailgate of my truck and watched the sun rise across a pasture. A couple of horse-drawn carriages rolled slowly down the road and some Amish fellow waved hello. It was perhaps one of the most peaceful moments of my life.

[lilyliciousss]

What got me into “slow living” was noticing how I never wanted to cook for myself cus it would take 30+ minutes - yet spend 4+ hours on my phone and social media every.day.

This fast paced world is meant to keep us disconnected from the things that matter. Our spirit, loved ones, nature, etc

[sanchezhandymen]

Buddhism has been preaching this for century's. When you walk, walk. When you drink tea, drink tea. Simple but a hard concept for most of us. Definitely worth the time to take the time to live.

[katymcdonald]

I just resigned from my corporate job. I have no other job to go to but I am burnt out and my health has been suffering for years. I’m embracing slow living to reconnect with nature, my friends & family and rebuild my health. I will pursue more creative endeavours and work enough to pay my bills. I’m not a minimalist but I’m going to consume more consciously. I’m looking forward to gardening and cooking because I want to enjoy more slow food also.

[carolynbridgeman]

I am an introvert and a traveler. I have lived slow now for maybe 12 years. I am now retired so it has become easier. I have to say though that I often feel odd and out of sync with many of my friends and family. I have come to realize that this way is what is right for me, even when I am pushed by people to DO. The odd thing is, for most people it doesn't matter much what a person does, as long as they are DOING. It seems that is how most of our society defines the value of a person. It's sad really, because so much DOING has no real meaning.

[martinlabastie.p]

Watching a video titled "slow living" in x2 speed instantly made me me realize i could change a couple of things

[haley]

I will never remember the times I was stressed and overworked, but I will always remember the times I took an hour to cook a nice meal, or sat outside with my coffee while people watching, or laying and listening to my partner's heartbeat. The slow moments in life are the best ones, and they've made me much more patient and more capable of dealing with stress :)

[cpruns]

I love this and I talk about it all the time with my wife. We talk about slowing down our days. What are things we can do to "slow down the weekend" for example. If you come into a weekend with the purpose of slowing it down you can really make that happen. Sometimes by Monday morning we feel like we just had two weeks off when it was just a weekend. Turn off the TV, put down the phones. Do a puzzle with the kids, go for ice cream and then walk in the park, sit around the living room and just talk with the kids as a family. Take extra time to make dinner and then read a bit of a book afterwards. There are so many ways you can slow down your days. It's to the point now that we can't stand "fast" weekends. We often plan weeks ahead figuring out how we are going to slow things down. I recently did this on a week off and it felt like 3 months off. If you have not tried this....try it soon!

[carmendevine]

I used to live near an art museum, and I became a member. I would go there two or three days a week and go look closely at just one painting. People around me would bustle through the gallery and glance at each painting, often spending more time reading the wall text than looking at the painting.
I think everyone would get more out of art museums if they only look at a couple of things, and try not reading the wall text. Let the artist tell you something, and don't think you have to understand, know any trivia about the work, or see a lot.

[theunknowngamer]

Minimalism, or just the removal of most of my belongings, has led me here to the idea of slow living in general. I’ve been using a lot of my time just enjoying the sound of birds and wind in the trees around my home.

[royce]

Encouragement for any nuerodivergent folks: i have ADHD and i felt shame that I couldn’t follow the minimalistic life. I thought it would solve all my problems but instead I felt stress at not doing it “right”. My version of slow living looks different than what many youtubers portray. I found that it was harder for me to slow down without becoming anxious. If you are a person who naturally needs fast paced activities and background noise, that’s ok!

Try this: take moments throughout the day to pause and ground yourself. Start your slow living journey small so as not to overwhelm yourself. Spend your 10 minutes doing nothing by listening to loud music that you enjoy. Take time to talk with friends and family instead of scrolling tik tok. Go for a jog outside. If you try and meditate, keep your eyes open and feel free to wiggle around. You’d be genuinely surprised how once you start slowing down, it’s easier to live the classic slow life. It may take you a little longer than other people to make the adjustment, and that’s ok! Stop and ask yourself what you need in order to feel more at peace. It’s all about mindfulness ❤️

[rinaneiman]

As someone who struggles with anxiety, one of the most important things I talk about with my therapist is learning how to be relaxed and be present in the moment. Basically, how to exercise mindfulness or slow living.
Although I find myself agreeing with this phylosophy, it's often hard for me to actually stick with it, both because of the way I was brought up, and because my anxiety often times makes it very hard to not obsessively think ahead. However, when I do manage to just enjoy the moment, it's truelly liberating.

This video really inspired me and gave me a renewd motivation to be more mindful and slow down. In other words, thank you for this video, it honestly really made my day :)

[Mimi-dvql]

I just discovered that I have been practicing slow living for fast 2-3 years of my life without even realizing it. 😇 Thank you so much making this video. 🙏😊

[brendadrew]

I have no problem with the "Slow movement' and practice this every single day and am anything but boring or stupid, because it gives you more time actually to do more creative things and read books! I've been a protessional artist for over 50 years and a composer! I also have a mild form of MS which is the "slow-motion" disease! There is no way in hell we can move any faster than we do! I've noticed ever since I went to Europe to study art, that they're not nearly as rushed as Americans are who leave me out of breath! I live a more European style of living, as well! After living, working and studying in the dog eat dog world of NYC as a fashion illustrator, a floral designer and then as a fitness trainer while raising three daughters, while working outside the home, too and owning two of my own small businesses, I'm enjoying slowing down at age 73, meditating, still weight training, doing yoga and still doing my art! Thanks for the tips...peace, love and namaste~ <3 <3

[acer]

I actually describe Working from home in a less stressful job slowing down…grateful every day to have this option

[davey]

I’m 67. I’ve lived like this since I was 25. Obviously I started this before the ‘trendy’ words surrounding it all came to pass. It’s very simple and easy……so many people these days don’t have a minute to live….🇬🇧

[valerievanessavictoria]

Thank you for this video, Peter. I resonate with this so much. I am 38, living in the Philippines. I have always felt that there is something wrong with me for not having reached a certain position in the corporate ladder, for not being married and not having kids, not owning things that people my age own. I’ve just always felt like a failure in life. But in reality, I thrive more in being slow, avoiding stressors, and my creativity gets nurtured by daydreaming and listening to music and doing nothing. I have been fortunate to have had the privilege to choose this life. Many in my country can’t. We’re in a third world country and everyone here is fighting just to have a decent meal. We grew up in a society that gave so much importance to hustling. That’s why there’s still that voice in my head pressuring me to achieve and do more. I’m glad there’s space in the world for these types of conversations. Also, you’re very funny too and I’m always drawn to funny people.

[highhope.j.]

Learning to be calm even when the world needs you to be rushing. Slower often means better. Eg : better health.
More efficient, receptive, creative, cultural and intentional. True desire to be present in every moment.

[docktornjathika]

This is really great content! I'm so happy to hear there are many people starting to embrace this mindset. I'm a medical doctor and in the fraternity, we have such a toxic culture of being over achievers such that opting to adopt a more intentional and slightly 'laid back ' approach to career advancement means people see you as lacking ambition or failing to progress.
Please keep posting! I really enjoy your Content

[lisawanderess]

So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past few years without realizing there was a term for it! After burning out from running my own business and developing a severe autoimmune disease, I realized a drastic change in my life was required. I now live a healthy balanced life as a nomad in a vintage caravan and focus almost completely on self-care and healthy living. Thanks so much for this video. 💗