In a world as busy and fast-paced as ours, it’s hard to find a minute to take a deep breath and slow down.
There’s always something that needs doing – an assignment, going to work, catching up with friends or going grocery shopping. You name it. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to leave their demanding job and pursue their passion or uproot their whole life and move to a remote farm.
In this article, Brig offers four tips on making steady changes to becoming more mindful and relaxed. Slow living isn’t just an aesthetic, it’s a lifestyle.
Take a walk through nature
Walking through a busy town like Stirling, with loud cars and construction everywhere, isn’t very soothing. Being surrounded by beautiful trees, plants and animals is a balm to the senses – listen to the birds, smell the flowers and the fresh earth, and smile at the dogs that cross your path.
I would suggest going to Kings Park, but rather than taking the usual route by the playground and the picnic square, do the bigger lap around the park. It’s stunningly green and serene. There’s a lovely view of Stirling and the Castle, and it’s far quieter. If you are going to live slowly, try going on this walk without your headphones; instead, pay attention to nature’s music and feel its positive impacts on your well-being.
A walk, especially in nature, can really do wonders for mental health.
Cook your own meals and eat without distractions
Because we live in such a hasty society, finding the time to cook a meal can be difficult. Especially a meal that isn’t easy like pasta or noodles – aka, student staple food. Cooking can feel like just another chore, but if you let it, it can actually be quite a calming and therapeutic activity. It teaches you to live in the moment and concentrate on what you’re doing. It’s also incredibly satisfying to create something from scratch.
Most of us also have the nasty habit of watching movies or series, or scrolling through social media, while we eat, instead of just eating. Put that phone down! To practice slow living, try to eat slowly, too. Pay attention to every bite and truly embrace the meal’s flavours; it’ll make the food all the tastier. Why rush?
Go offline every once in a while
This tip might be an impractical one for students, but because we’re online 24/7, it might also be the most helpful. We stare at our laptop screens when we’re doing research for an assignment and when we take a break, we go on our phones as ‘a little treat.’
Whenever possible, try disconnecting from technology and the endless notification bings. Try taking a day a month when you turn your phone off, don’t go on your laptop, and do something you’re passionate about! You’ll be surprised how much time you suddenly have.
Meditate
Of course, the most obvious piece of advice for slow living: meditating.
Meditating is a way to counteract our accelerated lives and it helps us focus on our emotions and thoughts. Sometimes these thoughts can be a bit boring, or we can find ourselves thinking too much about certain things if we’re stressed, but meditation takes practice. It’s not something that can be mastered in one sitting.
It’s awfully refreshing to just sit with your thoughts and experience a somewhat stream of consciousness. It slows time down, but I guarantee it will slow you down too.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels
A 23 year old aspiring writer.
News Editor at Brig Newspaper, 23/24. / Comment Editor, 22/23.
Msc International Journalism.
Founder of https://midwaymagazine.co.uk/
