Good day, my love bugs.
Who here only knows a state of freeze? You live in a state of constant, worry, stress, and anxiety. Well, join the club. I have been struggling with so much stress and anxiety these past few weeks that it has deeply affected my sleep schedule. It has made me reflect on my habits and my thought patterns. I realized that I am always looking at what needs to be done next or what goal still needs to be achieved while I haven't stayed in what I already have and am grateful about it. It made me think, that we are always moving especially at a rush pace. Where are well rushing to?
The meaning of slow living
Slow living is a mindset that encourages us to live in a self-aware and more conscious state of being where we make purposeful decisions for the benefit of our well-being. This mindset disregards the notion that being busy equates to being successful or important. Slow living is a part of the wider slow movement which began in the 1980s in Italy. It began as a moment of Slow Food which considered decision making around the food we consume. The main principle of slow living is reclaiming our time such as cutting out activities that do not serve our interests.
Slow living does equate to laziness
A misconception about slow living is that it means being sluggish or being lazy. According to the good trade slow living is not about slowing down the pace of every task that you do or procrastinating. It also is not against success or being productive but it is about living up to your idea of success and prioritizing what is most important to you. We live in a world where we are told who we are, what we should accomplish, and what we should desire. If you do not accomplish these things then you are a failure. Slow living also does not mean going tech-free it just normalises screen downtime in this digital age.
Benefits of slow living
I enjoy slow mornings if I were to call them that. I wake up a bit earlier so that I can journal, do my devotion stretch, or go to the gym. It creates a great start to my day and gives me some time before everything gets busy. Slow living invites us to be more intentional with our lives, especially with our time. Learning to say no to certain commitments so that we have more time for hobbies, friends, family, or pleasure. It also helps us find fulfillment and purpose by placing our values at the heart of our lifestyle such as finding better work-life integration. It also helps us seek a stronger connection with nature by embracing seasonal living and going outside regularly. It also means being more present at the moment which we are focusing on this year, slow living speaks to becoming more mindful, managing stress, and celebrating the small moments.
I ask that you permit yourself. Permit yourself to do more things that you enjoy. Give yourself permission to explore and possibly make mistakes. Permit yourself to enjoy this one life that you have where you put yourself first. Do not feel guilty about receiving pleasure, you are so worth it!
Till next time, Cheers!
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